Chitravenu performance Dec 30th 2017

[uday_shankar]

Some excerpts from my performance at SPACES on 30th Dec. 2017, with shri Sundar on Tabla, Neeharika on Shruti petti...

I think I know what I'm doing, but if I don't, what does it matter

"Raag Kirwani, Alaap and Jor" :

https://youtu.be/TPabSuQBAL8

"Raag Kirwani, Bandish":

https://youtu.be/iealVYOKmss

Some "practical" points for those who like the "theory" of 22 shrutis:

The zither (string box) of the chitravenu consists of three sections, tuned for this Raga (kirwani) as:

1. A tambura tuned per tradition but a unique screw based buzzer that I ... ahem... invented .

2. Three chords, as they occur in kirwani, all tuned per natural harmonic intervals of the harmonic minor scale.

3. 18 melody strings tuned to two and half octaves of kirwani, again and tuned to natural intervals

So the chitravenu may be the only place in the world where chords tuned to natural intervals are heard.

Lastly I am proud to say that the only electronics on stage are the microphones brought over by the sound folks.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

Seems the instrument better suits the Hindustani idiom.

[uday_shankar]

Seems the instrument better suits the Hindustani idiom.

Or whatever you may call it . Genres are too restrictive. Certainly CM of the chitravina kind is not a great fit in my trials (and tribulations!). An "MDR bani" might work but fundamentally my goal is the juxtaposition of wind and strings. CM has no place for that within the scope of my imagination.