carnatic music basic guidelines: art of veena-playing

Tuning into Music

Basic Guidelines Art of Veena-playing

Copyright © 2013, MR, Tuning into Music.

Carnatic Music

Tuning into Music Copyright © 2013, MR, Tuning into Music.

Terminology

Style Method or technique of playing

Swara A note on the musical scale or octave

Janta swara Double notes

Dhātu swara Pattern of swaras skipping notes in between

Meettu The plucking of string with fingers

Gamaka The graceful rendering of swaras for enhancing continuity and melody


Styles

• Karnataka• Tamil Nadu• Andhra Pradesh• Kerala

Four different styles of Veena-playing from southern India

• Frequency of meettu• Fingering technique• Tempo• Gamaka rendering

Distinctive characteristics of the four Styles


The Instrument Veena

Characteristic features of the musical instrument Veena

• Comprises 24 Frets and 7 strings mainly

• FOUR Major strings used for playing

• THREE Minor strings used for Tāla or rhythm

• Covers a range of three and a half octaves

• First Major string tuned to S-Shadja in the middle octave, is the Main string and covers the middle & higher octaves

• Other three Major strings tuned to P-Panchama, S-Shadja and P-Panchama of successive lower octaves respectively


Fingering techniques

• The combined action of the fingers of both hands synchronize to produce musical sounds on the instrument Veena

• The Right hand and Left hand are used in different ways while playing the instrument.

• The index and middle fingers of the Right hand are mainly used for plucking the major strings

• The little finger of the Right hand is used to sound the three minor strings

• The index and middle fingers of the Left hand are mainly used for pressing the strings in the middle of the frets of concerned notes


Right-hand technique

• The index and middle fingers of the Right hand are used one after the other in succession for plucking the Main string Shadja and the second major string Panchama; this helps in rendering fast passages of music

• The little finger is used in an upward motion to strum the 3 Minor strings, used to denote the occurrence of beats in a tāla

• The index finger and little finger movements are synchronised to produce the note along with tāla sound

• The ring finger is occasionally used to sound the third Major string Mandara, as and when required.


Left-hand technique Part 1

• The Left hand is used on the frets by pressing the strings on the middle of the frets to produce clear sound of musical notes

• The index finger and middle finger are used – either together or one after the other

• Example: In Swarāvali in Raga Māyāmālavagowla, the index and middle fingers can be used together while playing S and R

• While playing pairs of adjacent swaras G-M, P-D, N-S(high) in ascending order, the index finger is used for the first swara and the middle finger for the second swara, in each successive pair

• The index finger is placed on the first swara and rendered by plucking it with the right hand


Left-hand technique Part 2

• The index finger remains in the first swara while the next swara in the pair is sounded with the middle finger.

• While playing descending swara pairs S-N, D-P, M-G, place the index finger on swara N and the middle finger on swara S.

• Pluck the string with the Right hand to sound the swara S, then remove only the middle finger to sound the next swara N.

• Follow this method for playing the other pairs of swaras D-P and M-G.

• The swaras R and S can be sounded with both fingers together.


Gamaka rendering Part 1

• Gamaka is a graceful way of rendering swaras to produce continuity and melody

• Enables swaras of higher-pitch to be rendered from swara-positions of lower-pitch, by pulling the string to a certain extent by which the higher swara can be produced

• The index and middle fingers of the left hand are used to render gamaka

• Gamakas are of many types, simple and complex; require practical knowledge and experience to render them correctly

• The basic exercises use a type of gamaka Sphuritam; its rendering is explained with Janta Varisay or double swara exercises.


Gamaka rendering Part 2

• In Arohana or ascending notes of Janta Varisay, play the first swara by placing the middle finger on the main swara, and the index finger on the swara to its left.

• Then repeat the swara by slightly lifting and placing the middle finger on the main swara back again in quick succession, emphasizing it while playing.

• In Avarohana or descending notes of Janta Varisay, play the first swara by placing only the index finger on the main swara.

• Then repeat the swara, by moving the index finger to the swara on its left, and quickly placing the middle finger on the main swara.


Meettu

• The plucking of the string is referred to as Meettu

• It is used for all swaras in the basic exercises as these have no lyrics or Sāhitya: as in Swarāvali, Janta Varisay, Thāra Sthāyi Varisay, Mandra Sthāyi Varisay, Dhātu Varisay, Alankāra, Jathiswara

• Compositions such as Geetham, Swarajathi, Varnam, Kruthi, Keerthana, Devaranāma, Vachana, Thevāram, etc. have Sāhitya; here Meettu is used for swaras on which sāhitya occurs

• In instances where there is a long gap in the occurrence of sāhitya, for example, in Varnams, a meettu may be used in between as required, to give continuity and clarity of sound.

carnatic music basic guidelines: art of veena-playing

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