(Please tune your ears! Nothing is in tune with everything :) Use a headset for Thavil's sake. Your laptop speakers suck! Ya they Do. If You did not know then you do not know. Most crappy headsets do a better job.
Some thought sloughter
------------------------
Thavil combines inkless (ink=black stuff at centre[1]) drum head percussion with some bass on left side with a bigger drum head. But the tonal quality of Thavil left head is not so impressive compared to Yakshagana Chande. Also Chande has high pitch with slightly better tonal quality. Tabla dagga has one of the best bass quality for all kinds of drums. Tabla dagga is obiviously better than Thavil right head bass [-1000]. So why not combine them: Chande and Tabla? We can clearly hear better boss in the video. Better tone of the Chande is not obvious. Take my words for it! And forgive my voice.... yet, doesnt this sound a bit like Mrudangum with missing pure tone (No! Mrudangum is not a new type of Gum. Is a drum.) Note this drum combination is unique in that the bass drum has the ink and tonal drum head has none (exact opposite to what is usual) creating unique sound of pure bass and not so tonal left head.
[-1000] I have tried to offend Karnataka music guys less. They have a habit of getting offended too much; not my problem. They care more for Karnataka music (Sorry Rajaji*) than for music.
[1] The black stuff or the ink or the KarNe in Kannada is placed at the centre of drum head to kill all overtones not multiple of the fundamental. This makes the tone produced perfectly hormonic when tuned perfectly. It is another matter that Mrudanga guys changed perfectly hormonic head (Pakhavaj) by pushing outer layer closer to central ink there by changing the vibration modes of the streched membrane. That is why CV Raman choose Tabla instead of Mrudanga for his study ( click on it you.. lazy ... ). Note, I like Karnataka Sangeetha. This was only to keep it light. Do not be offended. By the by, the very change makes Mrudanga what it is by adding some seductive overtones, turning the hot Pakhavaj into a sexy gum. Mrudanga also produces wrable (Janyyeeee sound). On the other hand Dagga has shifted ink to produce tonal but some other overtones making it the most sexy bass.
* Even Rajagopalachari was pissed about the name for Karnataka Sangeetha! Guys down south will change it to Trucknatic music (Car natic).
25 July 2009
Yakshamitra Website
Now Yakshamitra has online presence : www.yakshamitra.tk
www.yakshamitra.tk
Please see the articles section to read articles on Yakshagana. Visit Resources section for some interesting things about Yakshagana.
Njoy
~rAGU
www.yakshamitra.tk
Please see the articles section to read articles on Yakshagana. Visit Resources section for some interesting things about Yakshagana.
Njoy
~rAGU
22 July 2009
06 July 2009
25 June 2009
23 June 2009
Wowmen!
I am referring to individuals who can impregnate themselves and could be on earth when humans evolve!
19 June 2009
Evolution need not be in conflict with creation stories
I do not think one needs to be an atheist to believe in Evolution or Science. Believing in GOD is different from believing that there is GOD! Science says "It is highly improbable that there is GOD". Thus they find it acceptable to be Agnostic or Atheistic.
I believe in science and therefore in Evolution. I DO NOT believe in creation. Creationism is a dishonest argument to say the list, i.e to believe today that it is true is self betrayal. When I say that, I see harmony not conflict: it was an attempt by our ancestors to understand and explain the beginning of the universe and life. It is in all traditions and they are fascinating. Newton is only outdated after we have better understanding of Einstein's theory. That in no way diminishes Newton's contributions.
The creation stories are a way to appreciate our ancestors genuine attempts to explain and we have to enjoy the stories. We have to like the superb use of language and poetry in it ("...Let there be light. Then there was light"...). To say that today, they are right would insult our ancestors genuine attempts of reasoning. Continuing the same spirit we have evolution today. Tomorrow we may find a better answer. Let us hope we will.
I believe in science and therefore in Evolution. I DO NOT believe in creation. Creationism is a dishonest argument to say the list, i.e to believe today that it is true is self betrayal. When I say that, I see harmony not conflict: it was an attempt by our ancestors to understand and explain the beginning of the universe and life. It is in all traditions and they are fascinating. Newton is only outdated after we have better understanding of Einstein's theory. That in no way diminishes Newton's contributions.
The creation stories are a way to appreciate our ancestors genuine attempts to explain and we have to enjoy the stories. We have to like the superb use of language and poetry in it ("...Let there be light. Then there was light"...). To say that today, they are right would insult our ancestors genuine attempts of reasoning. Continuing the same spirit we have evolution today. Tomorrow we may find a better answer. Let us hope we will.
18 June 2009
Features of Yakshagana
This is in response to Yakshagana Kuchupudi Jugalbandi:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJB0DYUX2tA
Thank you for the video. This is an interesting experiment with Yakshagana. However, it is very difficult to call
this Yakshagana. Vidwan Bhat's singing clearly misses the key features of Bhagavathike. I list them below
1) Sharp decay in end notes (Attack,Line and Decay are three prominent features of a note).
2) Unique hormony with the Yakshagana drone designed to bring the tone from as below as abdomen to give a special texture to notes (Yakshagana used Pungi of the Snake Charmers (Haavadigaru) as drone drone initially before using Harmonium. Tamburi should not be used as it does not suite the note characters (timbre) of Yakshagana singing)
3) Yakshagana singing has its own note inflections (You may call it Gamaka or whatever) which is conspicuously missing in Vidwan's Baagavathike. They are unique Yakshagana and in fact what makes Yakshagana singing different from other forms.
4) Yakshagana has its own Rekhe (body line). Mantapa is imitating Bharathanatya. Yakshagana is an independent form separate from other traditional ones following Natya Shastra although it has all the sections metioned in the Shastra (almost none have all parts). Shivarama Karantha explains this in "Yakshagana Bayalata".
(Tangentially, There are evidences to show that the father of Kuchupudi Siddhendra Yogi was trained in Udupi Mata under the name Siddappa/Sidda who went to Andhra later on [1]).
5) Mantapas costumes look good but deviate significantly from tradition and borrow from other forms.
If this is deliberate both Ganesh and Mantapa owe an explanation to Yakshagana fans and why this is being done. Shivarama Karantha when introducing his version ensured that the features of Yakshagana are not touched except removing dialogs to make it language independent. He only added few features without diluting existing ones. But as I said, experiments are welcome, but I only hope they know what they are doing.
[1] Yakshagana Bayalata - Dr Shivarama Karantha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJB0DYUX2tA
Thank you for the video. This is an interesting experiment with Yakshagana. However, it is very difficult to call
this Yakshagana. Vidwan Bhat's singing clearly misses the key features of Bhagavathike. I list them below
1) Sharp decay in end notes (Attack,Line and Decay are three prominent features of a note).
2) Unique hormony with the Yakshagana drone designed to bring the tone from as below as abdomen to give a special texture to notes (Yakshagana used Pungi of the Snake Charmers (Haavadigaru) as drone drone initially before using Harmonium. Tamburi should not be used as it does not suite the note characters (timbre) of Yakshagana singing)
3) Yakshagana singing has its own note inflections (You may call it Gamaka or whatever) which is conspicuously missing in Vidwan's Baagavathike. They are unique Yakshagana and in fact what makes Yakshagana singing different from other forms.
4) Yakshagana has its own Rekhe (body line). Mantapa is imitating Bharathanatya. Yakshagana is an independent form separate from other traditional ones following Natya Shastra although it has all the sections metioned in the Shastra (almost none have all parts). Shivarama Karantha explains this in "Yakshagana Bayalata".
(Tangentially, There are evidences to show that the father of Kuchupudi Siddhendra Yogi was trained in Udupi Mata under the name Siddappa/Sidda who went to Andhra later on [1]).
5) Mantapas costumes look good but deviate significantly from tradition and borrow from other forms.
If this is deliberate both Ganesh and Mantapa owe an explanation to Yakshagana fans and why this is being done. Shivarama Karantha when introducing his version ensured that the features of Yakshagana are not touched except removing dialogs to make it language independent. He only added few features without diluting existing ones. But as I said, experiments are welcome, but I only hope they know what they are doing.
[1] Yakshagana Bayalata - Dr Shivarama Karantha
08 June 2009
Is religion like food!?
Yes! If we grew up eating burgers, we will come back to it and will like it always. If we ate Dose/Idli, we will go find a South Indian restaurant like I did here! If we are the followers of some Y ism, more likely we will remain one: more or less! I mean more when we are older and less when we are younger! Faith can get weaker or stronger but will remain.
Then you have some varieties. You grow up disliking carrots, say. Then you end up never liking. We might never come back and like it. Some like Ambedkar dislike and change religion(Buddhism) because they grew up not liking something (Hindu). Some like Periyar are just happy blaming Brahmins for all evils: they become atheists or whatever they call themselves not fascists. That is because Brahmins are not Jews!
How does it matter? Or why should it? At least they are thinking. Thinking they are, changing their faiths and feeling good. Like food we eat growing up, we like and dislike faiths. Do not tell me some are intellectuals. They are a bit more conscious that is all!
Then you have some varieties. You grow up disliking carrots, say. Then you end up never liking. We might never come back and like it. Some like Ambedkar dislike and change religion(Buddhism) because they grew up not liking something (Hindu). Some like Periyar are just happy blaming Brahmins for all evils: they become atheists or whatever they call themselves not fascists. That is because Brahmins are not Jews!
How does it matter? Or why should it? At least they are thinking. Thinking they are, changing their faiths and feeling good. Like food we eat growing up, we like and dislike faiths. Do not tell me some are intellectuals. They are a bit more conscious that is all!
02 June 2009
Enough is enough
Enough is enough in a totally different sense. When we posses enough to meet our needs we are most happiest. When we possesses even a little more we start seeing problems. We all know the problems of not having enough.
When we have more than enough money, it comes at the cost of time. We do not have "time" to have fun with what we earn. When we have more than enough utensils Per Se we have to wash them too! When we have lots of furniture we have less space! And when we have a bigger house do you come help me clean it? Or will you pay the rent or mortgage or whatever? If not again I have to start working more to pay off loans. That's is why I said. Enough is enough.
By its side remember some smart people are fast. They can save time and earn more. Then it is like going to where you are supposed to on time, or before! We miss things by the side of the road. Now, this is not life! This is yet another blog post that is all. Have a nice whatever!
When we have more than enough money, it comes at the cost of time. We do not have "time" to have fun with what we earn. When we have more than enough utensils Per Se we have to wash them too! When we have lots of furniture we have less space! And when we have a bigger house do you come help me clean it? Or will you pay the rent or mortgage or whatever? If not again I have to start working more to pay off loans. That's is why I said. Enough is enough.
By its side remember some smart people are fast. They can save time and earn more. Then it is like going to where you are supposed to on time, or before! We miss things by the side of the road. Now, this is not life! This is yet another blog post that is all. Have a nice whatever!
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