@ tripmonk0: Did Sri Ravikiran play any more pieces at the Brent festival besides this? If he did and you have them could post them please. Thoroughly fantastic playing by both performers.
Shankarabharanam - the begining and end all in carnatic music. And what a beautiful rendition at that. Starting from simple G M G G to a rare G M N R N D P at about the 2:17 mark which used without an astute knowledge would induce kalyani in the unwary. What a great master, introducing C Major to the world the way it is supposed to be played. Not shackled with fixed temperament but each note oscilated approached and beautified with microtonal shades!
@tnemyo this is just one way to play the C major scale. Another is Bach's music. There is an entire world of humans who lived without the need for microtonal shades. If you play the C major with gamakas to Beethoven, the greatest composer in history, it would probably catch his attention for a few seconds before he goes back to the piano !
It is a mistake to think that adding gamakas makes Indian music more general. It is a different way of playing, neither superior nor inferior to the rest.
@nevertheless123 adding gamakas does not make indian music more general. It makes it special. Gamaka oriented music is certainly an order higher and more evolved than gamaka-less music.
@murdesi "Gamaka oriented music is certainly an order higher and more evolved than gamaka-less music."
What do you mean by "evolved" ?
more sophisticated? Not so. It is just different. You can do a lot with just the chromatic scale. Listen to the Bach cello suites-unparalleled depth of emotion.
Harder to play? certainly not. I have personally learnt from Ravikiran-a remarkable artist. I am also learning piano now. I assure you that W classical piano is harder than learning carnatic music.
@nevertheless123 As a system of music, western classical music may be different from carnatic music. I would like to clarify that my earlier comment was about the evolution of the musical scale. A scale that employs gamakas certainly represents an advancement over a scale with plain notes. So gamakas represent a progression over plain notes and is not a different concept as you indicate. This does not imply that great music cannot be created with plain notes.
@murdesi When you use the words "advancement", "progression", it is subjective.
Its not like saying: the transistor is an advancement over the vaccum tube.
But music is not technology. The use of gamakas is a cultural phenomenon. I also used to think exactly like you. I didn't realize the fallacy until I actually confronted other cultures. They were not impressed and even confused by what was going on in Carnatic music.
That doesn't make them less evolved. Its just different taste, like food.
@murdesi If you listen to Bartok's string quartets, there is no gamakas, still 12 note scale, it is still hard for anyone to appreciate, unless they have ear training.
There are many many levels to music, not just gamakas, there is atonality, harmony counterpoint, orchestral color etc.,. These elements arent present in carnatic music. So how can it be more evolved ?
But Carnatic music is surely an under recognized art form of great subtlety and beauty, and no is less than the western classical.
@guitarguy1381 Couldnt agree more. The switch to electronic version respresents, to me, a rather utilitarian approach to tonal quality amongst carnatic musicians, starting with the electronic tamboura, and extending to the rather awful engineering of most of the recordings. I think Mr RK is more interested in the Mozartian brilliance of the music that its sound, meaning he could just as well be playing synthesizer and it would be happy for him. It is sad to me, but i am in the minority.
@ tripmonk0: Did Sri Ravikiran play any more pieces at the Brent festival besides this? If he did and you have them could post them please. Thoroughly fantastic playing by both performers.
peterram9 5 months ago
Divinely.....
Molaga 7 months ago
No part 2? :-(
takla3210 2 years ago
Yes. Look on the right hand links.
Nick
tripmonk0 2 years ago
I cant understand why Mr.Ravikiran has to struggle to approach the Raga Sankaraparanam straight initially.
govindarajanns 2 years ago
wow...i thought the saraswati looked tough....
glorplaxy 2 years ago
Shankarabharanam - the begining and end all in carnatic music. And what a beautiful rendition at that. Starting from simple G M G G to a rare G M N R N D P at about the 2:17 mark which used without an astute knowledge would induce kalyani in the unwary. What a great master, introducing C Major to the world the way it is supposed to be played. Not shackled with fixed temperament but each note oscilated approached and beautified with microtonal shades!
tnemyo 2 years ago 12
great comment. you sound almost like Prof. SRJ! lol
usalamani 2 years ago 5
@tnemyo this is just one way to play the C major scale. Another is Bach's music. There is an entire world of humans who lived without the need for microtonal shades. If you play the C major with gamakas to Beethoven, the greatest composer in history, it would probably catch his attention for a few seconds before he goes back to the piano !
It is a mistake to think that adding gamakas makes Indian music more general. It is a different way of playing, neither superior nor inferior to the rest.
nevertheless123 1 year ago
@nevertheless123 adding gamakas does not make indian music more general. It makes it special. Gamaka oriented music is certainly an order higher and more evolved than gamaka-less music.
murdesi 9 months ago
@murdesi "Gamaka oriented music is certainly an order higher and more evolved than gamaka-less music."
What do you mean by "evolved" ?
more sophisticated? Not so. It is just different. You can do a lot with just the chromatic scale. Listen to the Bach cello suites-unparalleled depth of emotion.
Harder to play? certainly not. I have personally learnt from Ravikiran-a remarkable artist. I am also learning piano now. I assure you that W classical piano is harder than learning carnatic music.
nevertheless123 9 months ago
@nevertheless123 As a system of music, western classical music may be different from carnatic music. I would like to clarify that my earlier comment was about the evolution of the musical scale. A scale that employs gamakas certainly represents an advancement over a scale with plain notes. So gamakas represent a progression over plain notes and is not a different concept as you indicate. This does not imply that great music cannot be created with plain notes.
murdesi 9 months ago
@murdesi When you use the words "advancement", "progression", it is subjective.
Its not like saying: the transistor is an advancement over the vaccum tube.
But music is not technology. The use of gamakas is a cultural phenomenon. I also used to think exactly like you. I didn't realize the fallacy until I actually confronted other cultures. They were not impressed and even confused by what was going on in Carnatic music.
That doesn't make them less evolved. Its just different taste, like food.
nevertheless123 9 months ago
@murdesi If you listen to Bartok's string quartets, there is no gamakas, still 12 note scale, it is still hard for anyone to appreciate, unless they have ear training.
There are many many levels to music, not just gamakas, there is atonality, harmony counterpoint, orchestral color etc.,. These elements arent present in carnatic music. So how can it be more evolved ?
But Carnatic music is surely an under recognized art form of great subtlety and beauty, and no is less than the western classical.
nevertheless123 9 months ago
literally weaved out the last thread remaining in shankarabaranam between 3.30 and 3.33 :)
skill with music as well as the instrument is just godly !!!
umeshx 2 years ago 2
Looks like Sri RK is using the good ol' wooden slide instead of teflon.
umeshx 2 years ago
wow the original acoustic instrument is so much better than the electronic version he uses now. I am not sure why he switched to that thing!
guitarguy1381 3 years ago 2
Cant agree more with you!
haribharadwaj 3 years ago
I think it was more for convenience than anything else. Easier to carry around.
Nick
tripmonk0 3 years ago
Yes, and I think also tuning to a higher pitch for jugalbhandi
cartoontortoise 3 years ago
agreed, first swara i heard, i heard a GREAT difference
worlddominator62 3 years ago
@guitarguy1381 Couldnt agree more. The switch to electronic version respresents, to me, a rather utilitarian approach to tonal quality amongst carnatic musicians, starting with the electronic tamboura, and extending to the rather awful engineering of most of the recordings. I think Mr RK is more interested in the Mozartian brilliance of the music that its sound, meaning he could just as well be playing synthesizer and it would be happy for him. It is sad to me, but i am in the minority.
sukkot54 1 year ago