Bathroom singers

shripathi_g · Post by **shripathi_g** » 01 May 2009, 09:00

A lot of people who wouldn't normally dare to sing in public or even in their own homes don't hesitate to sing in the bathroom. I'm one such person, though I do sing at home since I live alone, and ever since I started listening to CM, I've not been able to hold back myself from singing in the bathroom. Till one or two years back, I never paid attention to how I was singing in the bathroom - I just shouted my heart out

. Recently, having started paying attention to my shruthi, I noticed that I was able to sing in shruthi for a longer period than when I sang in my room or the living room. I understand that it's probably due to the acoustics in the bathroom and the fact that water filters outside noise that enables you to get better feedback. Given that, what's the best way to reproduce such acoustic conditions outside of the bathroom without making changes to the house? Are there other factors affecting this? Or is it a figment of my imagination that I'm singing in shruthi?

On a related note, why was there a practice of practising with your body half-immersed in the river in the olden days? Did such a practice really exist?

chalanata · Post by **chalanata** » 01 May 2009, 09:29

shripathi_g wrote:A lot of people who wouldn't normally dare to sing in public or even in their own homes don't hesitate to sing in the bathroom.

not a problem at all as long as they do not aspire for pakkavadyam or audiance!

revanthv552 · Post by **revanthv552** » 01 May 2009, 09:38

chalanata wrote:
not a problem at all as long as they do not aspire for pakkavadyam or audiance!

newyorker · Post by **newyorker** » 01 May 2009, 09:46

noticed that I was able to sing in shruthi for a longer period than when I sang in my room or the living room. I understand that it's probably due to the acoustics in the bathroom and the fact that water filters outside noise that enables you to get better feedback. Given that, what's the best way to reproduce such acoustic conditions outside of the bathroom without making changes to the house?

Yes, I think this is because the steady stream of water in the shower provides a background sruthi that you're subconsciously latching onto in the absence of a tampura. I've noticed this too and can more or less reproduce it by singing in a smallish room with a tampura playing. Sometimes singing in a car with all the windows pulled up with the stready hum of traffic in the background also has the same effect. I am not sure if the singing is really that much better or if the mind is just playing psychological tricks. (You could ask someone to listen in and judge, although that sort of kills the joy of bathroom singing!)

That said, I would strongly recommend you to work on vocal exercises/sruthi fidelity as such, and not worry too much about acoustics just yet if you're only starting out. (To date, nobody has won a Sangeeta Kalanidhi by just practising in the shower or neck deep in the Ganges!!

)

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 01 May 2009, 10:14

Some families song of the day starts in bathroom while in showever

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 01 May 2009, 10:20

S.NAGESWARAN · Post by **S.NAGESWARAN** » 01 May 2009, 11:28

sripathi_g,

Some how you get a mental freedom when you are in the bathroom. Also the inhibitions are also not there. As one Rasika mentioned, the flow of water gives a sort of sruthi witch adds your temptation to sing.

One other important factor is that the both room is small with minimum items. Hence you get a very good echo effect [which gives a feed back effect].

The echo effect can be felt when the room is empty [shifting to a new house].

When I was working in the Telecom department [40 years before], we had D.C.Generators for the power requirements for the telecom equipments. You will get a very good sruthi in the generator room. If you are having tube light working with choke [old chokes], here also you get a good hum [basic pitch of sruthi- 50 cycles or 100 cycles]

So sing along in bath rooms or near a tube light when a good hum is heard.

S.NAGESWARAN.

gobilalitha · Post by **gobilalitha** » 01 May 2009, 11:32

what about people living in places , where even a bucket of water is a luxury. where will they sing?
sorry for making this thread a serious one . gobilalitha

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 01 May 2009, 11:52

Akshara · Post by **Akshara** » 01 May 2009, 13:12

Great thread and thanks for starting it shripati...For rasikas like me who has not had a formal training in music, i do find a great deal of 'emanicipation' in bathroom singing. It actually gives a seperate dimension to voice culture in an 'untrained' scenario, as in an indirect way you are perfecting your voice - and simply cos you think you sound ok, there is more confidence and one is encouraged more to delve into learning and knowing more even though one may not actually possess the 'musical knowledge'. The cartoons were truly enjoyable coolji

gobilalitha · Post by **gobilalitha** » 01 May 2009, 15:06

COOLJI, the cartoons are are very funny THANKS. Leave alone my lamentation i t is not the people's fault for crores of our country people to suffer for want of water , though the politicians speak of linking rivers but do nothing ....gobilalitha.

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 01 May 2009, 15:30

This cartoon is more CM-specific: http://www.karnatik.com/kartoons/kartoon003.gif