Best way to approach learning Carnatic music online - step by step guide

To teach and learn Indian classical music
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gariki
Posts: 4
Joined: 09 Jul 2018, 22:09

Best way to approach learning Carnatic music online - step by step guide

Post by gariki »

Hello folks,

I am a parent of a kid very interested in learning Carnatic vocal music. I am trying to learn what is necessary for me to help her choose and progress - but where we live (western Canada), we have very little direct gurus in the locality - if any.

With the huge amount of knowledgeable folks here about the subject - can someone come up with say a thorough step-by-step guide of how you would approach the process of learning Carnatic knowing the bounds we are under.

I am searching and reading through some other threads here as i speak but wanted to jump start the conversation.

Thank you in advance for your time and knowledge.

-Chaitanya

gariki
Posts: 4
Joined: 09 Jul 2018, 22:09

Re: Best way to approach learning Carnatic music online - step by step guide

Post by gariki »

no takers!

gariki
Posts: 4
Joined: 09 Jul 2018, 22:09

Re: Best way to approach learning Carnatic music online - step by step guide

Post by gariki »

come on.. someone with even some knowledge give it a shot. Maybe someone will suggest better ways later.

SrinathK
Posts: 2477
Joined: 13 Jan 2013, 16:10

Re: Best way to approach learning Carnatic music online - step by step guide

Post by SrinathK »

Here's a first step. Try the AMS easy methods. You may get the book sangeetha swara raga sudha (it's free online) along with all the audio files - the link is up elsewhere on this section (up in the AMS easy methods thread).

Also please start using acharyanet. The lessons there are also very good and very nicely structured. https://streaming.acharyanet.com/carnatic-lessons/ - Together both of them are the best possible start.

Since you are in Canada, having a piano or a keyboard (for melody), with a metronome as a base will be very helpful to a beginner as all music starts from scales and simple tunes - and the western scale system is well developed. Major scale (Shankarabharanam) can easily help cover all the basic varsais (sarali, janta, upper octave, lower octave, alankarams, dhAttu varsais, akAra sadhakam (using continuous vowels and consonants), brigha exercises, the like). Then come geethams. This itself is a solid start.

SrinathK
Posts: 2477
Joined: 13 Jan 2013, 16:10

Re: Best way to approach learning Carnatic music online - step by step guide

Post by SrinathK »

Now some of my own thoughts, having gone through the long way myself :

Please get a good tambura and metronome app installed in your phone, but do not use tambura and keyboard together in the beginning stages. This is imperative. Once your child has crossed the level of geethams, she will need to go beyond the keyboard and develop a more sensitive ear for the true positions of the natural notes and gamakas. That is when the tambura will come in handy.

You can then follow it up with mAyamAlvagowla, tODi, kalyANi, shanmukhapriya and kharaharapriya and that will help take a beginner to kritis and varnams level by giving them familiarity with all the 12 notes and many gamakas. You can also teach them eventually arohanam and avarohanams and how to render chApu tAlas, as well as 1 kalai, 2 kalai, even 4 kalai at least on their hands, in various eDuppus.

You can then teach them simple songs - the kind of stuff kids in Chennai schools would sing in music period or for school functions - bhajans, patriotric songs, assembly songs. Then move on to krithis and varnams.

If you did all this correct and follow it up with some raga alapana exercises (where you sing swaras and then the phrases and vice versa) as well as good knowledge of tala and laya, shruti shuddham, vocal range, swarasthana shuddham and even the basics of gamakas and phrases in many ragas, basic swarakalpana, and a few varnams and krithis. The AMS methods will even teach a kid how to recite basic rhythmic syllables in Carnatic music to help him count and sing some simple pallavis.

When you get to varnams, I suggest starting with the mOhanam and AbhOgi varnams, then the AMS varnams. For krithis you can start with simpler songs like girirAja suta tanayA. Anyway the resources I have shared will cover all this properly.

This will keep you quite busy for a few years or even more at least. But it's not as challenging as it seems - so don't get intimidated by this either. Everything you need is in the 2 links I have shared. This foundation is incredibly strong, practically anything can be built on top of this base. :)

Somewhere down the road, let her develop a love for languages. Mastery over language is the most important tool for learning anything.

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

Re: Best way to approach learning Carnatic music online - step by step guide

Post by msakella »

It is not only illogical but also suicidal to start with the Varnas in the Ragas like Mohanam and Abhogi.

Unless the rhythmical ability is properly stabilised to manage with both the even (Chaturashra) and odd (Trisra) gatis, at the first instance, it is futile to start with music lessons.

Giving music lessons to the aspirant is absolutely different with enabling him/her in getting the true music-sense. There are other logical ways to do so which no Karnataka Music-teacher knows or follows but finds fault with them.

Many of these details have already been discussed at length in my thread ‘AMS-Easy Methods’. But, as most of our head-strong and thick-skinned professionals, who are under the guise of Great Gurus, are adamant either in following the logical methods or even to discuss I have already minimised my participation in this forum and am not interested in discussing them further. amsharma

asangeetha
Posts: 137
Joined: 19 Oct 2006, 12:21

Re: Best way to approach learning Carnatic music online - step by step guide

Post by asangeetha »

Carnatic Music has to be learned properly from the very beginning with a knowledgeable Guru who can guide the student in the right path from the beginning. Since its difficult to access good gurus as they themselves are busy with many students or performing, Skype can also be a good alternative or they might recommend that you learn from any of their senior students who might be in the area. Once the student has been accepted into a good school of learning, the parents should place complete trust in the path directed by the Guru and produce a suitable environment at home by encouraging listening and attending live concerts and even occasionally travelling to the Guru's place of residence to get live classes.

Hope this helps.

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