Naata adavu - Part 1

Returning to this blog after ages. I did take a break from dance lessons for about 3 yrs and restarted under a different teacher last October. I am going to try and use this as a form of chronicling the progress that I am making.

The second set of adavus is called the naata adavu where you extend you legs. If you remember in thatta adavu you basically tapped your feet alternately. Here you would extend and/or tap them according to the step.

This is also the first set of adavus where the solkattu (or the bol) remains fixed while the steps themselves change. From now on, each adavu will be identified more by the solkattu than the name.

The solkattu for Naata adavu is thai-yum-thath-tha thai-yum-tha-ha. That's 8 beats per cycle.

The main hand gesture (or mudra) for this adavu is tripathaka. It is holding the palm flat with the ring finger bent.

Step 1: Extend both your hands at shoulder height holding the tripathaka with palm facing down.
Thai - extend your right leg and turn your right hand to face the palm up.
yum - Bring you right leg back in, tap and turn the palm down.
tha - extend your left leg and turn your left hand to face the palm up
tha - bring your left leg back in, tap and turn the palm down.

Thai - yum - tha- ha repeat the same steps as above.

Gowlai - Vaiyathu Vaazhveergaal

வையத்து வாழ்வீர்காள் நாமும் நம் பாவைக்கு
செய்யும் கிரிசைகள் கேளீரோ பாற்கடலுள்
பைய துயின்ற பரமனடி பாடி
நெய்யுண்ணோம் பாலுண்ணோம் நாற்காலை நீராடி

மையிட்டெழுதோம் மலரிட்டு நாம் முடியோம்
செய்யாதன செய்யோம் தீக்குறளை சென்றோதோம்
ஐயமும் பிச்சையும் ஆந்தனையும் கை காட்டி
உய்யுமாறெண்ணி உகந்தேலோர் எம்பாவாய்



Raagam: Gowlai
Arohanam: S R1 M1 P N3 S
Avarohanam: S N3 P M1 R1 G3 M1 R1 S

Like mentioned in yesterday's post, Gowlai is the second raaga of the Pancharatna Krithis (Dudukugala). The other popular krithis in Gowlai is Pranamamyaham and Sri Mahaganapathi Ravathumam.

This is also a vakra raga with the GMRS prayogam. It is a janya of the 15th Melakartha Mayamalava gowla. MMG has been already discusssed on this blog. I am not aware of many cine songs in this raga except one by IR "Vedham Nee Iniya Naadham nee", though the janaka raga MMG has been very extensively used in film music.

Naatai - Margazhi Thingal

Also posted at vrangasayee.blogspot,com

மார்கழித் திங்கள் மதிநிறைந்த நன்னாளால்
நீராடப் போதுவீர்! போதுமினோ நேரிழையீர்!
சீர்மல்கும் ஆய்ப்பாடி செல்வச் சிறுமீர்காள்
கூர்வேல் கொடுந்தொழிலன் நந்தகோபன் குமரன்
ஏரார்ந்த கண்ணி யாசோதை இளஞ்சிங்கம்
கார்மேனிச் செங்கண் கதிர்மதியம் போல் முகத்தான்
நாராயணனே நமக்கு பறை தருவான்
பாரோர் புகழப் படிந்தேலோ ரெம்பாவாய்!



Raagam: Naatai Janya of 36th Melakartha Chalanaatai (This is the last raga of the suddha madhyama group).
Arohanam: S R3 G3 M1 Pa N3 S
Avarohanam: S N3 P M1 G3 M1 R3 S

This a vakra raga due to G3 M1 R3 S, For explanation on what is vakra ragam please see http://raagamudra.blogspot.com/2009/08/janya-raga-classification.html

Naatai is one of the 5 Gana (Heavy) Ragas and the first of the raga in the Pancharathna Krithis. (I may post about Pancharatna Krithis at a later date, will link this to that post then). It is interesting to note that the firs 5 pasurams of Andal Thiruppaavai as sung by MLV amma are set in the 5 raagas of Pancharatha Krithis (namely, Naatai, Gowlai, Arabhi, Varali and Sree). I would like to think this is not a mere coincidence. I tried to find a pattern for the rest of the raagas of thiruppaavai and couldn't. Maybe someone can help me spot it.

Jagadhanandakaraka, the first PR Krithi is set in Naatai. The most famous composition in Naatai is probably Mahaganapathim. You can see a filmy version of this in the movie "SindhuBhairavi". Narumugaiye from Iruvar, is set in Naatai.

Western Scales Part 1

Though this is not really a part of Carnatic music per se, some understanding of Western scales actually helps a lot in understanding light Classical and Film music and even some advance concepts in Carnatic. We will briefly discuss the Western scales.

We will begin with the Western notes. Like the S R G M (but quite unlike it too), are the Western notes of C, D, E, F, G, A, B. It is similar in the sense that there are also 7 notes and 5 half notes (sharps) in the Western music making a total of 12 similar to Carnatic music. And this is where the similarity ends at least theoretically. While the adhara shadja can be fixed at any frequency and will therefore determine the rest of swarasthanas, the notes in WCM (Western Classical Music) are fixed. That is the middle C is always at a fixed frequency (typically tuned by a piano) and so are the rest of the notes. The white keys on a piano are always the full notes (C, D, E, F etc) and the black keys are always half notes (#s like C#, D# etc). They never change. While going through some of these scales it might be easier for you to visualize them on a piano so here's an image to help you


Note that C is always to the left of the group of 2 black keys and never anywhere else. Recall from our earlier discussion that, unlike the Western C, the adhara shadja can be pegged at any position to the convenience of the singer or the artist.

Will continue with major/minor scales in a different post

Amrithavarshini

Literally, the meaning is 'one who showers amrit, the elixir of immortality.' It is a combination of two words: amrit and varshini.

Different schools of music place the origin of this raga under different melas. One school places this raga as the janya of the 39th mela Jhalavarali. But the present day Amritavarshini does not have any resemblance to the 39th mela. There are no compositions in this type of Amritavarshini.

The present day Amritavarshini could be placed as the janya of the 65th mela Mechakalyani. Or the 66th mela Chitrambari. It can be fitted to either of these melas as the raga does not have a Dhaivata. As the note Dhaivata is the only difference between Mechakalyani and Chitrambari, in the absence of that note, it could belong to either of these melas.

But the practice is to choose the earlier of the two ragas in case of such a dilemma.

Amritavarshini as it is sung today has the following Aarohana and Avarohana:

S G3 M2 P N3 S
S N3 P M2 G3 S

It is an Audava raga and is very melodious. It does not give scope for treatment as a major raga in a concert. One reason could be the absence of major compositions in the raga.

The very popular and frequently heard ones are Muthuswamy Dikshitar's 'Anandamritakarshini' in Adi Tala and Muthiaha Bhagavatar's 'Sudhamayee' in Rupaka Tala.

The raga is a hot favorite for ragamalika swara singing in ragam-taanam-pallavi.

There is a popular anecdote about this raga. It is said that while visiting Ettayapuram, a small village in Tamil Nadu, the great composer Muthuswamy Dikshitar was anguished to see the drought-hit arid land and people facing severe water shortage. Moved by their plight, Dikshitar looked up to the sky and burst forth in praise of the goddess in this raga. He beseeched Devi to bring rain and alleviate the plight of the drought-hit people.

He addressed the Devi as 'Anandamritakarshini, Amritavarshini'. When he sang 'Salilam Varshaya Varshaya', meaning 'let the rain pour', it is said the sky opened up. There was such a torrential rain that the place got flooded. He had then to plead 'Sthambhaya Sthambhaya', meaning 'stop, stop'.

This incident has given rise to the practice of musicians gathering together to sing this composition when there rains fail.

Wonderful rendition by T S Sreekumar


A unique Vocal+violin concert by a single person.


Film Music


Another Amrithavarshini

Hamsadhwani

HAMSADHWANI, a Janya Ragam from Melam 29 Dheerasankarabharanam
is an audava-audava (Pentatonic scale)
Arohana: S R2 G3 P N3 S
Avarohana: S N3 P G3 R2 S

The Rasa associated with this Ragam is "Vira" (Bravery). Majority of the compositions in Hamsadhwani are on Lord Ganesha and the rest (well almost) are on Lord Rama. Hamsadwani features as a Ragam in many Ragamalikas. An Anecdote: Once, Tiger Varadachariar, a renowned musician of yesteryears, was listening to a poorly rendered hamdashwani by some musician, and he quipped: This is not Hamsadhwani - but Himsa dhvani!! (Sound of torture).

Famous compositions in this raga are
Vatapi Ganapathim, Vinayaka, Raghunayaka.

Vatapi Kalpanaswaras by Aishu


A Tamil Film Song


A Song from the albunm Colonial Cousins


A Punjabi Pop in Hamsdhwani !!!

When is a scale a raga?

Here are some basic rules for calling a given scale a raga

1. The raga has its origin in a scale called ‘thaat’ or ‘mela’.

2. There should be at least 5 notes in a raga.

3. The 2 forms of a note i.e. flat and sharp, should not come in succession in a raga.

4. A raga has both ascending and descending (aaroha and avaroha) order of notes.

5. A raga should have the note ‘sa’ i.e. ‘do’ of the solfa notation.

6. A raga should have at least one note from ‘ma’ and ‘pa’, i.e. ‘fa’ and ’so’ of the solfa notation.

7. A raga should have both ‘vadi’ and ‘samvadi’ notes.

8. A raga should have an aesthetic value.