Taanam on Chitravenu

Ideas and innovations in Indian classical music
Post Reply
uday_shankar
Posts: 1467
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:37

Taanam on Chitravenu

Post by uday_shankar »

An impromptu Covid lockdown video...
Tried some nadai syncopations between wind and strings...

https://youtu.be/kIaeKNX2_As

Sivaramakrishnan
Posts: 1582
Joined: 02 Jan 2010, 08:29

Re: Taanam on Chitravenu

Post by Sivaramakrishnan »

Chitravenu has certainly evolved over time.
A good taanam in Shanmukhapriya.

uday_shankar
Posts: 1467
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:37

Re: Taanam on Chitravenu

Post by uday_shankar »

Thanks SRK. It is an endlessly exciting journey of discovery... no complaints :).

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

Re: Taanam on Chitravenu

Post by SrinathK »

You must now train students.

Nick H
Posts: 9379
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 02:03

Re: Taanam on Chitravenu

Post by Nick H »

Please send the students!

Uday does this for his own satisfaction. I understand that interest from others is limited to a select few :(

uday_shankar
Posts: 1467
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:37

Re: Taanam on Chitravenu

Post by uday_shankar »

Nick H wrote: 27 Jul 2020, 14:10 Uday does this for his own satisfaction.

Indeed. It is just grown up "play". Such "play" doesn't receive much empathy among Indians but has a definite following in Western culture.

I sometimes get asked while traveling and making small conversation if I play any instrument... when I tell them I practice on an instrument I invented and have been developing over the last decade or so, it is understood in different degrees. Western folks immediately take it at face value and some people express curiosity, etc...

The most amusing response is among the occasional old-school Carnatic die-hards :)... I get a bewildered look of utter incomprehension :lol: .

Obviously I persevere and so chitravenu won't get orphaned on my watch :).

shankarank
Posts: 4043
Joined: 15 Jun 2009, 07:16

Re: Taanam on Chitravenu

Post by shankarank »

uday_shankar wrote: 29 Jul 2020, 22:17 The most amusing response is among the occasional old-school Carnatic die-hards :)... I get a bewildered look of utter incomprehension :lol: .
What that tells me is that, almost inadvertently you admitted that , recognition from old die-hards is still important and at least tepidly , if not avidly sought after! :D

uday_shankar
Posts: 1467
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:37

Re: Taanam on Chitravenu

Post by uday_shankar »

shankarank wrote: 02 Aug 2020, 02:32you admitted that
I have nothing to "admit" or deny.

It's an utter waste of time seconding guessing someone's motives in an online forum. In any case, I myself don't do that much self analysis. I do things for fun and it is always nice to to meet others who do similar things and exchange notes. They are not usually CM die hards, either musicians or rasikas (people or the forum!).

For sampradaya music, chitravenu can add some things:

1. Shruti Shuddham:
Like all fretless instruments, it can add a dimension of shruti hypersensitivity, which results in an overall good attention paid to shruti shuddham as the alternative is really horrible whereas instruments like vina are more forgiving.

2. Maatra-shuddham:
All sliding as well as wind instruments are very amorphous but chitravenu particularly so. This means, as one plays one needs to have a clear mental matrix of the matras. This is made easier somewhat in the chitravina due to the clear percussive pluck, and on the violin by alternating bow movement. On a conventional flute also it is a little amorphous (Ramani sir will always tell you, "flute ku taalam podardu easy illai") but chitravenu is amorphous on steroids due to the added dimension of sliding. I solve some of it by tonguing technique and of course, unwavering use of the metronome at all times.

So here is a pallavi in Shanmukhapriya (composed for me by Smt. Kiranavali Vidyasankar) I am practising... It is in thisra thriputa (2 kalai), eduppu half beat after samam. The words come in two sets of khandam, with 2 extra karvais on arudhi and then three more khandams:

, , pA, lin, chu kA, mA, kshI , , bha ya ha ra ni shi va ra ma ni gu ha ja na

ni pA, lin, chu

When I do the thisram, the strings come in really handy to set the nadai properly...

The metronome does not have a 14 beat setting so I set it to seven beats (hence the dominant beat after arudhi):

https://soundcloud.com/uday-shankar-10/ ... te-sound-1

Post Reply