Question -Hari khamboji for basic flute lessons
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vasanthakokilam
- Posts: 10956
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01
Some gurus do that for teaching the basic blowing techniques. In the initial stages, it is easier if the swaras are produced with fully open holes. HK satisfies that condition. Ragas like MMG and Shankarabharanam requires one or more swaras to be produced with half open holes. (MMG - 3, SB - 1). Once the student gets a hang of the basic blowing technique and gets comfortable with finger movements, the proper lessons from sarali varisai etc. are in MMG.
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girish_a
- Posts: 432
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 13:33
Yes. My teacher taught me a set of lessons called "Gamakas" right after Alankaras. Not just the gamaka-proper of Carnatic music, but a whole lot of other musical concepts. Usually, they start with Geethe after Alankaras. However, this new set of lessons introduced me to several concepts:
1. The various swara sthaanas. I found this very fascinating because up until then I was only familiar with mAyamAlavagouLa. But now you suddenly had this raga Harikambhoji which had different variants of the swaras in mAyAmALavagouLa.
He drew a diagram in my notebook which resembled a staircase and described the concept (though I was too young at that time to understand it completely)
2. The concept of Gamakas/microtones.
3. Connecting different swaras.
Example:
S,G-R,M-G,P-M,D-P,N-D,S-S,G-P,S
S,D-N,P-D,M-P,G-M,R-G,S-S,P-G,S
"How can he do that!" was my reaction when I heard the notes connected
He also taught notation symbols for depicting connected notes.
4. The blowing technique for producing Ma by tilting your head.
5. Of course, fingering for the new swara sthaanas.
6. A set of excercises for producing janti-notes in Harikambhoji. Example:
S,RSS, S,RSS,RSS,RSS,
R,GRR, R,GRR,GRR,GRR,
G,MGG, G,MGG,MGG,MGG,
P,DPP, P,DPP,DPP,DPP,
D,NDD, D,NDD,NDD,NDD,
N,SNN, N,SNN,SNN,SNN,
S,RSS, S,RSS,RSS,RSS,
and back again in descending order in various speeds. I remember struggling a bit with this
So when I started learning Geethe, I didn't need to learn the new concepts when "Vara Veena Mridu pANi" was taught (the others before that have the same swara sthanas as MMG)
1. The various swara sthaanas. I found this very fascinating because up until then I was only familiar with mAyamAlavagouLa. But now you suddenly had this raga Harikambhoji which had different variants of the swaras in mAyAmALavagouLa.
He drew a diagram in my notebook which resembled a staircase and described the concept (though I was too young at that time to understand it completely)
2. The concept of Gamakas/microtones.
3. Connecting different swaras.
Example:
S,G-R,M-G,P-M,D-P,N-D,S-S,G-P,S
S,D-N,P-D,M-P,G-M,R-G,S-S,P-G,S
"How can he do that!" was my reaction when I heard the notes connected
He also taught notation symbols for depicting connected notes.
4. The blowing technique for producing Ma by tilting your head.
5. Of course, fingering for the new swara sthaanas.
6. A set of excercises for producing janti-notes in Harikambhoji. Example:
S,RSS, S,RSS,RSS,RSS,
R,GRR, R,GRR,GRR,GRR,
G,MGG, G,MGG,MGG,MGG,
P,DPP, P,DPP,DPP,DPP,
D,NDD, D,NDD,NDD,NDD,
N,SNN, N,SNN,SNN,SNN,
S,RSS, S,RSS,RSS,RSS,
and back again in descending order in various speeds. I remember struggling a bit with this
So when I started learning Geethe, I didn't need to learn the new concepts when "Vara Veena Mridu pANi" was taught (the others before that have the same swara sthanas as MMG)