June 5th, 2019
An interesting discussion, culminating in the fusion of Music and Yoga.
Guru: It’s more a mind game at this stage. Federer has said in the past he stopped playing French open because he was getting psychologically affected by his continued losses to Nadal. He has to get over that and believe that he can win for him to have a chance against Nadal on Friday.
When u say mind game, I am reminded of great artists of indian music who say that it is not required to practice hours and hours to be a great musician - the mind should be set to absorb and immerse in music continuouly and around 2-3 hrs of practice spread over the day is enough. Concerts are made successful with mind and immersiveness and not just skill.....
Ofcourse this, once the skill is understood and attained.
Guest: As you say, it applies for only a fairly limited set of performers whose minds have been tuned for years into music.
Guru: Obviously...only if you internalize and understand the purpose of music that is possible.
Guest: Many greats keep emphasizing the need for practice may be more so instrumentalists... recall MSG's interviews where he'd say 8-10 hours across basics and advanced lessons he'd do.
Guru: Sorry... i have a different view. While MSG is one of the greatest violinists of our times as far as technique is concerned, i feel as far as kampita gamakams and raga bhavam is concerned, lalgudi and TNK score better....rigorous practice at initial stages is certainly required though....
Again this 8-10 hrs of practice MSG talks about - may be we need to understand what he does....certainly not just the basic practice.
As I write this, the thought comes to my mind "isn't this subjective?"
Guest: Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna mentioned once practise in mind is enough, but only for artists at his level.
Guru: The whole world defies Pt.Ravi Shankar for Sitar, but Ustad.Vilayat Khan was a much more introspective and deeper artist...who can tell??
Who knows what that level is?
Isn't it mostly subjective likes and dislikes as far as listening goes?? Obviously the artist has to understand where he stands and at which point this tripping to introspection happens.
Guest: All the three - Lalgudi, TNK and MSG are great violinists of our times. It is unfair to say one is better thsn the other. Lalgudi was a great soloist, TNK was a great accompanist. MSG mastered both Carnatic as well as Hindustani music. I used to enjoy his accompanying more than his solos. His raga delineation was excellent. It would be distinct from the mode of the singer. Just one bow. The essence of the raga would be presented.
Guru: People like MSG are artists who view and took us to the next level. So when we hear and take something from them we have to be careful what they exactly mean...
Technically, that is true when you listen to his rakthi ragas like bhairavi, kambodhi, sahana, etc....he excelled in scale ragas no doubt... as musicians and listeners we know that these are alk great artists- but we also have to understand which aspect is great, right?
Guest: He was fairly clear like I said on varisais, alankarams, single string-typical Parur style elements
At least he was the first, I encountered who laid emphasis on practice rather than others' who claimed it as God's or lineage's gift.
Guru: Why i asked that, is, in a personal discussion i had with him, he told a different perspective of it...
Those are different topics.. let's not worry about that...
Guest: Related because many greats claim these kind of skills as gifts and don't reveal their practice rigour.
Guru: When we say better, the intention is not to say the other was not better. But to understand what is the strength of each artist..and accepting where they stand
There are artists like that. Again there are a few who are endowed with natural gamakas, strong voice etc., who don't do the practice as prescribed... but they cannot be the general case... again we are going to skill which we are not focussing when i shared the note abt mind practice
What we are talking about is introspection of music - certainly skill is not a related point here though it could be the starting point.
Guest: Just to be clear what gets addressed in practice - only technique?skills do get shaped over time, right??
Guest: I agree with you. Yes in what aspect one is great - That we can say. But when we compare the greats, we may refrain from saying one is greater than the other in this or other aspect. We may just point out the strength of each great and leave it at that. Can we compare the trinity and say one is better than the other in a particular aspect?
Guru: Good point....well said....taken🙏
My understanding 🙏- In practice , technique and skills both get addressed. Techniques directly relate to aspect of the art that strengthen the basic requirements- like voice, swara/gamaka shuddham, sahitya practice etc.....skills relate to how you deliver this effectively which is also a part of practice, which also refines with experience. What we started is introspection and internalization which is not a skill but a self growth...may be our guest can add to this.
Guest: Practice, technique, skill - all are important. Fine. In addition to the three we may add sweetness. That is maadhurya. Perhaps it is God''s gift. What made MS Amma so great? More than technique it was maadhurya. Maharajapuram Santhnam was singing probably from his 20s. But only when he added maadhurya to his style he became so famous. May he was about 50 at that time.
Lord Krishna says two things are important to achieve greatness - abhyasa and vairagya. practice and sacrifice. Yes if your voice is affected by icecream you have to sacrifice the ice-cream.
Without the sprit of sacrifice, we cannot achieve greatness. tyagenaikena amrtatvamanasuh.
Maharajapuram Santhanam would not practice much with loud singing. He would get up at 4 a.m. and start his dhyans, internal singing for about 3 hours. Some need to sing aloud to maintain voice culture.
Guest: Yes, MSG had two distinct styles - one as accompaniment and another as soloist. I prefer his accompaniment. The Parur style was abundantly displayed in his solo. I find that the gamakas were in excess , Raga Bhava suffered with that and additional influence of Hindusthani was there. But as an accompaniment, he did amazingly well, sticking to the tradition.
Guest: Thanks for weighing in Sir, can you share your thoughts on Lalgudi's, TNK's styles too?
Guru: Very nice point especially on vairagyam...
Let us try to understand the strengths of each style...will add to the joy of listening...
Also what is the exact word for abhyasa in English?
Guest: Excellent point on Maadhurya! Again another question to ponder: Is it God given or nurtured? Or a combination of both?
In Vocal music , the natural gift has a definite role. But in instrumental music, how is the sweetness developed ?
For example , in Violin IMHO, N Rajam is the sweetest that i have heard, followed by TN Krishnan.
Guest: On MSG style. Unfortunately greats are also human beings. They do not descend straight from heaven. And so however great they are, they also come with their limitations, flaws and their own idiosyncrasies. We can only take the best out of them.
Some examples are Flute Mali and T. N. Rajaratnam Pillai.
The gamaka style and the introduction of Hindustani strokes are the hallmarks of the Parur style. We cannot blame them for that. We have to accept them with their idiosyncrasies. Sri Muttusvami Dikshitar introduced out and out Hindustani ragas like Dvijavanti into the Carnatic tradition.
Do we blame him for that?
While playing Dvijavanti yes, MSG would show all his expertise of Hindustani but while playing Kalyani there would not be much of Yaman. Some strokes, yes. That is his style.
Kalidasa says - eho hi doso gunasannipate nimajjati indoh kiranshu iva ankah.
A single fault in the midst of multitude of merits, gets submerged like the black spot in the moon.
So let us accept MSG as he is. But there is no doubt that he is one of the greats.
Some thoughts on Lalgudi style and TNK style. Originality is the forte of Lalgudi Sir. His vidwat is unparalleled. Accompanying the greats like Ariyakkudi from a very young age, he gained wonderful experience. Generally the instrumentalists do not master the sahitya. But Lalgudi knew the sahitya for each and every song he played. In solo, he would play as though he is singing. That is gayaka style. On account of his knowledge of sahitya he trained a number of vocalists like Bombay Jayasri. I do not know whether the other two great violinists trained any vocalists. Lalgudi's response to svaras in the exchange with the vocalists was a treat. Lalgudi was also a composer.
Who can forget his lilting tillanas?
In the raga alapanas, Lalgudi would play phrases from some of the famous kritis. For example, if he plays Kambodi one can expect some phrases from evarimata. There used to be a complaint to which I do not subscribe, that he would forget that he is an accompanist but try to outshine the main vocalist. Sometimes there would be a jarring note of the string other than the one on which he would be fingering. But again this should be forgotten in such a genius as Lalgudi.
TNK and sweetness are synonymous. In addition to maadhurya, there would be gaambheerya in his style. That is majesty. He could gel well with any vocalist, Ariyakkudi, Semmangudi or Madurai Mani.
ஜீவ ஸ்வரங்களில் ஒரு அழுத்தம் கொடுத்து அப்படியே சொக்க வைப்பார். (The stress, he gave on jeeva swaras used to mesmerise).
He would enhance the imagination of Madurai Mani's sarva laghu svara pattern by an understanding accompaniment.
But his solos did not appeal to me that much. Especially when he is playing in the company of his daughter and son it would be like a classroom demonstration. Speed is not the strength of TNK. Medium tempo would bring out his sweetness to the fullest extent. To be frank probably he could not find time to master the sahitya of Dikshitar's krtis and so his accompanying for such kritis will be on a low key basis while his knowledge of Tyagaraja kritis was sound.
Abhyasa literally means practice. Practice maketh a man perfect, said Francis Bacon. Practice is important in every field to excel including the spiritual practice. To control the mind, it is very difficult. But constant practice will help. In practice, the mind should be focused on what is being practiced. Otherwise hours of practice will go a waste. Along with practice comes devotion. Single minded devotion. Practice done in the previous births also perhaps comes in handy. Otherwise how could the three Violin greats and Mandolin Srinivas play so well from such a young age?
So friends practice your art very well in this birth. Even if you do not get a chance to perform in this birth, you can do so in the next birth.
Vairagya literally means renunciation. You have to renounce something to get something else. If you want to get a good car you have shell down money from your savings. Rajanikanth may get 100 crores for acting in one film. But what price he has to pay to get to that status. He cannot even go to Bangalore market to get vegetables and fruits, he likes. So young musicians have to sacrifice watching cricket match on TV if their practice with the guru is scheduled on that day.
Maadhurya comes out of perfection in practice for instrumentalists. Ultimate perfection lies with God Almight only.
But we are also an amsha of the Lord. We have to realise that. And so there is quest for perfection in us also. When we go to buy something we want it as perfect as possible. That quest for perfection should be shown in all our endeavours. We may not get all we want in this birth itself. But perfection in practice in this birth will stand by us in the next birth.
That is why Swami Vivekananda said - You are the maker of your own destiny. By straining for perfection, we go nearer to God. Let it be violin, let it be football, let it be computer.
Guru: 🙏🙏🙏 very nice. Thanks. That was very informative.
Interestingly abhayasa comes from the root word which means "to sit" (As in yoga). abhyasa implies action without interruption—action that's not easily distracted, discouraged, or bored.
Guest: Sir... I was just wondering if the eight fold path, Ashtanga, is applied consciously in Music??
Guest: I would not say all the singers are consciously adopting the ashtangayoga. But yes indirectly, without knowing that they are adopting them. For example pranayama, breath control. Can we sing without breath control? Niyama. - rules. We follow certain rules while singing. If the astanga yoga is consciously practised it will help not only for singing but for entire life style.
Guest: In dance, we do go through it, though not consciously...but 90% of the dancers manage to just reach till the Asana stage.... very few can reach the Pratyahara stage... but that is because the techniques of Pranayama to be done during the learning time itself is lost to the present generation.
Guru: If ur talking about ashtanga as i ashtanga yoga, isnt it about finding joy/realisation without external emotions...??
Guest: Yes... Ashtanga path is common to all streams of sciences and applied sciences too.
Guest: So shouldn't we be teaching these processes, if we have to take Music as a Sadhana?
Guru: The way i see it is , it is about streamlining prana, thereby bringing the body-soul to a groundedness. Dance, music etc benefit from this - atleast in music, which is on/in and the breath
Guest: Just wanted to know if there has been attempts to analyze these processes in Music...
Guru: If i may sound a little idealistic, people should step into music after a good stint of pranayamam techniques. But the person who teaches this has to him/herself internalised it.
Infact the interesting thing is many ashtanga yoga teachers will say don't listen to music/any distraction during this process - just look inward.
Guest: I am trying to correlate it to my study of dance...and I am getting stuck at the Pranayama part...
Guru: Actually in one sense, there is nothing very complicated about it - correct your prana then automatically the attention required for music and dance will follow (if one is interested in music or dance)
Guest: One thing about astanga yoga. They have to be practised simultaneously. You do not have to wait till you master pranayama. You can start pratyahara along with it. Only for the last one, that is, samadhi ohe has to wait till other 7 are mastered.
Guest: As I understand it Sir...Yoga (science) takes one away from all emotions...it works through complete dispassion... but all art forms, which are applied sciences, takes one to the ultimate through peaks of emotions, Rasa.
Guru: By then " Correct/find your prana" Is the tricky part...in music there is this concept of "finding your voice"
We have to be careful when we use words like dispassion, takes away from all emotions etc.
As per my understanding, i have to understand, cross rasa and also learn to drop it....such musicians are also on path of continuous evolution...
Learn
For intellectual discussion, we have to look at Yoga acting at different levels.
We'll take this when our learned guest is here in one of our Nadaloka's music appreciation sessions.
Guest: But how is it possible to reach Pratyahara state without mastering Pranayama state is my query... because even if we manage to dissolve ourselves completely into what we are doing, mind goes back to at least few other external thoughts, even if it's for few seconds...
Guru: Tht is why people who achieve that are called seers and in our life time we may know only a few of them.
Guest: According to Acharya Mahanidhi, it is possible to achieve each stages in these paths, if we approach it as a technique, rather than as something that happens automatically as a result of practise. So he has advised us to go through these practice sessions consciously implementing these techniques. It's again, very much an experiment...not yet a reality.
Guest: Fine, we have a topic for another workshop, that is Yoga and its applicability for music. I am sorry this input is also going to be a little longish since there are many questions. Let us first understand the eight angas. Each one needs one hour at least to explain. But let me be brief. Yama is control of the mind and Pratyahara is control of the sense organs. Niyama is following the rules of the respective fields. In Yoga, it is following the rules of yoga. Asana is posture. Even in military we see postures being observed. So they are important for discipline. Pranayama is breath control. Dharana is concentration and Dhyana is meditation. Samadhi is transcendental stage. Now for Pratyahara, that is, control of the sense organs why should we wait till Pranayama is fully understood. Both can go simultaneously. For everything Dharana or concentration is necessary. For Pranayama also, Dharana is necessary. Even for drinking coffee from the cup a little bit of concentration is necessary. Otherwise we will spill it. Everyday we can practice Pranayama for 30 minutes and meditation for 30 minutes. No harm.
Now for music, Yama or control of the mind is necessary. If the mind is wavering or perturbed how can you sing well?
Niyama or rules have to be observed. If madhyama and nishada are excluded in Mohana, we observe it. Otherwise it will not be Mohana.
We sit in a particular posture and sing. That is Asana.
We have already spoken about pranayama.
The fragrance from the canteen will be inviting. But yet one has to control the tongue while singing on the platform. Or one has to avoid ice cream to protect the voice.
And then concentration is necessary. Otherwise we will forget the song itself. Meditation will help in enhancing the power of concentration. Music itself is nadayoga.
Saint Tyagaraja often went into samadhi state. That is how he could produce such wonderful kritis. So Ashtanga Yoga is closely connected with music and dance.
There was a query about emotions. Emotion is a vague term. I will use the Sanskrit terms rasa and bhava.When the bhava is raised to its highest level, it becomes rasa. Bhava is the emotion that we experience in day to day life. For example, soka or grief. Does anybody want to experience grief in everyday life? No. It may still come. But you don't want it. How do we know that a person is grief stricken? It is by seeing the effect of it. For example, shedding tears. Cause is grief. Effect is tears.
In 50s and 60s many grief oriented films were produced. If the heroine cried our womenfolk also would cry. And they would see the film again and again. If you do not want grief in real life, then why do you want to see grief in cinema There lies the point. What you see in film is not just grief but its heightened form, that is pathos, karuna rasa. You see it again and again because all rasas are ultimately pleasurable. Between husband and wife love is private. But the same is shringara rasa in a film. With family you can sit and see. Rasa has to be handled carefully. If mishandled or excessive, it is not rasa but virasa. In a film when the heroine cried instead of crying with her the people laughed. The acting was poor and so the rasa was spoiled.
One more topic for workshop - Rasa.
Now Who has the rasa? Saint Tyagaraja or the singer or the listener? If the saint is in the rasa stage he cannot express it. He knows the rasa but himself comes down to the bhava stage in order to express it for our benefit. The singer also cannot go into the rasa stage If he/she does, it will be like K. B. Sundarambal. Often she would be choked and will not be able to sing. After a few minutes, she will come back to the bhava stage and resume singing. On the other hand, the listener can continuously be in the rasa stage. He forgets the whole world and enjoys. Sir most of us belong to that privileged class. Sir cannot since he has to sing and enthrall us. I stop here since too much of rasa will result in its breaking.
Guest: Music can be taken up as a spiritual sadhana, as a preliminary practice, or just as a pleasant, interesting and inspiring sadhana of nada yoga, through which the mind can be attuned to the subtlest vibrations before proceeding to discover the last transcendental sound of nada.
Quoted from
http://www.yogamag.net/archives/2004/fdec04/nada.shtml
2) Chakra meditation through music
From the book : Kundalini Tantra.
(Note: This is FYI, to be practiced under guidance of a Guru)
3) Music is not an instrument for titillation of the nerves or satisfaction of the senses. It is a yoga sadhana which enables you to attain Self-realization. Music should be treated as yoga. True music can be tasted only by one who has freed himself from all taints of worldliness, and who practises music as a sadhana for Self-realization.
Quoted from:
http://www.yogamag.net/archives/2004/fdec04/power.shtml
The above is meant for spiritual aspirants only.
- ultimately, intention matters.
However, nothing wrong in having worldly intentions of fame, wealth etc.. but just that it's a different path with different outcomes.
An interesting discussion, culminating in the fusion of Music and Yoga.
Guru: It’s more a mind game at this stage. Federer has said in the past he stopped playing French open because he was getting psychologically affected by his continued losses to Nadal. He has to get over that and believe that he can win for him to have a chance against Nadal on Friday.
When u say mind game, I am reminded of great artists of indian music who say that it is not required to practice hours and hours to be a great musician - the mind should be set to absorb and immerse in music continuouly and around 2-3 hrs of practice spread over the day is enough. Concerts are made successful with mind and immersiveness and not just skill.....
Ofcourse this, once the skill is understood and attained.
Guest: As you say, it applies for only a fairly limited set of performers whose minds have been tuned for years into music.
Guru: Obviously...only if you internalize and understand the purpose of music that is possible.
Guest: Many greats keep emphasizing the need for practice may be more so instrumentalists... recall MSG's interviews where he'd say 8-10 hours across basics and advanced lessons he'd do.
Guru: Sorry... i have a different view. While MSG is one of the greatest violinists of our times as far as technique is concerned, i feel as far as kampita gamakams and raga bhavam is concerned, lalgudi and TNK score better....rigorous practice at initial stages is certainly required though....
Again this 8-10 hrs of practice MSG talks about - may be we need to understand what he does....certainly not just the basic practice.
As I write this, the thought comes to my mind "isn't this subjective?"
Guest: Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna mentioned once practise in mind is enough, but only for artists at his level.
Guru: The whole world defies Pt.Ravi Shankar for Sitar, but Ustad.Vilayat Khan was a much more introspective and deeper artist...who can tell??
Who knows what that level is?
Isn't it mostly subjective likes and dislikes as far as listening goes?? Obviously the artist has to understand where he stands and at which point this tripping to introspection happens.
Guest: All the three - Lalgudi, TNK and MSG are great violinists of our times. It is unfair to say one is better thsn the other. Lalgudi was a great soloist, TNK was a great accompanist. MSG mastered both Carnatic as well as Hindustani music. I used to enjoy his accompanying more than his solos. His raga delineation was excellent. It would be distinct from the mode of the singer. Just one bow. The essence of the raga would be presented.
Guru: People like MSG are artists who view and took us to the next level. So when we hear and take something from them we have to be careful what they exactly mean...
Technically, that is true when you listen to his rakthi ragas like bhairavi, kambodhi, sahana, etc....he excelled in scale ragas no doubt... as musicians and listeners we know that these are alk great artists- but we also have to understand which aspect is great, right?
Guest: He was fairly clear like I said on varisais, alankarams, single string-typical Parur style elements
At least he was the first, I encountered who laid emphasis on practice rather than others' who claimed it as God's or lineage's gift.
Guru: Why i asked that, is, in a personal discussion i had with him, he told a different perspective of it...
Those are different topics.. let's not worry about that...
Guest: Related because many greats claim these kind of skills as gifts and don't reveal their practice rigour.
Guru: When we say better, the intention is not to say the other was not better. But to understand what is the strength of each artist..and accepting where they stand
There are artists like that. Again there are a few who are endowed with natural gamakas, strong voice etc., who don't do the practice as prescribed... but they cannot be the general case... again we are going to skill which we are not focussing when i shared the note abt mind practice
What we are talking about is introspection of music - certainly skill is not a related point here though it could be the starting point.
Guest: Just to be clear what gets addressed in practice - only technique?skills do get shaped over time, right??
Guest: I agree with you. Yes in what aspect one is great - That we can say. But when we compare the greats, we may refrain from saying one is greater than the other in this or other aspect. We may just point out the strength of each great and leave it at that. Can we compare the trinity and say one is better than the other in a particular aspect?
Guru: Good point....well said....taken🙏
My understanding 🙏- In practice , technique and skills both get addressed. Techniques directly relate to aspect of the art that strengthen the basic requirements- like voice, swara/gamaka shuddham, sahitya practice etc.....skills relate to how you deliver this effectively which is also a part of practice, which also refines with experience. What we started is introspection and internalization which is not a skill but a self growth...may be our guest can add to this.
Guest: Practice, technique, skill - all are important. Fine. In addition to the three we may add sweetness. That is maadhurya. Perhaps it is God''s gift. What made MS Amma so great? More than technique it was maadhurya. Maharajapuram Santhnam was singing probably from his 20s. But only when he added maadhurya to his style he became so famous. May he was about 50 at that time.
Lord Krishna says two things are important to achieve greatness - abhyasa and vairagya. practice and sacrifice. Yes if your voice is affected by icecream you have to sacrifice the ice-cream.
Without the sprit of sacrifice, we cannot achieve greatness. tyagenaikena amrtatvamanasuh.
Maharajapuram Santhanam would not practice much with loud singing. He would get up at 4 a.m. and start his dhyans, internal singing for about 3 hours. Some need to sing aloud to maintain voice culture.
Guest: Yes, MSG had two distinct styles - one as accompaniment and another as soloist. I prefer his accompaniment. The Parur style was abundantly displayed in his solo. I find that the gamakas were in excess , Raga Bhava suffered with that and additional influence of Hindusthani was there. But as an accompaniment, he did amazingly well, sticking to the tradition.
Guest: Thanks for weighing in Sir, can you share your thoughts on Lalgudi's, TNK's styles too?
Guru: Very nice point especially on vairagyam...
Let us try to understand the strengths of each style...will add to the joy of listening...
Also what is the exact word for abhyasa in English?
Guest: Excellent point on Maadhurya! Again another question to ponder: Is it God given or nurtured? Or a combination of both?
In Vocal music , the natural gift has a definite role. But in instrumental music, how is the sweetness developed ?
For example , in Violin IMHO, N Rajam is the sweetest that i have heard, followed by TN Krishnan.
Guest: On MSG style. Unfortunately greats are also human beings. They do not descend straight from heaven. And so however great they are, they also come with their limitations, flaws and their own idiosyncrasies. We can only take the best out of them.
Some examples are Flute Mali and T. N. Rajaratnam Pillai.
The gamaka style and the introduction of Hindustani strokes are the hallmarks of the Parur style. We cannot blame them for that. We have to accept them with their idiosyncrasies. Sri Muttusvami Dikshitar introduced out and out Hindustani ragas like Dvijavanti into the Carnatic tradition.
Do we blame him for that?
While playing Dvijavanti yes, MSG would show all his expertise of Hindustani but while playing Kalyani there would not be much of Yaman. Some strokes, yes. That is his style.
Kalidasa says - eho hi doso gunasannipate nimajjati indoh kiranshu iva ankah.
A single fault in the midst of multitude of merits, gets submerged like the black spot in the moon.
So let us accept MSG as he is. But there is no doubt that he is one of the greats.
Some thoughts on Lalgudi style and TNK style. Originality is the forte of Lalgudi Sir. His vidwat is unparalleled. Accompanying the greats like Ariyakkudi from a very young age, he gained wonderful experience. Generally the instrumentalists do not master the sahitya. But Lalgudi knew the sahitya for each and every song he played. In solo, he would play as though he is singing. That is gayaka style. On account of his knowledge of sahitya he trained a number of vocalists like Bombay Jayasri. I do not know whether the other two great violinists trained any vocalists. Lalgudi's response to svaras in the exchange with the vocalists was a treat. Lalgudi was also a composer.
Who can forget his lilting tillanas?
In the raga alapanas, Lalgudi would play phrases from some of the famous kritis. For example, if he plays Kambodi one can expect some phrases from evarimata. There used to be a complaint to which I do not subscribe, that he would forget that he is an accompanist but try to outshine the main vocalist. Sometimes there would be a jarring note of the string other than the one on which he would be fingering. But again this should be forgotten in such a genius as Lalgudi.
TNK and sweetness are synonymous. In addition to maadhurya, there would be gaambheerya in his style. That is majesty. He could gel well with any vocalist, Ariyakkudi, Semmangudi or Madurai Mani.
ஜீவ ஸ்வரங்களில் ஒரு அழுத்தம் கொடுத்து அப்படியே சொக்க வைப்பார். (The stress, he gave on jeeva swaras used to mesmerise).
He would enhance the imagination of Madurai Mani's sarva laghu svara pattern by an understanding accompaniment.
But his solos did not appeal to me that much. Especially when he is playing in the company of his daughter and son it would be like a classroom demonstration. Speed is not the strength of TNK. Medium tempo would bring out his sweetness to the fullest extent. To be frank probably he could not find time to master the sahitya of Dikshitar's krtis and so his accompanying for such kritis will be on a low key basis while his knowledge of Tyagaraja kritis was sound.
Abhyasa literally means practice. Practice maketh a man perfect, said Francis Bacon. Practice is important in every field to excel including the spiritual practice. To control the mind, it is very difficult. But constant practice will help. In practice, the mind should be focused on what is being practiced. Otherwise hours of practice will go a waste. Along with practice comes devotion. Single minded devotion. Practice done in the previous births also perhaps comes in handy. Otherwise how could the three Violin greats and Mandolin Srinivas play so well from such a young age?
So friends practice your art very well in this birth. Even if you do not get a chance to perform in this birth, you can do so in the next birth.
Vairagya literally means renunciation. You have to renounce something to get something else. If you want to get a good car you have shell down money from your savings. Rajanikanth may get 100 crores for acting in one film. But what price he has to pay to get to that status. He cannot even go to Bangalore market to get vegetables and fruits, he likes. So young musicians have to sacrifice watching cricket match on TV if their practice with the guru is scheduled on that day.
Maadhurya comes out of perfection in practice for instrumentalists. Ultimate perfection lies with God Almight only.
But we are also an amsha of the Lord. We have to realise that. And so there is quest for perfection in us also. When we go to buy something we want it as perfect as possible. That quest for perfection should be shown in all our endeavours. We may not get all we want in this birth itself. But perfection in practice in this birth will stand by us in the next birth.
That is why Swami Vivekananda said - You are the maker of your own destiny. By straining for perfection, we go nearer to God. Let it be violin, let it be football, let it be computer.
Guru: 🙏🙏🙏 very nice. Thanks. That was very informative.
Interestingly abhayasa comes from the root word which means "to sit" (As in yoga). abhyasa implies action without interruption—action that's not easily distracted, discouraged, or bored.
Guest: Sir... I was just wondering if the eight fold path, Ashtanga, is applied consciously in Music??
Guest: I would not say all the singers are consciously adopting the ashtangayoga. But yes indirectly, without knowing that they are adopting them. For example pranayama, breath control. Can we sing without breath control? Niyama. - rules. We follow certain rules while singing. If the astanga yoga is consciously practised it will help not only for singing but for entire life style.
Guest: In dance, we do go through it, though not consciously...but 90% of the dancers manage to just reach till the Asana stage.... very few can reach the Pratyahara stage... but that is because the techniques of Pranayama to be done during the learning time itself is lost to the present generation.
Guru: If ur talking about ashtanga as i ashtanga yoga, isnt it about finding joy/realisation without external emotions...??
Guest: Yes... Ashtanga path is common to all streams of sciences and applied sciences too.
Guest: So shouldn't we be teaching these processes, if we have to take Music as a Sadhana?
Guru: The way i see it is , it is about streamlining prana, thereby bringing the body-soul to a groundedness. Dance, music etc benefit from this - atleast in music, which is on/in and the breath
Guest: Just wanted to know if there has been attempts to analyze these processes in Music...
Guru: If i may sound a little idealistic, people should step into music after a good stint of pranayamam techniques. But the person who teaches this has to him/herself internalised it.
Infact the interesting thing is many ashtanga yoga teachers will say don't listen to music/any distraction during this process - just look inward.
Guest: I am trying to correlate it to my study of dance...and I am getting stuck at the Pranayama part...
Guru: Actually in one sense, there is nothing very complicated about it - correct your prana then automatically the attention required for music and dance will follow (if one is interested in music or dance)
Guest: One thing about astanga yoga. They have to be practised simultaneously. You do not have to wait till you master pranayama. You can start pratyahara along with it. Only for the last one, that is, samadhi ohe has to wait till other 7 are mastered.
Guest: As I understand it Sir...Yoga (science) takes one away from all emotions...it works through complete dispassion... but all art forms, which are applied sciences, takes one to the ultimate through peaks of emotions, Rasa.
Guru: By then " Correct/find your prana" Is the tricky part...in music there is this concept of "finding your voice"
We have to be careful when we use words like dispassion, takes away from all emotions etc.
As per my understanding, i have to understand, cross rasa and also learn to drop it....such musicians are also on path of continuous evolution...
Learn
For intellectual discussion, we have to look at Yoga acting at different levels.
We'll take this when our learned guest is here in one of our Nadaloka's music appreciation sessions.
Guest: But how is it possible to reach Pratyahara state without mastering Pranayama state is my query... because even if we manage to dissolve ourselves completely into what we are doing, mind goes back to at least few other external thoughts, even if it's for few seconds...
Guru: Tht is why people who achieve that are called seers and in our life time we may know only a few of them.
Guest: According to Acharya Mahanidhi, it is possible to achieve each stages in these paths, if we approach it as a technique, rather than as something that happens automatically as a result of practise. So he has advised us to go through these practice sessions consciously implementing these techniques. It's again, very much an experiment...not yet a reality.
Guest: Fine, we have a topic for another workshop, that is Yoga and its applicability for music. I am sorry this input is also going to be a little longish since there are many questions. Let us first understand the eight angas. Each one needs one hour at least to explain. But let me be brief. Yama is control of the mind and Pratyahara is control of the sense organs. Niyama is following the rules of the respective fields. In Yoga, it is following the rules of yoga. Asana is posture. Even in military we see postures being observed. So they are important for discipline. Pranayama is breath control. Dharana is concentration and Dhyana is meditation. Samadhi is transcendental stage. Now for Pratyahara, that is, control of the sense organs why should we wait till Pranayama is fully understood. Both can go simultaneously. For everything Dharana or concentration is necessary. For Pranayama also, Dharana is necessary. Even for drinking coffee from the cup a little bit of concentration is necessary. Otherwise we will spill it. Everyday we can practice Pranayama for 30 minutes and meditation for 30 minutes. No harm.
Now for music, Yama or control of the mind is necessary. If the mind is wavering or perturbed how can you sing well?
Niyama or rules have to be observed. If madhyama and nishada are excluded in Mohana, we observe it. Otherwise it will not be Mohana.
We sit in a particular posture and sing. That is Asana.
We have already spoken about pranayama.
The fragrance from the canteen will be inviting. But yet one has to control the tongue while singing on the platform. Or one has to avoid ice cream to protect the voice.
And then concentration is necessary. Otherwise we will forget the song itself. Meditation will help in enhancing the power of concentration. Music itself is nadayoga.
Saint Tyagaraja often went into samadhi state. That is how he could produce such wonderful kritis. So Ashtanga Yoga is closely connected with music and dance.
There was a query about emotions. Emotion is a vague term. I will use the Sanskrit terms rasa and bhava.When the bhava is raised to its highest level, it becomes rasa. Bhava is the emotion that we experience in day to day life. For example, soka or grief. Does anybody want to experience grief in everyday life? No. It may still come. But you don't want it. How do we know that a person is grief stricken? It is by seeing the effect of it. For example, shedding tears. Cause is grief. Effect is tears.
In 50s and 60s many grief oriented films were produced. If the heroine cried our womenfolk also would cry. And they would see the film again and again. If you do not want grief in real life, then why do you want to see grief in cinema There lies the point. What you see in film is not just grief but its heightened form, that is pathos, karuna rasa. You see it again and again because all rasas are ultimately pleasurable. Between husband and wife love is private. But the same is shringara rasa in a film. With family you can sit and see. Rasa has to be handled carefully. If mishandled or excessive, it is not rasa but virasa. In a film when the heroine cried instead of crying with her the people laughed. The acting was poor and so the rasa was spoiled.
One more topic for workshop - Rasa.
Now Who has the rasa? Saint Tyagaraja or the singer or the listener? If the saint is in the rasa stage he cannot express it. He knows the rasa but himself comes down to the bhava stage in order to express it for our benefit. The singer also cannot go into the rasa stage If he/she does, it will be like K. B. Sundarambal. Often she would be choked and will not be able to sing. After a few minutes, she will come back to the bhava stage and resume singing. On the other hand, the listener can continuously be in the rasa stage. He forgets the whole world and enjoys. Sir most of us belong to that privileged class. Sir cannot since he has to sing and enthrall us. I stop here since too much of rasa will result in its breaking.
Guest: Music can be taken up as a spiritual sadhana, as a preliminary practice, or just as a pleasant, interesting and inspiring sadhana of nada yoga, through which the mind can be attuned to the subtlest vibrations before proceeding to discover the last transcendental sound of nada.
Quoted from
http://www.yogamag.net/archives/2004/fdec04/nada.shtml
2) Chakra meditation through music
From the book : Kundalini Tantra.
(Note: This is FYI, to be practiced under guidance of a Guru)
3) Music is not an instrument for titillation of the nerves or satisfaction of the senses. It is a yoga sadhana which enables you to attain Self-realization. Music should be treated as yoga. True music can be tasted only by one who has freed himself from all taints of worldliness, and who practises music as a sadhana for Self-realization.
Quoted from:
http://www.yogamag.net/archives/2004/fdec04/power.shtml
The above is meant for spiritual aspirants only.
- ultimately, intention matters.
However, nothing wrong in having worldly intentions of fame, wealth etc.. but just that it's a different path with different outcomes.
No comments:
Post a Comment