June Program on Laya

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 03 May 2007, 16:14

We have decided to have the next program on Laya aspects in June .
The detailed schedule will be worked out after a meeting with J Balaji on 13th May at west Mambalam.
(This schedule is subject to change , depending on Balaji's convenience)

A preliminary list of rasika's needs is given below.One can easily see that this is a list that starts from some real basics and moves on to a different level altogether.
Chances are that it may take more than one program to make real progress , that is satisfactory to all.

Please feel free to add new dimensions to these requests , keeping in mind that this program will be videographed and can serve as a useful tool , in the future for all of us.

This is also keeping in mind , the responses from a majority of the paying members that Educative programs should form a substantial percentage of our programs and we should rather not get stuck with Concerts for the sake of entertainment alone.

We will need the the collective effort of all members well versed in Laya as well , with their inputs.I say this because I am not sure of the location of Sankirnam, or mri_fan and not heard from erode for a long long time.

So all members, please take this as a personal request.

Here we go

**I love listening to thanis, but can't say I understand them.
It sounds good, but I am clueless as to what the artist is doing.
** It will be nice if the artist can explain and then demonstrate the different strokes/patterns they use for some of the more common thalams.

What is Layam + Historical Perspective
* What is a talam?
* Different types of talams
* Taniavartanam
- What it is and how is it structured?
- How does a mrudangam artist know when to start a taniavartanam?
- How does the main artist come to know when a taniavartanam ends?
- What is a nadai? What are the dIfferent types of nadais?How to identify what nadai is being played?
- What is a kuraippu? What are the different types? How to identify which kuraippu is being played?
- What is a mOra? How is it structured?
- What is a kOrvai? How is it structured?
- What is sarva laghu?
- What are farans/pharans?
* What are different predominant styles of mrudangam playing? Illustrate with examples, the difference between them
* How does a mrudangam artist play for a song - a) when he knows it and b) when he doesn't know it?
* As a follow up, how does a mrudangam artist play for a pallavi (in RTP) since it is highly probable that he might not have heard the pallavi before?

** Â· It would be nice if rhythmic intricacies in specific compositions - say Syama Sastri's kritis / swarajatis or Arunagirinathar's
tiruppugazh - can be highlighted; or tillanas in lakshameesa or simhanandana tala.

** a few more examples: jati korvais in kritis like Sri Mahaganapatiravatu maam (Gowla), Ananda natana prakaasam (Kedaram), Ananda
natamaaduvaar tillai (Poorvikalyani); suladis of Purandara dasa (talamalikas); daru varnams (e.g.,Mate malayadhwaja - Khamas

to be continued by members.

ignoramus · Post by **ignoramus** » 03 May 2007, 16:51

that is a pretty exhaustive wish list. cool sir.

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 03 May 2007, 18:29

I have a few basic doubts - may be my points are too basic for those trained in music, yet I would like to get clarifications -

(1) As laya is the basic requirement of any music ie., music cannot be sung without laya, how mridanga (or tavil or tabla in case North Indian Music) is called 'accompaniment'?

(2) How can Alaapana be sung without laya?

rajumds · Post by **rajumds** » 03 May 2007, 19:55

How do you identify the tala for a song (ie without googling)

sankirnam · Post by **sankirnam** » 03 May 2007, 20:11

oh very nice, chances are I will be in Chennai around that time... I would love to attend this as well.

kssuresh · Post by **kssuresh** » 03 May 2007, 21:46

Cool,

I too live outside Chennai, but get a chance to visit on work once in a while. Would really help to know the date(s) so that I can seriously try to be there. Wouldn't like to miss this opportunity, especially of meeting the forum members (quite a few of whom are unnervingly knowledgeable in CM!).

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 04 May 2007, 00:08

How do you find the correct 'eduppu' for a song when you can not see the kriyas of someone keeping the thalam? (with and without mridangam accompaniment if mridangam strokes and sounds give us any clues for this )

narendra · Post by **narendra** » 04 May 2007, 02:12

narendra · Post by **narendra** » 04 May 2007, 04:29

no questions

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 04 May 2007, 04:52

Narendra
While your enthusiasm is welcome, I would like to point out that these questions are meant to be asked during the programme in June (to Mannarkoil Balaji) rather than being answered here on the forum.

msakella · Post by **msakella** » 04 May 2007, 05:08

Dear brother-members, rajumds & narendra,
Have a list of all your doubts and they all will be made clear in the ensuing June session. I have already made it clear in many of my posts to measure the duration of a music composition with â€˜Maatraâ€™ which is almost equal to one second just like measuring the length of a cloth with inches. In the same manner, beginning from the 1st letter of the lyric of the composition up to its 2nd repetition count the total of units which indicate the total units of a cycle of that particular Tala. For example, if that number is 12, roughly, you can have 3 cycles of Chaturashra-eka (3x4) or 4 cycles of Trsra-eka or Rupaka of 3 Kriyas (4x3) or 2 cycles of Rupaka of 6 Kriyas (2x6) or 1 cycle of Khanda-mathya or 1 cycle of Sankeerna-jhampa or 1 cycle of Mishra-sankeerna-triputa or 1 cycle of Chaturashra-ata or Mishra-deshya-sankeerna-eka. amsharma.

narendra · Post by **narendra** » 04 May 2007, 05:10

I am a first timer on this forum. I am posting these questions for Balaji.

mri_fan · Post by **mri_fan** » 04 May 2007, 10:59

One question I've always wondered, and never got a clear answer:

Does a mridangam artist alter how he plays for a song depending on whether he has a kanjira/ghatam/morsing playing with him? Is he/she less likely to play kanaku in songs and will he play more nadais that can be complemented by the other percussionist?

I think the last part of my question is probably yes, but Im not sure about the other portions