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Photo: R.Shivaji Rao

Musical sojourn: (From left) Kalaapini Komkali, Ashwini Bhide, T.V.Gopalakrishnan and Sriram Parasuram.

A Symposium on Voice Culture and Singing Styles, was organised by Carnatica and Sri Parthasarathi Swami Sabha as part of its Bharat Sangeet Utsav, 2007 and was held at the Narada Gana Sabha Hall. The participants were T.V.Goplakrishnan, Sriram Parasuram, Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, S.A.K.Durga and Kalapini Komkali.

Setting the ball rolling, Sriram Parasuram said that the system of Indian Music is amazingly unique as it is the most participative and democratic of all traditions. Great voices that we have fondly heard bear no rules of music — that it should in a prescribed manner and it all amounted to the role of voice in the realisation of music.

T.V.Goplakrishnan mentioned that our ancestors have also done a lot of work — the sikshas — where we were taught how to render the consonants and vowels, how even the jaw is be held. It was like the tigress carrying its young one and travelling for miles without hurting it the vowels and consonants have to be held and produced in the same manner.

Kalapini Komkali mentioned that her father Kumar Gandharv was against the kind of recommended Kharj Sadhana (Mandhra Sthayi) which he felt was rather needless and could go on endlessly and any practice should be done with fully open eyes and a fully open mind. The voice should have a quality defined by roundness and smoothness and should be rich and pleasing. Kumarji while talking about the nasal tone always said the proportion of the nose on your face is the important aspect- neither too large nor too small.

Ashwini Bhide Deshpande said that while doing alaap it was necessary to visualise the note and approach and reach the note. The actual swara was in the centre and we were at the periphery. The aim should be to hit the bull’s eye. She said that we go about the mandir and make all embellishments but we should remember Mandhir Me Bhagwan (the God who resides in the temple), is the prime thing. Use your breath judiciously, maintain continuity, know to stop before your breath runs out and when you breathe in at the gaps let not the listener nor you be aware of it – Invaluable tips.

S.A.K.Durga said that carnatic music has to be sung with a Carnatic voice (near 5.5 sruthi, say for women and near 1.5 sruthi say, for men). Carnatic music focusses on kampitha gamaka and Hindustani focusses on jaru, she asserted.

The voice modulation and culture is done through the regular musical methods of sarali varisai, janta varisai, geetham and varnam and is therefore not separated from whole music itself.

The gamaka itself has a pliable role (or rule) and she demonstrated from the Bhairavi Varnam Viribhoni to show how even the Sa and Pa , conventionally stationary notes were given a gentle gamaka. She also said the Sa or Pa or for that matter any swara should have the same volume throughout and the fading or tapering should be natural and should be done in a flexible manner.

There was a brief open-house session where questions relating to determination of pitch, the responsibility of the performer and the rasika, the random change of pitch and the role of vayudeva (i.e. breathing exercises) in voice culture were addressed.

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