Application of Abhyasa gaanam in Advanced Level

To teach and learn Indian classical music
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msakella
Posts: 2127
Joined: 30 Sep 2006, 21:16

Post by msakella »

Dear b/s-member, Vidya Raja, There is nothing wrong in discussing such interesting things for the benefit of the aspirants and their parents to be vigilant upon the methods of teaching of the music-teachers in making the process of teaching music ‘time-bound and result-oriented’. As I teach music without any monetary benefit and, in particular, for the sole benefit of the aspirant I, without keeping any secret, always try to bring out all the key-points. But, many of the music-teachers who have learnt a little but are compelled to live upon music-teaching alone in the process of struggling for their survival, cannot maintain the standards as they themselves do not have much standards at all. We cannot mistake them. But, it is a pity to find that even professional-concert-singers (of course not knowledgeable teachers), in the process of earning some thing even in the gap of their busy schedule of music-concerts, do not maintain the standards at all. More over, it becomes even more worse either to assess the knowledge of the teacher or the material delivered by him/her or the material received by the aspirant in the absence of a yardstick. Most unfortunately, even after observing the successful results of the aspirants, many of the teachers are not willing to follow these easy, effective and innovative methods lest they have to loose their earnings. Thus, many are interested only in knowing things but not in doing things. Previously, in many of my posts I have narrated these easy methods of teaching many a time. However, I, once again, shall hereunder give these details in this respect for the benefit of sincere aspirants, parents and teachers.

How much strong the basement is that much strong the building remains. The quantity of diet should be given basing upon the appetite of the eater and music should also be taught in the same manner. But, in which way the syllabus is always framed keeping the average student only in view, most unfortunately, the teaching methods are also followed keeping the average student only in view, which becomes suicidal in maintaining the standards in the absence of qualitative teaching. In maintaining the standards, the rhythmical abilities of the aspirant must be assessed properly and diet should be given accordingly. It is always desirable to observe that, among the most important ingredients of Shruti and Laya of music, while the Laya, having mathematical base, instills confidence and increases the brilliance and intelligence of the aspirant the Shruti gives pleasure. Even though each and every human being has the well-disciplined heart-beat representing the Laya the aspirant in music requires a higher-level of Laya and he/she has to be nurtured in Laya to make his-her passage easy to go through music. In these easy methods of teaching, in the very beginning, the 7 Alankaras of different Talas should be taught in terms of only Jatis along with only beats of both the hands rendered in the ‘Laya-exercise-1’ in the ‘youtube.com/msakella’ @ 4-units per beat per each second but without any Talangas at all. Later, the Saralee-svaras should be started in Shankarabharana-raga to the aspirants who are able to reproduce the Jati Alankaras successfully. After Saralaees, Jantas and Datus should be taught in a minimum number after which only 6 Gitas including one Lakshana-gita should be taught covering all the 12 notes. Starting right from Saralee-svaras up to the end of Gitas it is desirable to write the names of the notes on the keys of a ‘Casio-synthesiser’ and make the aspirant play and sing the notes along with the Metronome-beats provided in it. In the beginning of Gitas the aspirant has to be made to play and sing the notes of Shankarabharana-gita in the 2nd degree of speed @ 2-units per beat per each second followed by Akaara of the same notes and later only the lyric. In this manner the Gitas in Shankarabharana, Mohana, Shuddhasaveri, Kalyani, Malahari (only Shri Gananaadha) and one Lakshana-gita in Shreeranjani-raga, all in plain notes and without any Kampita or Gamaka should be taught. At the end of the Gitas the details of Talangas of all the Talas should be taught and the aspirant should be made to sing all the items in 3 degrees of speed. Later, all the preliminary exercises should also be practiced in all the 16-Shuddha-madhyama and corresponding 16-Prati-madhyama Melas in Svaras and Akaara in 3 degrees of speed and along with Metronome gradually increasing the speed once in every 15 or 20 days. Even before starting the Varnas, on one side, the different rhythmical exercises furnished in the video-clippings of ‘Laya-exercises’ uploaded to ‘youtube.com/msakella’ along with the ‘Special-laya-exercises’ furnished in my CD, AMS Easy Methods-2007’ must regularly be practiced daily for 3 to 4 hrs. minimum and, on the other, the inter-relation of different Kampitas & Gamakas have to be demonstrated and explained in full detail. While teaching Varnas the Adi-tala-varnas in Natakuranji, Kambhoji and Darbar must be taught in the beginning giving more importance to Kaishiki-nishada, Shuddha-madhyama and Sadharana-gandhara which have more range of Gamaka than any other note. Later, the Adi-tala-varnas in Shankarabharana, Kalyani, Begada, Todi & Saveri, the Ata-tala-varna in Bhairavi along with the Svarajati in the same Raga must be taught in the same seriatim demonstrating each Varna in full detail. All the Varnas also have to be learnt with Svara, Akaara and lyric like in the Gitas. The regular practice of notes of Svaras and also in Akaara along with Metronome for more than 3 or 4 hrs. daily becomes a drill and paves way to make the aspirant able to sing Svara-kalpana, Taanam, Niraval, Ragalapana efficiently. Any method of teaching differs from person to person taking their different levels of abilities into consideration. amsharma

msakella
Posts: 2127
Joined: 30 Sep 2006, 21:16

Post by msakella »

Dear b/s-member, Vidya Raja, Thank you for your sincere appreciation. In fact, ‘Methods in teaching music’ is a very interesting topic which should have been given first priority to discuss every year in all the reputed Sabhas of Chennai, the so called main centre of our Karnataka music, as it very highly benefits not only the aspirants but also their parents in so many ways. But, none of the Sabhas properly acts in this direction as this kind of discussion readily spills out all the beans of the music-teachers of all levels who have all along been exploiting the poor aspirants and their parents to the maximum levels. Even when I have questioned about this in one of my recent posts there was no response at all.

Just now, for the benefit of our members, I have uploaded a video-clipping (please don’t mind the lag between the act and the sound) in which 8 kids have rendered one of the most difficult rhythmical exercises of its kind. While the recent other six video-clippings of the kids are videoed on 25-01-2009 this clipping was videoed, even before that date, on 17-12-2008. Having myself played Mridangam in my younger days and little acquainted with its knowledge I am able to list out nearly 20 graded Laya-exercises. I have also found an easy way to tap out the rhythmical abilities of such kids and, under the banner of ‘AMS Foundation’, having put these kids to different tests I have selected them, trained them as mentioned in my previous post and made them render such difficult rhythmical-acrobatics. In this connection, even though many will not appreciate, I would like to declare that any music or dance-teacher who cannot render these Laya-exercises is not fit at all to be called as a teacher. For the benefit of the aspirants, parents and our members the 20 Nos. of rhythmical-exercises are furnished hereunder.
SPECIAL RHYTHMICAL EXERCISES
(k-ki; t-ta; t-tha; k-ka; d-dhi; m-mi; g-gi; n-na)

01.7 Jati-alankaras should be rendered @ 4-units, i.e., k-t-t-k per second rendering k-t for each Talaanga of the right hand followed by t-k with in-between beats of the left hand.

02.3 kinds of Trisra (t-k-t of 3), Khanda (t-k-t-k-t of 5) and Mishra (t-k-t-k-t-k-t of 7) breaks should be rendered @ 4-units per second in Adi-tala of Chaturashra-gati rendering the Tala with the right hand and in-between beats with the left hand.

03.3 kinds of Trisra (3), Khanda (5) and Mishra (7) breaks should be rendered @ 8-units per 2 seconds in Adi-tala of Chaturashra-gati rendering the Tala with the right hand and in-between beats with the left hand.

04.3 kinds of Trisra (3), Khanda (5) and Mishra (7) breaks should be rendered @ 8-units per 2 seconds in Adi-tala of Chaturashra-gati rendering the Tala with the right hand only.

05.7 Jati-alankaras should be rendered @ 8-units per 2 seconds rendering Tala with the right hand and in-between beats with the left hand.

06.7 Jati-alankaras should be rendered @ 8-units per 2 seconds rendering Tala with right hand only.

07.Rendering of all Chaturashra-jatis in Adi-tala of Chaturashra-gati running @ 4-units per second rendering the Tala with the right hand and in-between beats with the left hand but ending each Avarta with one Khanda-jati thus having a protruded unit every time in the beginning of the next succeeding cycle of Tala.

08.Rendering of all Chaturashra-jatis in Adi-tala of Chaturashra-gati running @ 8-units per 2 seconds rendering the Tala with the right hand and in-between beats with the left hand but ending each Avarta with one Khanda-jati thus having a protruded unit every time in the beginning of the next succeeding cycle of Tala.

09.Rendering of all Chaturashra-jatis in Adi-tala of Chaturashra-gati running @ 8-units per 2 seconds rendering Tala with the right hand only but ending each Avarta with one Khanda-jati thus having a protruded unit every in the beginning of the next succeeding cycle of Tala.

10.3 kinds of Chaturashra (k-t-t-k of 4), Khanda (5) and Mishra (7) breaks should be rendered @ 3-units per second in Adi-tala of Trisra-gati rendering Tala with the right hand only.

11. 3 kinds of Chaturashra (4), Khanda (5) and Mishra (7) breaks should be rendered @ 6-units per 2 seconds in Adi-tala of Trisra-gati rendering the Tala with the right hand and in-between beats with the left hand.

12.3 kinds of Chaturashra (4), Khanda (5) and Mishra (7) breaks should be rendered @ 6-units per 2 seconds in Adi-tala of Trisra-gati rendering the Tala with the right hand only.

13.7 Jati-alankaras should be rendered @ 4 & 3-units per second rendering Tala with right hand only.

14.7 Jati-alankaras should be rendered @ 8 & 6-units per 2 seconds rendering Tala with the right hand and in-between beats with the left hand.

15.7 Jati-alankaras should be rendered @ 8 & 6-units per 2 seconds rendering Tala with the right hand only.

16.7 Jati-alankaras should be rendered @ 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 & 8-units per Kriya running @ 4-units per second.

17.7 Jati-alankaras should be rendered @ 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 & 8-units per Kriya running @ 8-units per second.

18.Rendering of only one Jati of 5-units in the 2nd degree of speed in the beginning of Khanda-chapu-tala running @ 4-units per second and all Jatis of 4-units consecutively. Selected muktayis of lower-tempo should be rendered to the odd-number of starting point in the medium-tempo (while Jatis should only be rendered in respect of the candidates pertaining to Dance and Percussion disciplines Swaras should also be sung by the candidates pertaining to Music).

19.Rendering of only one Jati of 7-units in the 2nd degree of speed in the beginning of Mishra-chapu-tala running @ 4-units per second and all Jatis of 4-units consecutively. Selected muktayis of lower-tempo should be rendered to the odd-number of starting in the medium-tempo (while Jatis should only be rendered in respect of the candidates pertaining to Dance and Percussion disciplines Swaras should also be sung by the candidates pertaining to Music).

20.Rendering of easy muktayis both in terms of Jatis and respective Svaras for the Kritis in Rupaka, Khanda-chapu, Chapu, Adi (medium-tempo), Adi (slow-tempo) and Adi (Trisra-gati).

If you practice all the above exercises in terms of Jati, Svara and Akaara in all the 32 non-vivadi Melas, periodically and gradually increasing your speed along with Metronome, you will certainly become able to manage with many of the things of our Manodharma Sangeeta. But, a discouraging fact to the elders at this juncture is while the age increases gradually the capacities decrease in multiplying speed and, accordingly, the results will be very quick and effective mostly to the aspirants below the age of 15 years practising regularly for more than 4 hours. amsharma
Last edited by msakella on 07 Feb 2009, 13:39, edited 1 time in total.

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