DD Podhigai series on up-and-coming musicians

nivedita · Post by **nivedita** » 18 Feb 2009, 08:55

Yup, its Satya.

I'll try to get a copy of the recordings from Podhigai, so that I can put it up on Youtube.

Punarvasu,

If you have suggestions regarding the questions, I'll be happy to hear them.

Lakshman-ji,

Thank you very much!

Svaapana · Post by **Svaapana** » 19 Feb 2009, 07:38

Another good program by Podhigai. Hope given the right directions Satya stands alongside the prodigies like (Chitravina) Ravikiran, (Mandolin) Srinivas and (Flute) Sashank.
One request to Podihgai: Please let us know the names of the accompanying artistes

tkb · Post by **tkb** » 19 Feb 2009, 07:49

Svaapana

thanks for the post and wishes to Sathya. The enhancing artists were Karaikal Venkatasubramanian on Silent Violin, Kumbakonam Swaminathan on Mrudhangam, Pradeep on Tabla, Sridhar on Rhythm Pad, Suri on Bass Guitar and Krishnababu on Thalam & Kanjeera.

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 19 Feb 2009, 09:35

tkb wrote:" Krishnababu on Thalam & Kanjeera".
Is it 'yourself', Sir- the proud father?

Very good progrmme; nice to see a talented youngster. Our blessings to young Sathya.

nivedita · Post by **nivedita** » 19 Feb 2009, 11:36

Yup, 'tkb' is Krishnababu uncle - Sathya's father.

Svaapana, thanks for pointing that out. I'll try to ensure that they display the names of the accompanying artistes.

vganesh · Post by **vganesh** » 19 Feb 2009, 12:15

I could watch in between. It was good. We will wish sucess for Master.Satya's ambition. One more observation ( It is easy to point out mistakes/observation, so forgive me), most of the time Master.Satya was on long shot. Nothing right or wrong about it. Just an observation

. More will come as we progress

Svaapana · Post by **Svaapana** » 19 Feb 2009, 18:54

nivedita,
Your prompt response encourages me to make one more suggestion. As I had mentioned elsewhere we are diehard fans of Podhigai, evenso we some times miss the announcements made at the start of a program. I specially refer to the CM concerts from Podhigai as well as other centers in South India relayed by Podhigai.

My suggestion is that for any one hour program like the one discussed in this thread, announcement needs to made three times, at the start, sometime during the middle and at the end (just as AIR does). Podhigai has an added advantage in that the visual can run even when the song is on.

Thanks much in anticipation

tkb · Post by **tkb** » 20 Feb 2009, 12:37

Punarvasu wrote:tkb wrote:" Krishnababu on Thalam & Kanjeera".
Is it 'yourself', Sir- the proud father?

Very good progrmme; nice to see a talented youngster. Our blessings to young Sathya.

Yes it is myself. I also thank all the members who had the time to see the program and especially to members who have posted their comments

I have the audio of the concert and i will upload same and adv the link later.

chalanata · Post by **chalanata** » 20 Feb 2009, 13:25

I saw the programme. Kumbakonam Swaminathan has a great future.

tkb · Post by **tkb** » 20 Feb 2009, 23:35

chalanata wrote:I saw the programme. Kumbakonam Swaminathan has a great future.

I shall pass on your wishes to Sri Swaminathan, student of Sri Poongulam Subramanian.

I also thank one and all who took time to view and post their views on Sathya's program anchored by our forum member Nivedita in podhigai channel. For the benefit of members who could not see same and if they want to view same, here is the link

serial number 574 - 579 which has been uploaded by one of Sathya's well wisher Sri TVG of Rasikapriya-dot-net yahoo group member.

I have also uploaded the audio version in

Links deleted

pavithrac71 · Post by **pavithrac71** » 21 Feb 2009, 22:15

I saw the programme too...it was a nice show on the whole...! Congrats Satya....

Svaapana,

No doubt Satya is highly talented...but i don't think he should be called a prodigy and any day certainly cant stand beside a"RAVIKIRAN" or a "Mandolin Sreenivas" by being called a prodigy!

Satya has chosen an instrument thats far more easier to play than a mandolin or a chitraveena !!

Am sure Ravikiran and Srinivas would have slogged to allign to their respective pitches while they were coming up!!

Wheres the concept of "alligning to Shruti" in a keyboard ??

U could hear hard core CM lovers telling..."Avaa azhuthi paadala...innum azhuthi vaasikanum !!"

Wheres all that in a keyboard ?

More over i realized that he uses a mandolin-like tone while he plays the kucheri..... Y do you need some one to play using a mandolin tone? when you already have some one to play live using a mandolin itself....!

You can also observe that the sound satya produces ...is accompanied by a sort of Reverb and delays....which you can never find in a voice/chitraveena/mandolin unless the sound engineer in the hall increases the reverb in the output. So all that you hear is a nice reverberating sound with a lot of fullness.

Its also saddening to note that the gamakas produced in keyboards are also done by sequencing them earlier and making finer adjustments in accordance to the type of music you wish to create using that ... !! (Technologigal Advancement....creating havoc !)

Satya has been made to choose a path that would easily make him popular...and be known to all...
(Yet another short cut ... to make it to the top

...)

Keyboard playing is just a skill...something like arithmetics...can't a child learn to add and subtract (that too using a calculator ??)

Unfortunately Satya's gnyanam being channelized in the wrong way....!!

Hope satya does well in the future !

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 21 Feb 2009, 23:49

Its also saddening to note that the gamakas produced in keyboards are also done by sequencing them earlier and making finer adjustments in accordance to the type of music you wish to create using that ... !! (Technologigal Advancement....creating havoc !)

Are you sure about this? Can you expand on this? From what Mohan had explained there are two different techniques, portamento and pitch bend to produce gamakas.

Keyboard playing is just a skill

You can say that pretty much about any instrument. The biggest 'chore' of learning any instrument is learning the technicalities about the instrument which can be a huge impediment to bringing out the vidwat. Stated another way, mastering such technicalities, though necessary, is not to be confused with music per se. Also, Keyboard may make the initial sarali varisai easier but getting over its limitations to produce carnatic music is no easy task.

Having said that, I woud not quibble if you just do not like the sound coming from the keyboard.

nivedita · Post by **nivedita** » 22 Feb 2009, 07:38

Svaapana, thank you very much for the suggestion. I'm trying to get them to implement the suggestions I've received here, one/few at a time.

pavithrac71 · Post by **pavithrac71** » 22 Feb 2009, 13:28

Vasantakokilam,

The sequencing done used to produce gamakas... was told to me by a proffessional keyboardist....Will get back to you on the exact term that he used to denote that !!

Keyboard playing is certainly a skill (unlike other instruments) that could be very easily achieved ... As far as the limitations are concerned...the player is working very little towards it to overcome them....Rather technological advancements takes more care of it !! KORG has done a gr8 job !!

You could even adjust how far a pitch bender should move/slide so that you could reach the desired note perfectly alligned to sruti,

Can anyone do this with a VIOLIN/ CHITRAVEENA/ MANDOLIN ??

When a keyboardist need not worry about the "Mother of Music"...Shruti ?? What else could be easier than this ?? theres no question of taking time to even tune the instrument unlike a violin or a mandolin !!

Well theres nothing bad about the sound thats produced... a mandoin sounds very beautiful.... But why the same tone now using a keyboard ? Let people use a "piano"or an "organ" tone coz after all a keyboard has come into existence after a lot of modifications done to a piano !!

Since Satya hails from a musical background he is talented and has been able to learn Classical Music a lil easier n has been able to grasp stuff faster....Used technology...to climb up the ladder faster in the field of CM !!

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 22 Feb 2009, 13:53

The sequencing done used to produce gamakas... was told to me by a proffessional keyboardist....Will get back to you on the exact term that he used to denote that !!

Please do. Thanks. More than the name, I am curious if any sequencing is done to pre-program the keyboard for certain raga specific gamakas. That will be some useful piece of info.

On the rest of the points, I am not even sure why you are taking such a hard line on Satya's choice of keyboard as his instrument. If you go by your logic of not having to fight with the mother of music, you have to conclude that flute is easy as well ( since its swarasthanas are fixed, and you can not really tune it ).

You talk of the quick rise to the top with keyboard, I think Sathya's job is much tougher to prove to the rest of the conservative CM world on the appropriateness of keyboard to CM. Your reactions are probably typical of the response he gets. Some major names like Sanjay have gone on record to state that keyboard is not suitable for CM. I am really rooting that one day Satya and other key board artists will change Sanjay's impressions with their music.

Forget CM for a second. Would someone say the same thing to a western classical pianist. "Hey, you got it easy compared to that Chello player"!!

Finally, look beyond the instrument and judge the music the artist produces. Obviously, music does not come automatically from the instrument. In that sense, the artist gets the credit no matter which instrument he/she is playing. Do they sound like CM ragas? Does he bring out the bhavam that we expect from our music. Those are the things I think one should look for and judge for oneself.

Not that I do not relate to where you are coming from ( on the narrow aspects of ease of playing the instrument ). It is a commonly held impression but it is misplaced. I do grant that the entry point is easier, one does not have to suffer through learning the swarasthanams or having to learn to tune the instrument. But beyond that, I do not think there is anything 'easy' about it with respect to playing CM ragas. If you want to quantify that initial ease of playing, let us say it spares you '3-6 months' of slogging with the instrument to learn the swarasthanams.

I also wonder if the relative lack of visible body movements contributes to the impression that it is easy. From the audience vantage point, they do not even see the fingers moving and it may give the false impression you do not have to do a lot make the music on the key board.

My dream instrument would be something that is a no-brainer to master from a technical point of view and able to produce all the CM gamakas well, so the artist can expend the efforts 100% on bringing out the musical ideas. One avenue I am looking at is with touch-sensitive input devices. I know a group at University of Illinois, Urbana Champaigne is working on R&D along those lines.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 22 Feb 2009, 15:56

In a way, the cello player has it easy compared to the pianist: they have to play fewer notes at once! One of the greatest difficulties of any musical instrument, even the drums, is the difficulty of doing different things with different hands. The pianist has to different things with many different fingers! Even the xylophone player has to make accurate differences in the angles that he holds his hammers to obtain different chords. I think that, for any pianist, even a concert one with decades of experience, there will still be music that they find physically difficult.

The flute, by the way, although it seems to be a fixed-pitch instrument, is sensitive to blowing pressure: it is not an instrument for the tone-deaf to play, even before gamaka is considered! The instruments which have frets, once tuned, may give us the essential points in the scale, but a soon as the need is there to pull/stretch the string, again, good sense of pitch is required just as much as it is by the violinist.

I once had a neighbour who was a (Western) violinist. He could never understand my wonder at him getting the notes right! He used to say that he just put his fingers in the right places! For him, those places were just as well defined as those by the frets on a guitar.

My mridangam teacher once told us of a thavil artist who accepted a wager that he could not learn mridangam, to concert standard, in one month. He won his bet. We were incredulous, but our guruji explained, "He had done the difficult part already; he was a musician, he understood what he was playing --- transferring that to another instrument with different fingering was not so hard"*

So, keyboard or chitraveena --- the real difficulty is in learning and performing the music itself.

*This would have been somebody in PSP's heritge, I think: probably other people here know the story and the name.

.

Svaapana · Post by **Svaapana** » 22 Feb 2009, 17:23

pavithrac71, I said that entirely in the context of an young teenager attempting a novel experiment and trying to achieve excellence. It is only my (many others, of course) wish that the young boy matures to make the top grade like Srinivas,et al. When Srinivas made his appearance in the CM world some said that mandolin was not suited for the gamaka laden CM, but how well Srinivas has overcome the shortcomings of the instrument. My only fear is that dilution is avoided to retain the strength (azhutham) of CM in tact.

Nivedita, Thanks much

pavithrac71 · Post by **pavithrac71** » 22 Feb 2009, 17:25

I think the forumites have not quite understood my point....!! Its NOT a TAKE on SATYA...

Satya is a talented, hard working boy...with good gnyaanam !!

All that i was going to say is that "keyboard" certainly is a very easy instrument to learn... and kids who play well on that can certainly NOT be called Prodigies !!

Its pretty kiddish to compare a flute with a keyboard !! Apart from the mental process that every artiste undergoes, a flautist has to control his/her breath apart from the finger movements... Have we not heard a flute going slightly sharper / flatter...out of the pitch ??

Have we ever come across that with a keyboard ?

It might take 3-6 months to learn the swarasthanams... Classical Music is just not about learning.... Haven't we seen artistes asking for good monitors on stage during the kucheris ?? Why is it so ??? Even musicians who have been playing for decades might go out of pitch... because of the difficulty present in their respective instruments....

However novice u are , however experienced u are... a KEYBOARD will always be perfectly alligned to shruti !!

Its not about the body movement... there are instrumentalists who hardly move theirselves but create mind blowing music... So we are not part of such ignorant audience as well!!

We here are not discussing about Western Classical Music Firstly....

Even then a Western Classical Pianist uses both his hands at a time...playing different parts altogether....focusses on dynamics intricately...uses both his feet to pedal.... So its ideal not to talk about a western classical pianist here !!

Also in the World of Western Classical music not all pianists who play well are TAGGED with the "PRODIGY" title....Theres just ONE MOZART.....had they called all the well playing pianists a prodigy, then every symphony orchestra in the World will boast of atleast 5 prodigies in their team....

Similarly, theres jus ONE RAVIKIRAN and ONE SRINIVAS... everyone who play the Chitraveena well cant be called a prodigy however young they are...

No one ever criticized Satya's musical knowledge or the music that he has learnt and is showcasing now...

All that I have got to say is that With the help of technological advancements, he is trying to attain premature Stardom unlike Ravikiran or a Srinivas !

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 22 Feb 2009, 18:05

Even then a Western Classical Pianist uses both his hands at a time...playing different parts altogether....focusses on dynamics intricately...uses both his feet to pedal.... So its ideal not to talk about a western classical pianist here !!

You put that a great deal better than my attempt to say the same thing.

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 22 Feb 2009, 23:34

pavithrac71, I did not realize that your main grouse is calling Sathya a prodigy and comparing him to Ravikiran or Srinivas. I am not at all interested in that debate, so I withdraw. Counter points to the points you made are no longer necessary in this thread.

Only thing I would wish is for people to look beyond all such peripheral issues and talk about the music he produced, either good, mediocre or bad.

Please do let us know what you find out about the sequencing technique for CM gamakas on keyboard. I am indeed very interested in that. Thanks.

blackadder · Post by **blackadder** » 23 Feb 2009, 12:25

pavithrac71:

Let me see if I understood you correctly. You have two major issues:

1. That Sathya is called a PRODIGY.
2. That shruti shuddham is critical to good CM and it is very easy to achieve on the keyboard.

This is how I read (1):

In addition to Srinivas and Ravikiran, we also have Mali on the flute, Balamuralikrishna's vocal (in addition to other skills like the Viola, Mridangam etc.), S. Balachander on the Veena, E. Gayathri on the Veena to name a select few prodigies. Perhaps Shashank can be added to this list. Again, this is all public opinion, not a scientifically proven fact. Unless there has been some research that establishes said artistes as prodigies which I have missed.

I have been reading a book called "Talent is overrated" by Geoff Colvin, an editor-at-large of Fortune. Colvin bases his entire book on the premise that just "talent" is not what makes someone great. He talks about several attributes that are required, the most important of those being "deliberate practice". Of course, he supports his arguments with scientifically conducted research and survey results. By the way, "There is only one MOZART" is interesting because Colvin devotes a few pages to Wolfgang and how he became great. I do not want to paraphrase the book here but I suggest that you read it to understand what the term "Prodigy"means.

Issue (2) is, in my humble opinion, a complete joke. If we were all to insist that good music is possible ONLY with good shruthi, perhaps TNS should not have made it to the concert platform at all. Or GNB for that matter. We can surely come up with a long list of other artistes. Admittedly, the shruthi is easy to fix on the keyboard. But to make that leap of faith from there to saying that playing Carnatic music on the keyboard is "just a skill" is to trivialise the art. Then, probably, Ramanujam's mathematics is just a skill as is Einstein's physics and Federer's forehand. At the risk of repeating myself, I again suggest that you read Colvin. You will perhaps better understand what makes someone great.

The pre-programming of the keyboard to produce gamakas is something that I have not heard of before. Yes, I know that a "band" can be set for the pitch bender in which to traverse when it is operated. But this is like the frets on the veena or the holes in the flute. How much to pull the strings or how much to open or close the holes is akin to how much the bender should be moved to produce the right gamaka. If I understand your statement correctly, the how much part is not important on the keyboard. If so, I am again unaware of any such facility that the instrument provides. And I fail to see how that can help with the Ma in Begada, for instance. I am willing to learn more about this, however, as vasanathakokilam says. By the way, if you have heard the recording, do you see any shortfall in the gamaka production by Sathya? I wish we could discuss that - perhaps in a separate thread. For some reason, the current forum members seem hesitant to do that. Perhaps I am mistaken but I am sure that it can benefit a lot of us.

The mandolin tone. Why do we say that the veena mimics the human voice the closest? If all that it did were to mimic the human voice, then do we need the veena? That argument does not hold water, does it?

With my limited knowledge of audio equipment and acoustics, I do not see what the reverb and echo issue is. Contact mikes, high-quality mixers, monitors by lead instrumentalists (violin, veena, mandolin, chitra veena) et al. are passe. Perhaps even leading vocalists make use of individual mixers to polish the audio output. To pick on the keyboard for this issue is a bit much.

Lastly, let me grant that the keyboard is a very easy instrument to learn to play. The rudiments are surely easy to learn. It is like saying that since I have been taught the English alphabet when I was three, I can write like Shakespeare: it is merely a skill!

I would probably have taken issue with you about the labeling of someone as a "Prodigy". In fact, however, after reading Colvin's book, it simply does not matter to me. At the end of the day, no one cares when you started. The question is how far have you come and how much further can you go.

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 23 Feb 2009, 13:56

While keyboard instruments may appear easy because of the fixed keys, the problem lies in playing the keyboard (using the various techniques and technology) to produce gamakam. On a violin or chitraveena, gamakam can come naturally with slides of a finger but on a keyboard it is much harder to produce.

To produce music on an instrument, one needs the knowledge of the music (gnAnam, bhAvam, etc) and the technical prowess. I think Sathya has both.

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 23 Feb 2009, 14:02

Good music is good music no matter how it's produced.

tkb · Post by **tkb** » 23 Feb 2009, 14:04

pavithrac71,

Learning to play the keyboard is probably the easiest to do in music as long as one is not tone deaf. But to perform to a level that is acceptable and appreciated as Carnatic music requires tremendous effort and skill. If this were not true, anyone with keen Carnatic music knowledge and a keyboard (of course) can become a great keyboard player in the Carnatic domain. Unfortunately, that is not happening as
of now.

I am happy about one fact, though. All these days the comments were that the keyboard cannot produce the
right gamakas. But from what you tell us, the gamakas are fine and dandy but they are easy to pre-program and play on the keyboard.

I checked with Sathya after reading your comments on this thread, the gamaka is NOT pre-programmed. As blackadder commented, it can be fixed to navigate from point A to point B. There are points in between these two that need to be touched to produce the required gamaka with its own nuance. Which leaves us with this thought: gamakas produced on the keyboard are fine but to actually play them requires effort and skill.

Sathya does not do any sequencing of notes He merely sets the point A to point B band and then uses the bender to produce the gamakas as required. Sathya likes the tone he is using even though the keyboard supports several other tones. Why he likes it is not important. He plays the
keyboard with jazz guitar tone which probably sounds similar to the mandolin.

vasanthakokilam, I will check with other keyboard professionals if what pavithrac71 says is doable. Maybe Mr. Mohan can comment and help in getting this clarified. I remember that there was a thread about it sometime ago.

blackadder, I will read the book that you have mentioned which sounds very interesting.

Mohan, Thank you very much for the kind words.

I request all of you to listen to the concerts that I have uploaded in (Link deleted)
- I have uploaded several starting from his first concert onwards. I will really appreciate it if you can provide feedback and identify shortcomings. As I have said in other threads, just calling someone a Prodigy and/or promoting him will not work unless the "someone" is willing to convert his potential to performance with dedication and hard work. I am hoping that Sathya can!

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 23 Feb 2009, 14:33

Sorry I don't know anything about sequencing and gamakams as mentioned by pavithrac71. A sequencer is a feature in a synthesizer that can record music and loop it if necessary. It has no use at all in live performance practice.

Svaapana · Post by **Svaapana** » 23 Feb 2009, 17:03

I am sure Podhigai will be planning many more programmes on 'Puduppunal'. Why not we discuss each week's presentation in separate threads just as we review latest concerts?

suma · Post by **suma** » 23 Feb 2009, 19:26

The fact that kids are able to balance between studies and do good in music to the extent that they are establishing a name for themselves should be appreciated. Congratulations Satya, keep up the good work and dont let these distractions and comments effect you. Dont read any forums, just concentrate on what you want to achieve. Good luck.

pavithrac71 · Post by **pavithrac71** » 23 Feb 2009, 22:17

I think itÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s a good suggestion that all of us discuss this issue in a separate thread"¦

Firstly sorry that am giving my opinions to some of the points raised previously by fellow forumites in the same thread itself"¦doing it just to keep up the continuity"¦!

I observed that many of the readers are yet to understand my view and have personalized it too much.. with this boy Satyanarayana"¦I really canÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t figure out why theres so much of mis-interpretation !

Let me clarify it again"¦."

arunk · Post by **arunk** » 23 Feb 2009, 22:34

> 2.Theres No question of achieving Shruti Shuddam in a keyboard"¦YAMAHA and KORG have already achieved it !
Given this statement alone, I think you have very basic misunderstanding about how exactly keyboard players play carnatic music on the instrument. This statement applies to harmonium. It is actually like saying "once I have tuned a string of a veena in sruthi to tampura, then every note on that string (i.e. on each fret) is in sruthi - it is already achieved by the veena maker. So whats the big deal about sruthi suddham on veena" - sounds downright ignorant doesn't it?

Please read up on pitch bend and portamento whell. This is the key difference between keyboard and harmonium and why keyboard has more potential of getting where harmonium couldnt it. With the pitch bend and portamento wheel, one can easily go out of sruthi in a keyboard as well. Controlling that requires some art.

Arun

PS: I am not a keyboard player. I would not even call myself a fan of keyboard for a classical carnatic presentation. At least not yer as I think keyboard as an instrument still has ways to go w.r.t carnatic music - even with the pitch bend and portamento wheel. And yes playing "flat" notes would be simpler than doing it on a violin - but the point is keyboardists are NOT sticking to flat notes nor are they preprogramming gamakas. Maybe you missed that or are plain dismissive about that. Now I am not necessarily implying playing keyboard requires more skill than flute/violin/veena etc. I also think it is an easier instrument - but thats just a gut feel (as I dont play it nor veena/violin/flute). But ultimately the mettle of the musician is in the inherent quality of the music he/she produces, not on his/her effort to produce the music.

blackadder · Post by **blackadder** » 24 Feb 2009, 09:37

pavithrac71, would you like to define the term "PRODIGY"? Perhaps the basic misunderstanding is in the definition as I understand it. Should we agree on the definition, the whole discussion might be moot. In spite of your repeated assurances that this is not against an individual, your vehemence about not calling him a "Prodigy" seems, well, a bit hard to understand. As I said earlier, I do NOT care if someone is a prodigy. Bilahari rightly said, "Good music is good music however it is produced".

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 24 Feb 2009, 10:38

It is debatable whether it is worth responding to what is obviously a cynical (and possibly malafide) rant but I think we can make short work of Pavithra's laboured arguments by considering the following:

If being able to tune an instrument is the highest purpose of music, then may the Pavithras of the world have many happy moments with their Tambura, while the rest of us continue to enjoy music.

Technology is inevitable and it is quite possible that some of tasks that require a lot of skill/dexterity will become redundant in the years to come. Many instruments (Yazh being an example) have been obliterated because of this, being replaced by new ones. It is not unimaginable that some of today's popular instruments will similarly succumb to instruments that produce a superior sound or are easier to play. I am not suggesting that the keyboard is an example - only that technical dexterity is a secondary objective in classical music and if an instrument/vocal device makes it possible for the musician to focus on purely musical aspects, it is to be welcomed. Having said that, although I haven't been closer than 20 feet from the instrument, the keyboard does not strike me as easy to play in the CM context.

As for child prodigies, I do agree that burdening any kid with such a tag could hamper musical progress - I can think of a few "legit" prodigies who eventually proved unequal to the weight of expectations. However, although some posters may have referred to Sathya as such, I think most members, including the artiste's father, have wisely refrained from using such terms.

thanjavooran · Post by **thanjavooran** » 26 Feb 2009, 07:39

Niveditha

Another feather in your cap. Yesterday's program was well orginised and executed. Two things I could not make out
1. who were her gurus. She mentioned that her father and grand father. Are they vidwans?
2. Where did she set the guinness record. Is it in India or abroad
Thanjavooran

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 26 Feb 2009, 13:47

Nivedita,
Kudos to Podigai for bringing to us another program of substance. (It is understood that you are an asset as an interviwer! Your nidAnam and ability to elicit good responses from the young artiste with your musical background helps a lot). Hopefully, this series continues for a long time to bring to our attention more young musicians.
It was a pity that I could only catch few minutes of our own Satya's playing last week. He is such a talented young man, and he was a pleasure to watch and listen to--though I am not a big fan of the instrument. Satya has a very pleasing personality.

What Vijay says is true. To call a child a prodigy is not a healthy thing (even if he is one!). The reason? It leads to a lot of expectations on the part of the parents and the listeners too. Definitely a 'no no' for a child whose blossoming would be hampered by such labels.
Adira was a delight.
Her playing was outstanding. She stood there, bowing away with not a screech (difficult even for some top accompanists). Apart from her immense talent, certain aspects of her musical background emerged. 1: Familial--father and grandfather being musicians. 2: Upbringing (a catholic view about music--listen to all good music and take the best aspects from them and ssimilate them in your playing) 3: Not being told to excel at any cost or being regimentalized by her parents. A good guess on my part I think, because it shows. How happy she looked, playing away with that long bow, her living and loving music apparent in her playing, in her demeanor and in her conversation!
The dEsh vandE mAtaram prefaced by an AlApanA was played with verve and confidence. The long 'gypsy' (sindhubhairavi mostly) piece with percussion tani, and the Irish song were not 'fusion for fusion sake' blahs but lovely expressions of her deep learning of CM music and of her expansive exposure to HM and western genres. Her love for the violin is unmistakable. If she went for the Guinnes record, it was incidental. Her music propels her and quality music it is. No gimmicks at all. No swaying towards the 'popular' for popularity sake. She comes across as her own person (what a relief in a mostly parent-driven scene!).
The foresight of her father and grandfather has helped her, no doubt. Their views too that in CM, a violinist has to play for twenty years or so before becoming a soloist, and in that period, they train mainly as an accompanist alone. From Menuhin to Bismillah, she has opened her mind to, and it was moving to hear her speak about meeting the latter.
I hope she continues evolving, as she herself wants to and gives us quality music, a well-rounded music which does not get corrupt, hankering after popularity. The best to Adira!

Tanjavooran,
If I heard it right, her father is Krishna Pillai and her grandfather who is no more, was Gopala Pillai in whose memory Surya TV (of Kerala) held an akanDam and her love for her grandfather made her play long enough with inspiration to win the Guinnes too.

Nivedita,
I am going to miss the upcoming programs because I am leaving India in a few days. Like other rasikAs abroad, I am going to be looking forward to youtube segments.
Meanwhile, all the best to you...

nivedita · Post by **nivedita** » 26 Feb 2009, 14:14

Thanjavooran, thank you very much!

Arasi-ji has answered your questions. If you want more info, this is Athira's website: http://www.athira.in/

Arasi-ji,

Thank you!

I must say that I have been enjoying myself thoroughly during all the shoots, but the interview with Athira was unforgettable fun! We did not know each other before the shoot, but became great friends within the first 5 minutes of interacting on the sets! She's just as old as I am and we got along so well, laughing our way through the shooting! At the end of the interview, the director was amazed that Athira actually spoke so much because apparently she's the very silent kind and mostly answers in monosyllables.

Her dedication to music was something I really liked. The first thing her dad told me on the sets was - "I've brought up my daughter without any distractions whatsoever, ma!" and that was something I could really relate to and understand because that's exactly the way I was brought up too.

Thanks everyone for your encouragement. I'll do my best to keep improving!

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 26 Feb 2009, 14:20

Very nice program. The Jazz session was excellent - was this the "Gypsy"? Sounded a bit keeravani-ish to me.

Svaapana · Post by **Svaapana** » 26 Feb 2009, 14:57

Arasi,
I thought the gypsy music was based on kiravani?

perarulalan · Post by **perarulalan** » 26 Feb 2009, 15:04

pavithrac71 wrote:
3.In a field that criticizes TNS Krishna for being a replica of his dad"¦ people are deceived and are made to accept a mandolin like tone or a jazz guitar tone on an electronic device"¦ WHAT AN IRONY !!

I am no diehard fan of keyboard.. but i thought the following link will be of good use here in the present context of keyboard playing by Satya.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2003/0 ... 090400.htm

I am quoting only that line of pavitrac71 where she feels TNS Krishna is being criticized for being a replica of his dad. The above link is a review of keyboard concert given by Shri. TNS and it is titled Keyboard obliges Seshagopalan.

I hope this review will give a better impression about keyboard for carnatic music! Whoever be it, with proper training can definitely give us good music !!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 26 Feb 2009, 15:55

You may be right, but I was paying attention to the music she played rather than the corresponding rAgA, I suppose

By the way, I stand corrected: she is Athira and not Adira. Many musicians have to put up with misspelling of their names. Her name is short enough, so we can manage the spelling all right...

Nivedita,
She was very communicative for a quiet person. I think speaking about her love for music brought it about. Good to know you both hit it off very well. I did not quite get the meaning of her father's statement.

nivedita · Post by **nivedita** » 28 Feb 2009, 18:50

Arasi-ji,

Her father was, understandably, proud of his daughter and the way he had brought her up - completely dedicated to music. Anything not related to music counts as a distraction!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 28 Feb 2009, 19:55

I see. How about sports and other activities besides her studies? Her communicative skills suggested that she has been exposed to other things besides just music.

nivedita · Post by **nivedita** » 28 Feb 2009, 20:51

Arasi-ji, don't know about that, but I could find out!

nivedita · Post by **nivedita** » 28 Feb 2009, 20:58

nivedita · Post by **nivedita** » 28 Feb 2009, 21:33

Athira says she used to play tennis as a kid but not after that.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 28 Feb 2009, 21:43

Nivedita,
Thank you!
I didn't mean to be insistent on knowing about her activities outside of her of music. She did come across as a mature person whose responses were thoughtful. It could be her inner self too. Anyway, both of you made that hour not only entertaining but worth watching. I do know you through the forum (pity, we could not meet this season) and think highly of you...

subhiksha rangarajan · Post by **subhiksha rangarajan** » 01 Mar 2009, 00:44

Great to see Athira as the topic of interest here .. and being such a huge fan of her ,its really nice to see some very constructive comments...

Athira is one of the best young instrumentalists with such a versatile talent [her violin solo concerts and fusion concerts are such aural treats..!!]

Have to confess that only after listening to her Violin Concert at Hamsadwani , this listener took some interest into peeping her head into instrumental cncerts!!!!

Otherwise it was only for the veterans T.N.Krishnan and N.Ramani ,this soul bothered to listen to in the December Season...by chance ,i listened to her concert at H amsadwani and to say the truth ,,it was Soul stirring that I was moved to an other world by her scintillating music...

Athira is able to make her violin behave the way she wants it to..

malini iyengar · Post by **malini iyengar** » 01 Mar 2009, 02:32

It was a great Show with Violin Athira.
Very rare to hear Athira opening up to conversation like that ...have met her many times backstage..such a soft spoken extraordinarily talented girl...I always thought she spoke with her violin than Voice !!!!!

Kudos to DD for featuring such a real violin wizard in its show...

Real Prodigies like Athira and Mandolin Sisters...

Very interesting insights and views of Athira was brought out in the interview..
For this ardent fan .. again it was another stunning Fusion Performance..
Hats off to Athira

All the best for Niveditha and Athira

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 01 Mar 2009, 02:47

malini iyengar wrote:I
Though its of poor taste to know that people like Keyboard Satya was also featured in the same prog series...He is miles apart when compared to Real Prodigies like Athira and Mandolin Sisters...

I think a statement like this is in poorer taste!

malini iyengar · Post by **malini iyengar** » 01 Mar 2009, 03:03

For some of us , who have been listening to carnatic music for more than 30 years in the december season , the presence of keyboard and its tonal qualities doesnt synchronize with the demands of carnatic nuances..

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 01 Mar 2009, 06:12

Malini: I am not sure you are doing young Athira any favors with such posts. She has already been written up well by others and why use her context to trash someone else either implicitly or explicitly?

BTW, This link was referred to earlier in this thread. Let me provide that here again for your reference: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2003/0 ... 090400.htm

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 01 Mar 2009, 07:59

Yes, VK.
CM lovers do know that however much their tastes differ, one thing which is a 'no no' is to compare performers--just as in life where comparisons encourage negative feelings. Every performer has his own merits and every listener has his own preferences!