Brighas in Vocals

[SrinathK]

To elaborate more on GNB's brighas, I have taken GNB's alapana of Panthuvarali for his Ninne Nera Nammi rendition with Papa Venkatramiah (or TNK?) with PMI and transcribed the whole alapana into swaras. It lasts only 3 and 1/2 minutes, but he includes pretty much all his "standard brighas" and he completely captures the raga swaroopa in that short span. It must have been recorded in his prime as his voice is terrifyingly fast and it's impossible to track his phrases with the notes below at normal speed. It's not unlike the F-22 raptor when it comes to how incredibly maneuverable his voice is in all 3 octaves. You can find out what he sang in those famous brighas from the svaras below and how they were structured.

Word of caution : As such it's very difficult (& rather clumsy) to write alapanas down -- especially in the editor. I can't show any gamakas or glides, note durations can stretch and shrink to every possible value so the commas just show where some of the "extended" notes are. A long string of notes is obviously a major brigha . But as a rough rule, underlined swaras are bursts of acceleration and a group of notes with commas following a brigha is usually where brakes are applied. I would strongly recommend not to read this without the actual recording playing. A bracketed note is an anuswaram, indicating the janta note or a note from where a slide goes. So DP(M)P is actually DPP with a janta and PM (G)R is the typical sharp slide to the R starts from the G and (P)M,G,M is sung as M,G,M. All said and done writing is a great memory aid and very useful to grasp complex phrases nevertheless.

(START)…D, DNDN DP(M)P, DPMGR,G,,, -- (P)M,G, M, DNSN DPM, (G) R,,, -- (P)M,G,M, DNSN DP-MDPM (G)R GMDM,D-(M)G, R,S, -- R,M,G,R, RSS,, RG-RS(n)d,, -- n,R,G,M,D,NGRRSN DPM GR,, – GMPD NS RSN DM GR – GN-DNSN D, DN-DPM GR, -- GMDMD - (M)G, R(G), RSS,,...

D, DNDN (D)M, DNRNDPM, -- DN,M, DNSRS,NDPM, -- DN,M, DNSRSN-DRSN DPM GR GMPDNS RGRSN DNSRSNDPM, -- D,M,D,NSR,S,,S,,, -- S,N,S,,RG-RSN,D, -- D,NSRS, S,RN, (S)NRSN-DPM,G,, -- GMPDNS-RG,- RGRSN,D(N) DG,(R)G, – RSS, -- DNSRG-RSN-DNSRSN-DRSNDPM -- (Heavy gamaka here) GR-MG-DM-ND SN G-RG-NR-DN-PD-MP-GM,R, -- GMPD NGRN,-D,M, -DNS – DNRNR DNRN D,M,G,R,, ---

S,N,S,,S,,,RG-RS(S)N, -- R,R,RG-RG R,, -- R,R,R,N,R-GMPM (G)R, RG RS(N)S, -- R,N,R,G, GGRSND,,, ND,N,R,G,RSN, -- R,G, RSND,, -- N,R,G, RSNDPM G, M,D,N,R,G,RSN D, -- (Brigha) DNSRG,-(S)RG-GRSND, -- DNSRG,RGGRSN DNSRGRSN GRSN DNSRSN RSN DPM GR,, -- GMPDNSN DPMGR GMPDNSRG RSNDPM GR GMPDNSR GMPM GRSN DPM (G)R,,, -- GMPDNS RG – RG,RSN DNDPM GR GMDN GGRR,,RG RSN DPM GR, - MG PM DP N, M, -- PM DP ND SN RNR D, -- DP ND SN (RS) GR MGM RG RG NR DN MD MP GM R, GM PD NG R,N, D,M,G,, --

GMPD,(D)NSR, S, (N)RS, (N)D,,, -- MD, DNSRSND,, DRSND,P,(P)M, -- P,D (S)N,D, DNSRSN D, P, M, -- P,D (S)N,D, DN-D, P, M, -- G,MPDN DDPP, -- MD,P(N)D,P, MDPM, G,,, -- G,M,R, - G,(S)N, DNRN,R, RND, DS-NDPM GR,,, -- G(M), (G)M,, DNSN DPMGR,, -- GNM, DNRN DPM, GR,, GMD(M)MNDD,M,GR,,, -- R,GM G,MD M,DN D, MD MNDD,,M (G) R, GMDMD (M)G, R, -- R,MG, R, S, -- S,,, nRGRSn dnSRSndpm (n)d,(n)d, -- S,nG RS S, (n)d,, n,, S,,,… (END)

Alternatively (S)n, R, RSS,,,... S,n dn, - GRRSS,,,,... are also typical endings). Personally GNB is an artiste who's style can be relatively easily notated down (Semmangudi is hard by comparison).

Now all that remains is the issue of practicing the phrases...

[ganesh_mourthy]

SriNath,

I was looking for the pantuvarali now ,though I have heard it a few times. No Luck.

[vasanthakokilam]

Srinath: Wow, awesome deconstruction of that GNB brigha and the notation.
I have not looked for the recording yet, we will see. Good luck ganesh_mourthy in locating it.

Thanks.

[cmlover]

Yes! We need the audio of GNB to fully appreciate the fine effort of Srinath!
Pl somebody oblige..

[SrinathK]

I believe that this must be a commercial release so I'm hesitating. Perhaps I could simply share the alapana part alone. As there are only a handful GNB concerts available in total I thought it must be very popular.

On a side note though the Kaddanu Variki from the same concert has found its way to youtube and has garnered more than 6,000 views. Now imagine if all this music was sold over amazon or itunes and available for download for like $0.99 a song...

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

Srinath: Awesome work!! GNB would have been proud to see his brighas dissected in this manner--he was a very analytical man--both in his explanations as well as singing--in Panthuvarali alapana he would generally stress the Dhaivatam with the oscillations almost making it almost like Ekashruthi Dhaivatham (as in Saveri)
.He also stressed that(in a context --when I asked him about the 4 swara ragas that BMK was trying to introduce and popularise)--a raga's soul lies not in the mere recitation of swara but how it is linked with the swara that precedes it or the the one that follows it and followed it up with the raga scale(I think mega Ranjani) Sa Ri(lower)Ma(suddha madhyamam) Nee(kakali Nishadam) Sa(4 notes only) how the intervals between Ri and Ma and Ma and Nee do not lend themselves to gamakams or brigas and will sound flat-BMK(GNB had christened him a Boy Prodigy long before BMK became famous)'s rendering overpowered the "flatness". Ofcourse having said that he would take his own liberties with some notes--more as an example than "breach" of rules. An example would be his rendering swaras in Kadanakuthuhalam(in one of the concerts that are floating around -- he sings this as part of a ragamalika swara(after RTP in Kambodhi--Thilai EEsanai kana). he will start he swara prasthara as Sa Ree Ree Ma Ma Dha Nee Ga Ga( the first Ga--he would elongate the anthara gandharam although technically as in Sankarabharanam the Ga is rendered flat and steady w/0 oscillations(I am sorry my expressions are clumsy and dense--can best be illustrated by a demo!!) .

Sorry for the digression from the brighas and Panthuvarali!!

OnSrinathK's point about the downloads and views,I cannot but imagine how much we owe to those great artistes of the erstwhile era who did not benefit from the "largesse" of royalities which present day artistes enjoy--

GNSir was a large family man--his father died young and he got his sisters married besides having his won large family--despite all these family responsibilities he conducted himself on the professional circuit with dignity--no haggling over remunerations,generous with the accompaniments in sharing the concert proceeds and with the shishyas as well. More importantly he did not let any of the trials and tribulations affect his personality and demeanour.


It was a delight to be a 'fly-in-the-wall" when he was amongst his friends and admirers listening to his jokes and observations and puns--although at that time I was too young to comprehend them(some of them were X-rated!!)

[cmlover]

Srinath
You need only share the region that you have transcribed as a clip which being for a scholarly discussion will not
violate the copyrights issue!

MKR
It will be nice if you can share your appreciation of GNB for our benefit.
A demo or even a lecdem will be superb!
Perhaps our Rasikas can request srkris to setup a "adults only" region of the Forum where
folks can enjoy your X rated joke collections

[SrinathK]

Dear MKR sir, thank you very much. GNB could give a somewhat sad and dark touch to Panthuvarali avoiding the panchamam in phrases like GMDM MNDD,,,D,M,G,R ... where he gently oscillated that D around. He also made sure that it could never be mistaken for Purvikalyani in any way. In this one thing he never did was to linger long on the antara gandharam because that would approach Purvikalyani territory.

@arasi I'm a LONG way away from being a music teacher. Actually I am only a student, a geek fresh out of college with a freakishness for analysis and trying for only the best and nothing less -- I'd blame that on getting drunk on great music all my life . I was very interested in music and the violin as a kid (sleeping to Lalgudi or MSG every night), but circumstances meant coming to Chennai and learning vocal and violin only by 7th-8th class. I would read all I could about great musicians and would try to pick up anything useful from it. Voice breaking and an acid reflux problem meant I permanently gravitated to the instrument and by the time I could play somewhat decently in tune and could attempt varnams and krithis I had already reached Class X -- so then all the acad pressure of school and later IIT Madras took over so I had to stop music classes. But music club was a great help and I learnt a lot from them in college. That rekindled my interest but since it was difficult for me to go to classes I turned to listening, researching and analyzing things by myself as much as I could in my spare time -- necessity is the mother of invention. I was also able to practice often during my college days, although it was nowhere near respectable levels and now thanks to my job I haven't seen my beloved violin in months (Oh the frustration!) Actually I've been reading almost every topic on this forum for many years now -- it has been immensely beneficial with so many very knowledgeable musicians and rasikas and I can't begin to describe how much I've gained from it. So to sum it up, I'd think of music as an extremely serious hobby. It has given me much and I feel I should learn much more from it, and also contribute something back to it. Even if it is just a little.

[SrinathK]

Dear cmlover,

I've uploaded the alapana on soundcloud here : https://soundcloud.com/user461654480/gn ... li-alapana.

Also for my own geeky interest, I tried to clock GNB's brighas and to my astonishment I found the longer brighas hitting between 650-850 notes a minute while the shorter bursts could exceed 900! (The small brighas in THAT scorching Raghuvara probably hit 1000 ! = 8*125 bpm pace) It's more difficult when you consider it's not all plain notes but gamaka laden notes.

[arasi]

Sound cloud rained a lovely panthuvarALi!

Ninnu nera namminAnurA is what I heard. You mention 'raghuvara'. Did I miss something?

By the way, welcome to Rasikas.org. Teacher or not--geek or not (as you call yourself), brains and love for music is a good combination.

Wonder how many IIT grads on the forum you know...

[cmlover]

WOW!
Thanks Srinath!
This is a significant contribution to CM!
We should also learn the technique you used to deconstruct the "brigas".
That can be used to construct more by our young practitioners to enrich CM.
I bet the GNB briga will not sound so eloquent in any instrument!
Do you have a hightech algorithm?

[SrinathK]

Dear cmlover, I did not use any computer algorithms. Just pen and paper and ears -- that is really the most effective way. GNB's brighas are very precise so I listened to it in small pieces of 5-10 notes at a time and wrote the swaras down -- then I ran the whole section again to see if it was right. I also slowed the recording down to 1/3rd normal tempo and I could hear every note. The hard job was to write them down in the editor and do all this bold and underlining -- though the alapana lasts only 3 minutes, it took over an hour before I was done. That's how LGJ and all the other greats who accompanied him followed him so well -- they could decode the phrases into swaras right on stage and GNB himself had a supreme gift for doing this.

@arasi I was talking about the the popular Raghuvara with Chowdiah recording in the Mysore concert I think. That was taken at a truly unbelievable tempo.

[Purist]

Great analysis Srinath I can see the passion and perfection that has gone into your efforts.
Rasika's forum gets richer by such rich contributions. Hats off!!

[vasanthakokilam]

Rasika's forum gets richer by such rich contributions.

Yes, well said. That is what this is all about.

[cmlover]

Srinath:
Here is the frequency analysis of the first phrase of GNB pictorially

I noticed GNB is singing at 1.5 kattai (C#).
I could not reconcile with your first phrase
START)…D, DNDN DP(M)P, DPMGR,G,,,
Can you help?

[SrinathK]

That one is not actually there in the recording... but it is GNB's standard Panthuvarali opening phrase and it is almost invariably followed by M,G,M, DNSN DPM (G) R,G,. You know it was there because Papa is playing that last G,,, at the start of that recording . You can find that in the raga alapanas of both Raghuvara nannu (w/Chowdiah) and Enna Gaanu Raama Bhajana (w/LGJ & PSP).

To hear the gamakas in the brighas...slow the recording down. One other thing was that GNB was a master of the vibrato gamaka which he used quite often where smaller kampita and sphurita gamakas were needed at high speed (It also comes in swarakalpana for e.g. NNNN DPM GRG, (Kalyani)). Frankly I don't know where the whole idea about GNB and (gamaka-less) even came from -- it is a most erroneous observation.

[VK RAMAN]

One has to learn as many kritis as possible in one ragam to get a feel for brigas. It is one thing to practice in Bathroom style and another thing to seriously practice kritis and rehearse several times before ragam becomes one's own. One has to listen ones own singing and enjoy it before rendering before audience.