If the answer is yes, here are a few tips to make it big as a classical musician. It is no secret that you will have a bright future if you secure a profession in Indian classical music. It is critical for everyone to learn about all areas of Indian classical music before embarking on a major career in it. Without further ado, let’s get started!

Begin Learning Classical Music at a Young Age 

The first suggestion that might help you develop a career in Indian classical music is to start learning it at a young age and gain some fundamental understanding of it.

If you start learning classical music at a young age, you will have a solid foundation and a bright future. Most people are unaware of this concept and believe that they can study music, particularly classical music, whenever they want, which is incorrect.

It is critical for everyone to learn about classical music thoroughly if they wish to pursue a career in it and achieve the best results when singing it on their own.

Which Genre Should I Choose?

Another important point to consider when dealing with various components of Indian classical music is which Indian genre to choose.

If you want to pursue a career in classical music, you must first determine whether you want to work in a high or low-level genre.

Some people perform well in high-volume classical music, while others perform well in low-volume music, so it all depends on what style of music suits you and your voice.

It is essential for everyone to understand the genre so that they may achieve the finest results without getting into any difficulties. 

Own Your Singing!

Do not imitate anyone’s singing. Style, voice, and mannerisms are the major characteristics that distinguish you from others. Bring out your inner individuality. Years of rigorous training, hard effort, and dedication are what distinguish you as a successful and well-known classical music performer. Along with training, it is critical to listen and examine the performance styles of many classical vocalists. This contributes to the development of your own singing style.

Find the Perfect Pitch! 

What’s the use of practicing if the pitch isn’t right for you? Whatever you sing will not feel or sound right. It’s the foundation of singing. So try it several times, alter the pitch, and discover the correct pitch for the music. Each song or composition has a unique pitch that elevates it. In the beginning, focus on each syllable to learn the Swarastayi and the perfect pitch of each swara. Try different alankars and visualize the swarastayi. Once you know the position of each swara, you will be able to sing it in different pitches and be pitch-perfect with the swara.

Start Learning to Identify Ragas

The Ragas are the most important aspect of learning classical music, and if you do not comprehend its significance, you will not achieve the best possible results. To know more about Ragas, you can read, “What Is The Relationship Between Ragas, Melakartha And Thaat In Classical Music?”

Once you recognise the significance of this component, it will have a huge impact on your learning abilities. People usually don’t take it seriously, but when it comes to being a professional in this industry, it becomes vital for them to understand Raga well. If people do not pay attention to the Ragas, it causes them to suffer greatly and prevents them from advancing in their occupations. Break down sangathis into simpler ones to practice before stitching them together. When you’re classically trained, you’re already familiar with a number of them, which you can incorporate into your song or break down and practice.

 Practice, Practice…Practice

What’s the point of learning if you don’t put it into practice?

Regular practice allows you to articulate complicated phrases while keeping pace and rhythm. It is critical to practice. But first, listen to the original several times (if it isn’t your own original, of course). Before you start singing, be sure you understand what you’re doing. Make a mental image of the metronome ticking. Tap with your fingers or your feet and keep track of the rhythms. And practice rushing or slowing down the song from its original tempo. Remember to sing on the beat and not to vary the tempo based on your error.

– Sumana Vittala

In what way is the musical meter executed, you may ask? The myriad of ways includes hand clapping, waving, touching fingers on thigh and striking of small cymbals or other percussion instruments found in India.

At this juncture, you may wonder if tala is a uniform method of measurement. It actually is not. It’s a hierarchical arrangement depending on how the musical piece is curated to perform. Since it changes from piece to piece, it is never a repeating pattern. You can read our blog, 5 Qualities of Successful Performers to upgrade yourself.

However, it is safe to assume that it is cyclical. In many musical pieces, there would be a fundamental pattern of cyclical beats and mini patterns to stray the audience away from the main “chorus” for a while. These are some of the ways musical artists keep their performances interesting; by introducing slight new elements. A common instrument that is used for tala is the percussive instrument table. If you were to find a YouTube video on any musical “kutcheri,” you would see a tabla player assist the other musicians for the tala.

Onto a glimpse of the technicality of thaalams, there are 6 types.

They are:

1) Soolathi saptha thaalam

2) Desadhi and madhyadhi thaalam

3) Chappu thaalam

4) Navasandhi thaalam

5) Simhanandhanam and sarapanandhana thaalams

6) Aparoopa thaalam

The major difference between the 6 types of thaalams/ tala would be the length of the beats between each note. They differ in speed too. In Indian music, there are mainly 3 speeds that are followed; the first speed (vilambitha kaal), the second speed (madhyama kaal) and the third speed (dhiritha kaal).

The most interesting thing is that the usage of tala is not limited to Indian music only! Counting beats like “1..2..3” is a form of tala because it is a musical measurement. So the next time you listen to a song, think of the tala!

The majority of the western songs follow the standard eight beats or four beats cycle. In the Indian taal (Thaalam) system the eight beats cycle is commonly known as Aadi Thaalam while the four beats cycle is known as Chaturashra ekam thaalam. While Indian music follows a pretty intricate taal / thaalam system. In order to know more, we need to know the components that comprise a thaalam. Angas or parts (components) of a thaalam play a significant role while formulating thaalams.

The following are the most basic Angas of a taal:

1. Laghu: A beat plus counting of fingers

2. Dhrutham: A beat and a turn of the hand

3. Anudhrutham: A beat

For notation’s sake, each anga has its own unique symbol. Another important aspect to note is the concept of ‘JAATHI.’ This determines the number of beats (mostly in laghu). There are five jaathis: Tisram (3), Chathushram (4), Kandam (5), Misram (7), Sankeernam (9).

Apart from the five jaathis, we also have seven basic thaalams. Those learning Carnatic vocal will be aware of the basic lesson Alankaaram in which the seven thaalams have been dealt with. They are – ‘Dhruva,’ ‘Matya,’ ‘Roopakam,’ ‘Jhampa,’ ‘Thriputa,’ ‘Ata’ and ‘Eka thaalams.’

The interesting fact to note is that each of the seven basic thaalams can be expressed in all the five ‘jaathis.’ This implies that we obtain a total of 35 thaalams as a result of the permutations and combinations. Such intricacies have only spurred on artists, percussionists in particular to utilise their creativity and create complex thaalams.

If ever in need of a fun mathematical exercise, what better than thaalams?

Thaalam- where Math, Rhythm & Fun Meet!!

In order to be physically fit , one must exercise regularly. To accomplish this people frequent the gyms. One hand it is beneficial in terms of toning a particular muscle or most importantly motivation by seeing others exercise as well. On the other hand, making use of the gym may not actually seem an ideal option. The gym membership fee, the time spent in getting ready and commuting. Most importantly the chances of injury due to usage of heavy equipment. Beyond all this it is us who know our bodies the best more than even our gym instructors. So what can be a pocket friendly, fun and easy way to lead a healthier life?

DANCE!!
Indian classical dance practitioners know fully well that this is the most superior form of exercise. Every single muscle in our body right from the top of our head to the tips of our toes is exercised. The abhinaya exercises our facial muscles and all the other movements and postures is the best form of workout for the rest of the body. It is effective because the positions in the art form are invented in such a way that the centre of gravity is balanced and does not provide discomfort while actually performing a particular movement. The initial discomfort will exist since the muscles are getting used to intense activity and unfamiliar movements which is completely normal. There are a lot of people who assume that exercise is supposed to stretch the body and give relief without any pain. They complain about these pains and ultimately revert to their no exercise lifestyle. As the saying goes….

“NO PAIN, NO GAIN!”
A lot of people don’t learn classical dance forms…what about them? Well…..it does not necessarily have to be a classical dance form (though without a doubt that is THE BEST form of exercise). One can practice any kind of dance for their workout. Hip hop , break dance , etc.. anything. Still stuck…..? Well formulating your own
“dance routine” can be pretty fun as well! Pick a random song and get grooving! If you want to make it more effective throw in some regular stretches. (Sounds like Zumba doesn’t it?)

Well all this seems interesting but how can one incorporate such a workout in their already hectic schedule?

Morning is the best time to work out. It helps you stay alert and relaxed throughout the day. Pick a convenient time to dance. Start by dancing thrice a week for 20 minutes. Gradually increase to 30 minutes and so on. One can also increase their

frequency of dancing per week. Most importantly do not assume that one must compensate for the calories lost due to dancing by consuming extra food. Warm up and warm down pre and post one’s dance session will help the body be adequately prepped for a good workout and won’t have any repercussions.

What are the physiological benefits of DANCING?
A good dance session helps stimulate the release of happy hormones known as endorphins putting that person in a pleasant mood. As mentioned earlier all muscles are actively involved thereby strengthening them. Dance increases the circulation of blood to all parts of the body. The pumping capacity and efficiency of the heart increases. Apart from this dance also increases our lungs’ capacity to take in oxygen. Due to increased circulation the skin gains a healthy pink glow (PINK IN HEALTH!). It also helps in detoxifying the body. The sweat (a waste product) cools our body (our own inbuilt AC), removes any unwanted salts, very small amounts of ammonia wastes, grime and dust.

TIP: Staying hydrated will only enhance these benefits! Remember to drink loads of water!

DANCE YOUR WAY TO A HEALTHIER LIFE!!

The entire structure of Indian classical music is built upon 7 fundamental swaras known as Sa (Shadjam – Tonic swara), Ri (Rishabh), Ga (Gandhara), Ma (Madhyam), Pa (Panchama – Perfect Fifth), Da (Dhaivata), Ni (Nishad). Sa and Pa are known to be the ‘prakriti swaras’ for they remain constant upon establishing the tonic (first note). The other swaras can manifest as different variants of the base swara and so are known as Vikruthi swaras. In totality, there are 12 musical notes in one string (S, r, R, g, G, m, M, P, d, D, n, N).

Ragas, Melakartha and Thaat in Classical Music

Now in carnatic, each note (excluding S, P and M which has 2 variants) has 3 variations given certain constraints (i.e. R2 and G1, D2 and N1 are mutually exclusive). As a result the total number of combinations you can make using the 7 notes becomes 72 of which 36 have M1 and 36 have M2. These 72 combinations define the umbrella ‘Melakartha Raagams’ term. Similarly yet slightly on the contrary, in hindustani, each note of the 7 swaras has 2 variations (excluding S and P). Thus the total number of combinations you can make becomes 32. Of these 32 raagms, there are 10 raagams otherwise known as Thaats in Hindustani. These 10 thaats are essentially derived by changing the variation of just one note from the prior sequences (i.e. S R G M P D N S → S R G M P D n S where smaller cases indicate the ‘Komal’ variation and upper cases indicate the “Theevra” variation.

Raags are essentially built upon a minimum of 5 notes (of the underlying 7 (sapta) swaras) organized into an ascending (Arovanam) and a descending sequence (Avarohanam). The majority of the raags/raagams stem from the parent “Thaat” or “Melakartha” raags/raagams. There are some exceptions to the overall rule. For example Raga Hameer Kalyani has both M1 and M2. The structure and nuances of the ascending and descending sequences are quite often unique to each Raag.

Each raag has its own unique essence known as ‘pakar’ as well as a structured frequency of certain notes in which ‘vadi’ is the most prominent note followed by the ‘samvadi’, the second most prominent note. Additionally, various improvisations such as the timing between notes, stress and sustain on certain notes etc. can further be used to tamper a Raag albeit within the confines of the aforementioned note sequences. This, coupled with the tonal interval differences (ratio of each interval’s frequency with the ‘root’ note (e.g. Sa) ,) explain why raags with the same notes can sound different.

My name is Santosh Baynes, and I’ve been part of the IndianRaga Fellowship 2016 programme, held at Boston in August 2016. While my experience may be different from those in earlier or subsequent batches, as well as, for other artists like dancers, and even vocalists, it should give you a good place to start at in your own preparation.

I’m going to outline the fellowship experience and expectations, from those of us who were at Boston. This is a follow-up to the Webinar series hosted for prospective fellows, outlining the programme and answering questions following our session.

You can also catch the webcast featuring Vinod Krishnan, our very talented Carnatic Vocalist, incase you missed it. These blogs and videos should give you an idea of how you can make the best of this programme.

Lets get started with first things first, what is IndianRaga all about, and what the fellowship means :
IndianRaga aims to bring together artists from different backgrounds and locations, to collaborate on interesting ideas. Providing a platform for emerging artists, people with potential. IndianRaga, will invest in audio and video production, as well as marketing.

Yes, you have probably read this at various places, got hooked on and want to know more about us, so where else can we start at than here.

Although it started off primarily with Ragas and Indian classical projects, it has evolved over the years, into fusion with other styles, contemporary work, and now hosts creative ideas that dont have traditional Indian concepts to it.
One such new dimensional project is the “Dangerous-Skyfall” that I was very happy to work on, with Shankar Iyer. This project set of in a completely different direction than other projects you have seen hosted on IndianRaga.

I highlight this, so that you can see the direction in which the fellowship is moving, and align your goals accordingly. Whether you are a pure classical artist, or a contemporary one, you know what you can bring to the table, and what kind of projects and experiments the fellowship looks at. Going forward, the fellowship aims to bring in more diversity through the platform.

At IndianRaga, the goal is not to be yet-another-platform that focuses on traditional performances etc., for which there are already a lot of platforms, nor to go too far in the other direction with just hard-core experimental music only meant for audience with a degree in music!

Why am I telling you this? Because, at first glance, it may seem that this is similar to what Coke Studio, or Kappa TV do with artistic collaborations. While there are similarities because of the nature of creativity involved, at IndianRaga, the focus is on bringing individuals together than getting an existing band to play; providing exposure to folks who have potential, over established artists.

While there are many platforms for pure classical art forms, even in broad categorization such as  Hindustani, Carnatic, Western, Classical, Baroque, Romantic, Jazz, etc., here, we look at complementing the different genres to create interesting pieces. One recent example at the time of this writing, would be the “Cheap Thrills – Desi Cover” Project.

This example, although specific to musicians, indicate the direction that IndianRaga is venturing into from where it originally started off, over the years.

Further note on this subject : IndianRaga does not guarantee that every category will have a Fellow chosen from. The IndianRaga Fellowship only accepts Fellows who cross a threshold of excellence as decided by the selection panel, and if we do not find entries in a given category to match these standards then we may not have anyone selected from that category

Remember that, the preference is for artistic competency over credentials and titles when applying for the fellowship.

We are looking for people who can go beyond traditional structures and rules and create something unique by complimenting other styles of music and dance, our focus will be on what you bring to the table in terms of creativity versus how qualified you are in your field.

Notes on the 2017 Fellowship :

2017 Fellowship will be in Virginia, close to Dulles airport. This will tentatively be for about 9 days in the second half of July and exact dates will be announced within a month from now. It is not mandatory to attend all days, but the number of productions Fellows can do will be directly proportional to how long they stay. This can be discussed and planned with the IndianRaga team once they become a Fellow and doesn’t have to be confirmed right now.

Starting 2017, IndianRaga will invest substantial amount of resources in audio-video production and post production, marketing, and other aspects that are related to the production. Fellows are expected to cover costs of their flights, visa if they need to attend, local transport and meals. IndianRaga will negotiate a discounted rate for Fellows at a good hotel close to the location, and try their best to minimize costs through finding sponsorship support for various costs, but at this time there is no guarantee of the same.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have and we are happy to assist.

So, why not use a metronome itself? Why is a click track indispensable? It’s simple :

1. A metronome will play your rhythm, at a particular tempo, time signature, etc., which is fixed through the duration of your song. So if you wanted to change your style in the middle of the song, from one rhythm to another, or change the pace of a song to a slower tempo, or a faster one, your metronome may not be able to help you with that. Here is where, your click track, is flexible enough, allowing changes in tempo and time signature as required, at the exact bar or point in the timeline.
2. Once you’ve finished recording one track, and need to sync it with another track or multiple tracks, recorded by you, or someone else, the easiest way to do it, is by actually looking at the waveform and lining up the cliffs and low points together across tracks. Say, for example, the chords of a piano with the beats of the drum or the slap on the bass guitar. Now you can only do this if you can visualize the click on a track, something that a metronome was not designed to do. Metronome only gives an audible output, so unless you route that to a track and have it recorded, you cannot use it for edits based on sight, once you do record it, it becomes your click-track!

Of the two points above, the second one is much more important, in that, when collaborating remotely, each musician needs to still sync up with the rest of the group, when starting new sections in the song, or playing their solos over other’s backing, hence this particular track is of vital importance. When a vocalist, for example,  expressively extends notes, the rest of the band should still be able to move together without missing a beat, otherwise, any tension built up by the vocalist loses its impact. Delivering on the beat has its own value.

Now, it is common, that a particular track may be recorded more than once, as the artist may feel that one part of the section sounds better in one track, while another section sounds good in subsequent recordings of the same track. In this case, it is common to cut and paste tracks from various sources, so that the audio sounds good. Bear in mind, when doing this, if you don’t align each cut the track to the cue points on the original click track, the next musician who needs to work with your track will find it very hard to accompany your track. Remember, all your tracks need to be aligned with each other for a tight piece.

It is good practice, to have the lead musician design the click track, with its various changes and cue points, for others than letting each musician individually figure out where the changes occur. Every guess has its inbuilt error which leads to subsequent avoidable rework. It is better in this case to get it right the first time than learn from mistakes.

I hope this helps most performing musicians understand the elementary aspects of being a studio musician and helps make music more fun.

Check out what the Raga Labs team has to say about their recording experience!

Get a sneak peek behind hard work put together during the recording at Spotlight Sound Studios.

Check out this spectacular Indianized version of the Game of Thrones theme song by Dubai-based music producer Mahesh Raghvan. Go one step further and learn how to create desi covers like this one by watching IndianRaga courses!

Turkish meets Carnatic

Watch Raga Bhairavi and Ragam Maya Malava Gowla transport you to the Middle East! Check out Sanjay Chandran’s brilliant composition ‘Mehterji’ presented by Raga Labs Miami, and see Sanjay’s interview at the end to learn more about how this raga was used in ancient times!

• Sharada Ramakrishnan (Ganjeera)
• Manas Mahajan (Tabla)
• Agastya Sridharan (Flute)
• Sanjana Chandran (Violin)
• Surya Kaniyur (Drums)

As an upcoming artist, you are constantly competing with nearly everyone who is talented to rise above the crowd. However, talent is not enough in today’s world, one must also be smart about capturing the right kind of attention, leaving a mark, and building a fan following. This process can be long and arduous, but here are 5 ways in which successful performers do this.