Sangita Lipi, the first-ever Carnatic notation workbook, authored by Vidwan Shri K.N.Shashikiran will be released tomorrow, the 23rd of February (Monday), at the Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall, Alwarpet.
About Sangita Lipi:
Writing Carnatic music notation just got easier and enjoyable! Authored by musician and researcher Vidwan Shri K.N.Shashikiran, the Carnatic notation workbook Sangita Lipi aims to revive the art of notation-writing. With mp3 recorders becoming ubiquitous, students record compositions with them, making the concept of notating compositions virtually defunct. But digitally recorded music cannot possibly used for reference in the middle of a practice session or performance. This is where Sangita Lipi will come in handy for both students and performers.
Notation is a way of documenting songs for posterity. It helps in analyzing how ragas and compositions have evolved over the years and how they vary from one school of music to another.
Besides, most songs contain numerous variations (sangathis) which one may forget over time. A book that has all the compositions one has learnt, all notated in a systematic manner, would be the best memory aid!
Notation-writing helps a student learn faster. It improves one's swara-gnana, helps identify rhythmic intricacies and understand gamakas better. It is for these purposes that Sangita Lipi was conceptualized.
Sangita Lipi contains notation templates for all the commonly used talas - Adi (1 kalai, 2 kalai and tisra nadai), Rupaka, Misra Chapu, Khanda Chapu and the Suladi Sapta talas. Each song has a label, where the name of the song, the composer, the raga and its scale, the tala, the date and pitch can be written. The notation template is easy to understand and use - there are distinct markings at the end of each count, tala-component and tala-cycle, making the art of notation-writing an easy and enjoyable exercise!
The book also contains detailed explanations about notation, the various symbols used and how to notate. There is a guide to six language scripts that can be used to notate - Devanagari, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English. The book also explains the various talas, the popular gamakas and the notation symbols used for them. There is a list of popular varnams and kritis, which can be used for reference.
The author of the book, Vidwan K.N.Shashikiran, is a multi-faceted musician known for his innovative ideas. Besides, he is a researcher, scholar, voice culture expert, entrepreneur, columnist and guru. It is Shashikiran's desire and dream to share his learning and teaching experiences with the music world. Sangita Lipi is an effort in that direction.
Published by the College for World Music & Dance, Australia and priced at Rs. 250, the book is a must-buy for all students and performers of Carnatic music. For copies and more details, contact [email protected] or [email protected].
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Programme:
(23rd February, Monday, at the Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall)
5:00 - 6:30 pm: Thematic Concert of Annamayya Kritis by Jayalakshmi Sekhar (Veena), Trivandrum Vaidhyanathan (Mridangam) & Pudukkottai N.Ramachandran (Ghatam)
6:30 - 7:00 pm: Release of K.N.Shashikiran's 'Sangita Lipi'. Dr.Pappu Venugopal Rao will release, Dr.S.A.K.Durga will receive the first copy.
Release of Jayalakshmi Sekhar's Audio CD 'Kritis of Annamayya'. Cleveland V.V.Sundaram will release, Dr.Pappu Venugopal Rao will will receive the first copy.
Address by Vidushi Smt. S.Sowmya.
7:00 - 9:00 pm: Grand Mahashivarathri Special Concert by the Carnatica Brothers K.N.Shashikiran and P.Ganesh (Vocal), B.Raghavendra Rao (Violin), Arunprakash (Mridangam) and B.S.Purushottam (Khanjira).
ALL ARE WELCOME!
Release of Sangita Lipi - the first-ever Carnatic Notation W
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blackadder
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vijay
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nivedita
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ramanujam.ambi
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vasanthakokilam
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All the best to Shashikiran.
Arun has developed an online typesetter which sound similar to this ( atleast in purpose ).
I am very interested in checking out Shashikiran's work.
BTW, I realize that this comes from the marketing people but it will be hard to defend statements like 'For the first ever time in the history of Carnatic music, the art of writing notation has been given a standardized, easy-to-understand-and-use format'. There have been many attempts but they have not caught on widey(yet). It is not a knock on Shashikiran's work but just a message to the marketing people to downplay that "first time ever' angle a little bit.
Arun has developed an online typesetter which sound similar to this ( atleast in purpose ).
I am very interested in checking out Shashikiran's work.
BTW, I realize that this comes from the marketing people but it will be hard to defend statements like 'For the first ever time in the history of Carnatic music, the art of writing notation has been given a standardized, easy-to-understand-and-use format'. There have been many attempts but they have not caught on widey(yet). It is not a knock on Shashikiran's work but just a message to the marketing people to downplay that "first time ever' angle a little bit.
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nivedita
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vasanthakokilam, point taken. I've edited the first post.
As ethnomusicologist Dr.S.A.K.Durga pointed out in her address yesterday, while such workbooks exist in Western music, Indian music did not, until now, have a workbook where one can write notations in a standard format. I'd like to reiterate that the idea behind the book is to inculcate in music students, the art of notation-writing and I hope it does!
- On behalf of Shri K.N.Shashikiran
As ethnomusicologist Dr.S.A.K.Durga pointed out in her address yesterday, while such workbooks exist in Western music, Indian music did not, until now, have a workbook where one can write notations in a standard format. I'd like to reiterate that the idea behind the book is to inculcate in music students, the art of notation-writing and I hope it does!
- On behalf of Shri K.N.Shashikiran
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vasanthakokilam
- Posts: 10958
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01
Thanks nivedita.
I agree with Shashikiran that inculcating the practise of writing down music in a standard notation will yield ample rewards. During the short time I learnt a little bit, I had to invent little symbols and notes for the gamakas that are very instrument specific. It was not really about notating the individual gamakas themselves but there were all sorts of subtle things that the teacher does which one learns as a 'quantum/package/undivided whole' and then put a little mark against the sargam notation to indicate it is that 'package'. It is not exactly the same in different places in the same composition, let alone across compositions in the same raga but it just acts as a reminder.
Having a standardized work book will definitely help and then the students can add their own little marks/remarks instead of having to reinvent the basics in many different forms. I am looking forward to checking it out.
I agree with Shashikiran that inculcating the practise of writing down music in a standard notation will yield ample rewards. During the short time I learnt a little bit, I had to invent little symbols and notes for the gamakas that are very instrument specific. It was not really about notating the individual gamakas themselves but there were all sorts of subtle things that the teacher does which one learns as a 'quantum/package/undivided whole' and then put a little mark against the sargam notation to indicate it is that 'package'. It is not exactly the same in different places in the same composition, let alone across compositions in the same raga but it just acts as a reminder.
Having a standardized work book will definitely help and then the students can add their own little marks/remarks instead of having to reinvent the basics in many different forms. I am looking forward to checking it out.