Flow

“The fundamental principle is joy” – Music education pioneer VV Sadagopan

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“Children should grow with joy, courage and freedom and a discipline born out of these attributes. The fundamental principle is joy, suggestion must be the method, the emphasis should be on the imaginative and creative experience of music and teaching should follow a “flow-form-flow” spiral. – VV Sadagopan | PDF-Repository >> World Children’s Day (20 September) … Read more

Flow | And what about rhythm? – Let’s go on a musical walk!

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Here’s a delightful “flow-exercise” of a different kind: nadai in rupaka tala South Indian music has a vast repertory of compositions known as nadai (Tamil “gait, walk”) most students of south Indian rhythm (laya) should be familiar with; this one transcribed at the home of vidvan T.K. Ramakrishnan busy teaching a mridanga lesson with his … Read more

Flow | The right tempo or “kalapramanam”

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If there is a single feature of Carnatic music to account for its mesmerizing effect on listeners it may well be a feature known as kalapramanam: practicing rhythm (laya)1 and performing in the the “right tempo”2 (kālapramānam) which, once chosen, remains even (until the piece is concluded). Adopting it as part of regular practice enables … Read more

Flow | Colourful and creative “when life is attuned to a single tune” – Mahatma Gandhi

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South Indian conventions (raga names & svara notation): karnATik.com | Guide >> raagam: kuntalavarALiAa: S M1 P D2 N2 D2 S | Av: S N2 D2 P M1 S If a raga1 constitutes more than mere arrangements of notes derived from a given scale, this is due to the mood it evokes in listeners from different backgrounds. This shared experience is … Read more