Teaching with the Swaravali Music trainer

[Radhika-Rajnarayan]

Here's the link to a cute kid singing varisais with the help of the Swaravali music trainer. The teacher explains how this is of use to her too.
This demo was part of the Radel Veena Festival held in January at Chennai

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAAFAteMLEs

[VK RAMAN]

It will be very useful guide for the children. Thanks for sharing with us.

[nandiraju]

Dear All
A new equipment has come into the market, can the learned fraternity provide the advantages and disadvantages of this new equipment for the benefits of the aspirant.

[msakella]

Dear brother-member, nandiraju, On seeing your post I have visited that link and gone through it. Even though your question in this regard is very brief it should be answered in detail in the interest of our kids and their parents.

I have made umpteen experiments in this regard and found a logical system of teaching music by which the process of teaching has been made very quick, time-bound and result-oriented. By following this novel system an eleven years old kid, Chi. Shreenidhi, on my initiation on Skype, could learn 9 Adi-tala-varnas and 1 Ata-tala-varna and 1-Svarajati in Bhairavi-raga within the duration of 4 months starting from January, 2010 regularly listening to my CD, AMS Easy Methods-2007, and give a mini-concert of 45 mts. at the Global Rasikas’ meet on the 19-12-2010, at Chennai singing both Purvanga and Uttaranga of a Varna of them @ 4, 6 & 8 per beat along with brief Ragalapana and intricate mathematical Svarakalpana of ‘Evarura-Mohana-Chapu-tala’. Thus, it has been proved that many of our kids, if they are initiated properly, can very easily sing in the same manner (the details of the respective videos could be obtained from the ‘Global Rasikas Meet 2010 Function Uploads’ under the main thread ‘General Discussions’).

From the available information of this video I have found that the respective teacher, using this new instrument, follows the traditional method of quantitative-teaching in which the imitative capacity of the aspirant only increases but not the rhythmical abilities or the knowledge or the independency or the self-confidence at all.
But in our novel method of qualitative-teaching, at the first instance, just like diagnosing the disease of a patient and giving the needed dose of particular medicine, we try to assess the level of the rhythmical instinct of the aspirant by various methods and initiate him/her to render the suitable rhythmical exercises furnished in the list of 28-Special-laya-exercises in the sub-thread, AMS Easy Methods-2007-Teaching & Learning methods by A.M.Sharma under the main thread, Music School, By successfully going through all these rhythmical exercises the brilliance, intelligence and self-confidence of the aspirant increases abundantly.
While training an aspirant either in cooking or in driving a motor-cycle he/she cannot get the practical experience and the respective knowledge of the relative problems unless he/she is initiated by his/her teacher to do the relevant things on his/her own. In the same manner, we also initiate the aspirant to work on his/her own even in the absence of his/her teacher relying upon the Casio-MA-150 (available in India) or Casio-LK-230 (available in USA) in which two very important and reliable facilities, Metronome and Transpose are provided. We insist him/her upon rendering these exercises @ 4-units per each second corresponding to 120 bpm of 2-beats or 60 bpm of single-beat, as the case may be, of the in-built-metronome of the Casio simultaneously following the respective audio-files furnished in the CD, AMS Easy Methods-2007 which could also be downloaded from “http://www.sangeethamshare.org/chandra/ ... hods-2007/”. Thus, only after stabilising his/her rhythmical abilities, we select the Shruti in which he/she can conveniently sing basing upon the ‘transpose’ of the Casio and start initiating him/her to, at the first instance, play the 1st Saralee-svara of Shankarabharana using the white-keys of the Casio @ one-note per each second and later to sing along. We initiate him/her to play and sing only plain-notes up to Gitas and also for the practice of 32-Avivadi-melas. Later, we initiate him/her to properly listen to the notation of Varnas very carefully observing all the oscillations of the notes and imitate them to sing as they are. While reproducing these Varnas the teacher points out their mistakes and teach how to correct them then and there. By this novel method of teaching not only rhythmical abilities but also knowledge, independency and self-confidence improves abundantly which helps a lot to the development of the aspirant. For more details of this novel method of teaching you can go through the above thread. amsharma

[Radhika-Rajnarayan]

While I respect Sri Sharma's methods, this instrument Swaravali is meant to be : (a) an assistant to the teacher so that he / she need not sing at a pitch different from their own and thus strain the voice, (b) to enable the teacher to specify varisais in specific ragas at particular tempos for the student to sing / practise at home, (c) for the student as a handy audio-visual text for reference while practising the varisais at home, (d) enable the student and teacher to respectively learn and teach different Indian ragas in the 72 melas, with accurate positioning of each note as per the Indian or diatonic scale. The student is then able to come better prepared for the class, and thus progress faster.
This instrument is not meant to replace the teacher. Neither can it replace the teacher's on-the-spot assessment and correction of the student. It only helps the teacher in being able to reproduce the varisais at the student's pitch, and at accurate tempo that can be selected by the teacher, and helping the student by guiding through the varisais.
Unfortunately the casio instrument cannot play varisais automatically or render the Indian raga notes accurately. Even by using transpose, the student still needs to refer to the varisai in the CD which is sung at a different pitch. This can be confusing to a beginner.
Our traditional sarali varisais are time-tested and appreciated by scholars of all systems of music (including North Indian & Western music) as excellent training tools for a solid foundation. Neither this instrument nor traditional varisai exercises have anything to do with the student learning to sing extempore and developing manodharma.These are the basic exercises to start the student on the right path.
To say that this instrument and traditional methods of teaching encourage imitative tendencies, and to summarily dismiss the whole method of teaching followed by the majority of teachers, is, in my opinion, not correct. I do not think we have young concert aspirants who have gone through the traditional method of learning, singing raga or swarakalpana by reading out from a paper, do we? So how can we arrive at such a conclusion?
There are many tools available today for the teacher and student, including lessons on the web, CDs etc.
This is one of them, found to be of immense use by a teacher, and being used by many other teachers.

Best regards
Radhika Raj Narayan

[nandiraju]

Dear All,

It appears that Radhikaji had taken offense to some of the points raised by Sri. Akella Ji. While, what the point that is needed to be discussed would be with the various options which are available for the student to be raised, for which some additional information has been posed by Sri. Akella ji. The same is also a proved technique which is being successfully being used in some music training institutions giving great results.

While I believe that this is not a forum to only talk about Swaravali Music Trainer, but other options which are available are not forthcomming, which I request the raiskas to put across. If these are put across then it would be best learnt for the music aspirants on the options that are available.

I also believe that by making this informatoin public, the music instrument developers would be able to think in the new approach and ensure that better and better systems and procedures and products are available for quick music learning. It should be understood that the goal is to make the music aspirants learn and reach to the goals quickly. I trust that Ms. Radhika ji also wishes the same.

It is open source which prevails.

[sramaswamy]

Although I have not used it, I have to say that the concept is excellent. It will be of great use to Carnatic music students not just the beginner but even of higher levels. Everyone include Akellaji talk about practicing varisais in all the melakarta ragas as a great means of bringing it out the correct swarams. That is not just at the beginner level and as a daily pracitce forever. As I read earlier, one of the recommended way is to take a suddha madhyama melakarta raga for practice and then subract that number from 72 as the second melakarta raga to practicse. For e.g. take Thodi ( 8 ) and then (72 -8) 64 as the second melakarta raga for practice. That way you would have covered all the 12 swara sthanas in a single day.

Looking at this, this will be a better complement to Akellaji method than the Casio that he is talking about. This will extend the two varisais - Mayamalavagowlai and Sankarabharanam - that Akellaji has recorded to all the 72 melakarta ragas. Obviously manodharma and the creative aspects are different altogether. This is not meant for that and this does not hamper that process. That is a completely different stuff which has nothing to do Swaravali.

As for Nandiraju's question, I do not see any disadvantage in this instrument. I only see positives. Just like today you are able to record your classes and practise using that, this is another tool of the moden world.

I sincerely wish and hope that Swaravali becomes as successful as the Radel sruthi box.

[msakella]

Dear sister-member, Radhika-Rajnarayan, Except in that video-clipping I have neither seen nor operated your instrument, Svaravali Digital Music Trainer. In my post I have just suggested a better instrument to the aspirant and I did nowhere write anything against your instrument. More over, I fully agree with your views mentioned in the 1st, 2nd & 3rd paragraphs of your post. In respect of other paragraphs I would like to state the following.

Confusion persists only by the lack of knowledge and self-confidence which should only be given by an efficient, honest and reliable teacher. As imitative ability is only improved by always imitating either the teacher or your instrument and as there is no scope at all in this traditional method of teaching to inculcate knowledge or to instil self-confidence the aspirant is compelled to remain in a confusing state only. That is why the novel method of teaching has been brought out to inculcate knowledge and increase the rhythmical abilities, independency and self-confidence abundantly which always helps a lot for the all-round development of the aspirant. Many experiments revealed that, along with music, mathematics only sharpens the brains of the aspirants which ultimately quicken the abilities of thinking, understanding and reproducing.

Yes, it is true that our traditional sarali varisais are time-tested and appreciated by scholars of all systems of music (including North Indian & Western music) as excellent training tools for a solid foundation. But, if the traditional-method is so great why none of the teachers is able to produce talented students singing even brief Ragalapana and mathematical Svarakalpana even before the completion of Varnas in a span of one year like me and upload the relevant videos in ‘youtube’ as per my suggestion made elsewhere long ago in the columns of this forum. The truth is that the method of properly teaching the aspirant has long ago been lost by our ‘cheaters’ who have been very conveniently escaping from the responsibility of inculcating the knowledge of Manodharma-sangita’ by simply throwing it upon the heads of the poor aspirants.

Only due to lack of experience in teaching you may be thinking that these traditional varisai exercises have nothing to do with the student learning to sing extempore and developing Manodharma. Even in my novel method of teaching I have been using the same items we already have to go on right path but with a logic-based modified form, seriatim and method for easy and quick understanding of the aspirant. It is better to know that neither the Lord Shiva told me any new item to include in this novel system like in our myths nor I did create any new item on my own to teach the aspirants. While I am able to initiate the aspirant to learn the same exercises etc., and the aspirant, in turn, is able to get higher standards why all other teachers, who have been using the same exercises etc., since many centuries, are unable to properly initiate their aspirant in getting higher standards? There lies the defect. While they all are following the traditional method of quantitative-teaching I am following the novel method of qualitative-teaching and getting amazing results. Thus, the method of teaching only defers but not the items at all.

To properly use the Casio the aspirant must properly be trained with the knowledge of 12 notes and also while trying to play the different notes of the 32-Avivadi-melas the aspirant must take every care unlike in your instrument. To use your instrument the aspirant needs only to press the required keys to operate it and simply to follow it to sing. Simply pressing the required key of your instrument could never be compared with inculcating the knowledge of 12 notes in the aspirant. More over, while even learning Varnas, if the aspirant is properly initiated, he/she can play the Gamakas of notes also on Casio though in a rough manner, to guide him/her with the basic oscillations of the notes which is not at all possible in your instrument.

In which way getting a delicious meal is the criteria in bringing all the items of rice, vegetables, pulses, oils etc., etc., from the market getting the knowledge of singing a notated song, notation writing of a song and the ability to sing even mathematically-set-svarakalpana and brief alapana of a Raga is the criteria in learning music. But, being one of the victims of this traditional-method of learning and also working as a teacher I was compelled to look into these methods to find a way out to avoid the poor results. Thus, while all are professional-performers but also teach in their lean-period only to earn money I am a professional-teacher but also perform to earn money. That is the small difference making all the difference in respect of teaching experience. In the traditional method of teaching all the teachers are mostly used to sing themselves all the items one after the other and to ask the poor aspirant to sing along with them by which imitative abilities only increase. But, in this novel method of teaching, while the initiation is more than 80% the direct teaching is less than 20% and by this, apart from the imitative abilities, the knowledge also improves abundantly. While training an aspirant either in cooking or driving a motor-cycle it is essential to only initiate the aspirant to cook or drive on his/her own as practical-experience only gives the true knowledge making the aspirant independent to move further in all respects. In the same manner, even in teaching music initiation makes the aspirant independent in doing things on his/her own and this novel method of teaching is based mainly on such initiation only. Not only as a victim of the traditional methods in teaching but also having followed the same method while teaching my students for 20 long years I very well know that there is very little or no scope at all to initiate the aspirant in the traditional method of teaching.

Except serially learning the prescribed number of items one after the other, till now, there is no yardstick at all either to assess the level of teaching of the teacher or to assess how much the teacher is efficiently teaching or to assess how much efficiency the aspirant is gradually getting. But, basing upon this ‘rhythm-oriented, time-bound and result-oriented’ novel method of teaching the aspirant will certainly become able to sing 10 Varnas both in Chaturashra and Trisra-gatis along with intricate mathematical-svarakalpana and brief Ragalapana in a time-bound programme of one year. This has already been proved with the incident of Chi. Shreenidhi’s successful concert at the Rasikas Global meet at Chennai on 19-12-2010. You can also visit, ‘youtube.com/msakella’s channel’ - Playlist-Kids’ Svarakalpana and find nearly 30 kids rendering many of these rhythmical exercises successfully. Thus, following the novel method of qualitative-teaching in a time-bound project, here, while we are able to produce 30 talented kids and upload their video-clippings to the ‘youtube’ none of the teachers following the traditional method of quantitative-teaching over the globe is able to produce even a single talented kid and upload his/her video to the ‘youtube’. This itself proves the efficiency, greatness and reliability of the qualitative-teaching beyond any doubt.

Little kids always observe their parents, brothers, sisters etc., etc., to learn things imitating them and thus, imitation is the first level of learning to anybody. That is why, even in our mathematics, in our younger days, we are compelled to learn and get by heart the ‘mathematical-tables’ at the first instance. In our younger days even while learning the alphabets, words and sentences we are compelled to write imposition for a number of times as a drill. Even in our music the Varna has also been composed and given to the aspirants for this kind of drill. While all the above drills are accepted I do not understand why the drill of singing Svarakalpana and Ragalapana reading out of a paper should be prohibited. While learning the cycling a stepping-stone makes it easier to ride on the seat than the pedal. In the same manner, singing Svarakalpana and Ragalapana reading out of a paper is also like a stepping-stone at the first instance. However, do you think that either writing or singing Ragalapana or Svarakalpana accurately is that easy? No. not at all.

In fact, after the cassette-recorder, almost since last 15 years we have been acquainted with the CDs and, nowadays, many other gadgets are also available in the market. But, most unfortunately, the teachers use them for their self-benefit only but not for the students’ benefit at all. Even from the cassettes-period no music-teacher ever dared to write the Kritis in effective notation, sing the same and to bring out cassettes to help the aspirants. Many of the Teachers of several music-colleges and music-departments have even deliberately refused to do so and even expressed the same openly to me lest the aspirants stop attending their classes by which these teachers have to loose their lucrative jobs. This obviously reveals that all these teachers bother much about their jobs and salaries only but not about honestly imparting the knowledge to the aspirants. At this juncture I do not know with what name I should call all these cheaters and parasites who wantonly elongate the process of teaching for pecuniary advantage.

To get better and quick results I have suggested Shri Vasant and Smt. Nirmala Vasant of USA (408-733-7743), the parents of my disciple, Chi. Aditya of 7-years age to provide this Casio. As usual, under my initiation through Skype from 30-08-2010 and with the help of my CD, AMS Easy Methods-2007 and this Casio, now within a span of 6 months, he is able to learn and reproduce more than 20 of the 28-Special-laya-excercises furnished in the 287th post of the sub-thread, AMS Easy Methods-2007 - Teaching / Learning Methods’ of the main thread ‘ Music School’ along with 6-Gitas, 1 Svarapallavi and all the primary-exercises in the 32-Avivadi-melas efficiently.

I don’t think suggesting a better instrument to the aspirant also comes under fault. amsharma

[nandiraju]

Dear S Ramaswamy Ji,

I believe that once again the point has started revolving around the swaravali and whether the same is useful or not. The base question that I had posed is -

* As Swaravali is available for students to take benefit, are there any other easy ways and methods and instruments that are in existence, in this technologically advanced world.
* If they are there, then what are they, and this forum should be able to identify and put across, so that the aspirants of music and students would be able to go through the sources quickly, rather than doing the same churning activity that the person who found it had done.

The question should never revolve around whether Radel systems shruti box or the swaravali is good or best etc., They are one of the commercial instrument providers who are finding ways and means to also serve the society by their instruments, which would act as aides. For your informaton, in 1984 I had purchased the Radel systems shruti box and got the same all the way from Bangalore pertaining to that of Radel systems.

What is needed to be looked at the student development provisions, and find out ways and means to develop the provisions for quick learning. It is like learning to fly the aircraft even without moving out of our chair using systems that are prevailent. This development, has ensured that there are no mishaps happening in the way of practical learning. However, the base purpose is reached, and better safety standards are achieved, thus all the people travelling are saved.

In music, this forum should be used to bring out knowledge and enlightenment to all the students of music, so they are ready in a short time, and then explore the unexplored areas, then we would have better quality students and singers, and future musicians of great talent and depth and the tradition continous. Openly the gained or achieved knowledge if it is spared and shared, then it would result in many great enthusiasts and capable people are born, thus the rasikas can enjoy the further happiness in music.

Let us not make this as a forum of highlighting only one commercial product. If yes, then let us do the testing and only take the best. Also, the choice should be left to the aspirants by putting across the facts in a clear manner and with a proper analysis.