UPPER STAYI VARISAI
The great composer Purandara Dasa, hailed as the Father of Carnatic music, created a set of fundamental exercises nearly 500 years ago, which are followed even today.
There are 4 main types of varishais.
These fundamental sequences enable the student to get a feel of melody with rhythm. The logic is quite obvious here. The 1st varishai is a plain ascent and descent of the notes of the raga. The 2nd varishai focuses on the second note from S, namely R (in the ascent) and N (in the descent). The 3rd varishai centers on the third note (G and D) in the ascent and descent respectively. The fourth varishai concentrates on the fourth note M and P. This goes on up to the 7th varishai. The last 3 are general exercises. Some books have split the last sarali varishai into 5 parts, but singing it as a single varishai is more instructive.
These are forceful sequences, which facilitate the students to add weight and majesty to their voice. They make use of a form of ornamentation called "spuritham" which is rendering a note twice: plain the first time, and with force from the previous not (i.e. the note just below this note in frequency) in the raga the second time. Teachers must take care that the concept of sphuritham is very clearly embedded in the students' minds. The tendency to render it in a bland and insipid manner should be avoided.
Practice the Melsthayi Varisai's to improve your vocals in the upper octave. These are higher octave sequences, which increase the students' vocal or instrumental range. The first is the simplest and every subsequent exercise adds a new phrase to the previous one. It progressively covers up to Pa in the higher octave.
These are zigzag sequences that increase the students overall command of notes.
ALANKARAMS
These are multi-tala sequences composed in the 35 talas. But usually 7 of these are selected and taught to the students.
Students should be taught to render all these exercises in at least 3-4 speeds. Once they perfect this technique, they could practice most of them in the 3rd speed. It is ideal to render each varishai twice, once just with the swaras, and again with akaaram.
SPEEDS IN CARNATIC MUSIC
In carnatic music, speed is relative. It is measure as the number of notes per beat of the tala, rather than the number of notes per second or minute.
The first speed is rendering one note per unit of the tala. The 2nd speed is exactly double of this, i.e. two notes per unit. The 3rd speed is four notes per unit. The 4th is eight notes per unit. The 5th is 16 notes per units and 6th speed is 32 notes per unit.
Speed of the tala is rarely varied; only the speed of the music is. But even this is not accomplished in an arbitrary manner. There is a mathematical percision to it. For instance, the 2nd speed is exactly twice as fast and the third is exactly twice as fast as the second and so forth.
Raga : Mayamalavagowla (15th Melakartha Ragam)
AA : S R1 G3 M1 P D1 N3 S
AV : S N3 D1 P M1 G3 R1 S
Taalam : Aadi
NOTATION HINTS : (THIS NOTATION FOLLOWS RANI'S NOTES IN WWW.KARNATIK.COM)
s = sa; r = ri ; g = ga; m = ma; p = pa; d = dha ; n = ni;
Uppercase letters are in the higher octave
Letters with a period "." after them are tin the lower octave
EXERCISE - 1
Dheergam at melsthayi "S", and touch of "R" (d n S R)
s r g m | p d | n S ||
S , , , | S , | , , ||
d n S R | S n | d p ||
S n d p | m g | r s ||
EXERCISE - 2
Dheergam at melsthayi "S"
Focus at melsthayi "R" (d n S R - S S R S - S R S n )
Some janta ( S S ) and zig zag usages ( S R S n - d p m p )
s r g m | p d | n S ||
S , , , | S , | , , ||
d n S R | S S | R S ||
S R S n | d p | m p ||
d n S R | S n | d p ||
S n d p | m g | r s ||
EXERCISE - 3
Dheergam at melsthayi "S"
Touch of melsthayi "G" (d n S r - G R S R)
Focus at melsthayi "R" (d n S R - S S R S - S R S n )
Some janta ( S S ) and zig zag usages ( S R S n - d p m p )
s r g m | p d | n S ||
S , , , | S , | , , ||
d n S R | G R | S R ||
S R S n | d p | m p ||
d n S R | S S | R S ||
S R S n | d p | m p ||
d n S R | S n | d p ||
S n d p | m g | r s ||
EXERCISE - 4
Dheergam at melsthayi "S"
Touch of melsthayi "M" (d n S r - G M G R)
Touch of melsthayi "G" (d n S R - G R S R and d n S R - G M G R)
Focus at melsthayi "R" (d n S R - S S R S - S R S n )
Some janta ( S S ) and zig zag usages ( S R S n - d p m p )
s r g m | p d | n S ||
S , , , | S , | , , ||
d n S R | G M | G R ||
S R S n | d p | m p ||
d n S R | G R | S R ||
S R S n | d p | m p ||
d n S R | S S | R S ||
S R S n | d p | m p ||
d n S R | S n | d p ||
S n d p | m g | r s ||
EXERCISE - 5
Dheergam at melsthayi "S"
Touch of melsthayi "P" (d n S r - G M P M)
Touch of melsthayi "M" (d n S R - G M G R and d n S R - G M P M)
Focus at melsthayi "G" (d n S R - G R S R and d n S R - G M G R and d n S R - G M P M)
Focus at melsthayi "R" (d n S R - S S R S - S R S n )
Some janta ( S S ) and zig zag usages ( S R S n - d p m p )
s r g m | p d | n S ||
S , , , | S , | , , ||
d n S R | G M | P M ||
G R S n | d p | m p ||
d n S R | G M | G R ||
S R S n | d p | m p ||
d n S R | G R | S R ||
S R S n | d p | m p ||
d n S R | S S | R S ||
S R S n | d p | m p ||
d n S R | S n | d p ||
S n d p | m g | r s ||
Posts
0 Comments