Sruthi used by popular male vocalists ...

[venkata makhi]

Are there any popular male vocalists who sing at sruthi-2 (D) ? Some of the online recordings of Rajkumar Bharathi feel like at Sruthi-D, but I am not sure. Can someone confirm?
I think many of the younger vocalists sing at C#, is that correct? Malladi brothers, TM Krishna, Sanjay Subramaniam, G Ravi Kiran and Sikkil Gurucharan etc. all sing at C#, right?

The reason I am asking is, when I learn a particular song by listening to any of these singers, I am experiencing a sruthi variation and knowing at what sruti they are singing makes me cognizant of the difference between the scale I am singing-along and the scale I am naturally comfortable with.

For example, when I sing-along a recording of Vijaya Siva, I know I would be singing at D-Sharp. When I sing the same song all by my self, I need to put a concious effort to come back to my natural sruti, which is much lower than that.

[mohan]

Try playing the recording then adjusting the electronic tanbura/sruti box to match the voice

[venkata makhi]

I need help .. Can someone please listen to 'Sogasuga' by Rajkumar Bharati at this link and figure out what sruthi he sang this one at? I thought it would be C#, but not 100% sure.

http://www.musicindiaonline.com/#/artis ... _Bharathi/

[gee]

Try playing the recording then adjusting the electronic tanbura/sruti box to match the voice

Yeah this is a great way to find out. I know that Ramakrishnan Murthy sings at 2 sruti, or D. I believe that Sanjay Subramaniam also sings at D. I think that Unnikrishnan and Pattabhirama Pandit sing at C#.

[Ranganayaki]

I believe Rajkumar Bharati sings at C.

[sarang]

TMK, Sanjay and Sikkil sing in D. I've heard them sing in C# rarely.

Unni used to sing at D, then C# now I often hear him sing C. Malladi Bros sing in C#

[thenpaanan]

Try playing the recording then adjusting the electronic tanbura/sruti box to match the voice

Not to put down the original poster but speaking from personal experience, this is not easy to do when you are a novice learner. I have had trouble knowing for sure that something playing on tape and something else in the room (my tanpura or my own voice) are in tune.

-Then Paanan

[gee]

Not to put down the original poster but speaking from personal experience, this is not easy to do when you are a novice learner. I have had trouble knowing for sure that something playing on tape and something else in the room (my tanpura or my own voice) are in tune.

-Then Paanan

you can try to buy an electronic pitch sensor (i'm not sure what the correct name is) from a local store. it correctly senses whatever pitch is being played/sung. that could possibly work, though im not 100% sure

[mannai kannan]

In whatever the sruthi they sing, it is according to their voice. If you want to sing the same song, you have to see your own voice in which you can sing. You have to practice in your own struthi.

[VK RAMAN]

I have come accross youngsters who have undergone CM coaching for 4 years+ and some teachers do not even use sruti during group coaching and the students do not know how to find their own sruti. I like to hear if any of you have similar instances. Same is true of talam.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

By constant exposure and practice one can correctly gauge the sruti.

Sort of 'viewing' the swara staana-s in a harmonium or veena may also help.

Tuning the strings of a Traditional Tambura for a given pitch also helps. An 'audio imprint' exists, some say!
Have you noticed that people invariably sing film songs in the original pitch? (even without listening to them before singing!)

Sruti can also be determined with reference to your vocal range.

[thenpaanan]

Have you noticed that people invariably sing film songs in the original pitch? (even without listening to them before singing!)

Isn't that something curious? I have noticed it in my own singing not just for Indian film songs but also for western songs (using "sing" loosely here). My own understanding is that it has to do with the sound of the tambura -- we are so trained that when we hear that drone our brains do the pitch shift automatically, whereas when there is no drone that automatic shift is not triggered. To demonstrate this, try singing along with a tambura that is playing a different sruthi (with no consonant relationship like a ma or a pa) and try to stick to your own sruthi. I have no idea if that is a good thing or a bad thing in general (automatic shifting). It could be a bad thing in cases where someone is trying to sing in some sruthi that they are totally unaccustomed to just because a tambura is playing or to match someone else's pitch.

-Then Paanan