Vocal Level 1 Introduction Welcome to Vocal Level 1. You are about to start the wonderful journey of learning to sing, a journey that is challenging, but rewarding and enjoyable! Whether you want to jam with a band or enjoy singing solo, this series of lessons will get you ready to perform with skill & confidence. What will you learn? Level 1 covers the following topics • Introduction to music • Origin of Indian music • Genres of Indian Music • Swar o Shuddha and Vikrit Swar o Chal and Achal Swar • Breathing Exercises • Sur Exercises for perfecting the notes (swar) • Varna • Aaroh-Avaroh • Alankaar • Saptak • Rhythm/Taal o Dadra Taal o Keherwa Taal • Brief note on Tabla • National Song • National Anthem • Simple tips to improve Singing 1 What You Need • Harmonium / Synthesizer • Electronic Tabla / Tabla App You can learn to sing without any of the above instruments also and by tapping your feet, however you will get a lot more out of this series if you have a basic harmonium and a digital Tabla to practice. How to Practice At Home Apart from this booklet for level 1, there will be video clippings shown to you for each topic in all the lessons. During practice at home, please follow the method shown in the clippings. Practice each lesson several times before meeting for the next lesson. A daily practice regime of a minimum of 15 minutes will suffice to start with. Practicing with the harmonium and the digital Tabla will certainly have an added advantage. Digital Tabla machines or Tabla software’s are easily available and ideally should be used for daily practice. 2 LESSON 1 Let us begin our journey together and learn the skills which make singing such a melodious, enjoyable & distressing experience!! In this lesson we are going to learn about • The Introduction to music • The origin of Indian Music • Genres of Indian Music • Swar- Shuddha Swar • A song based on Shuddha Swar What is Music? In general, Music is a mode of expressing our emotions with the help of sounds, notes, chords and rhythms. Amongst the five main fine art forms i.e. Music, Poetry/writing, Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, Music enjoys the supreme position. In the western countries music implies only vocals and instrumentals. But in India, music implies Vocals (Gaayan), Instrumentals (Vaadan) and Dance (Nritya). Hence, Indian Music is a blend of singing, dancing and playing instruments. Music is based on two important aspects: ‘Swar’ (Melody) and ‘Taal’ (Rhythm). Origin of Indian Music As far as the origin of Indian music is concerned, there have been various arguments. The most prevalent ones are as follows… It is said that the sound that pervades in the whole Universe, i.e., Nadabrahma, in other words the cosmic sound of ‘Aum’, gave rise to the various musical notes. This sound itself represents divinity. Hence in the earlier times, in India, music was believed to have evolved from the temples in the form of prayers and used only for ritualistic purposes. Gradually it also moved into the lives of common people in the form of melodies and folk tunes for festivities, marriages, harvest times and other modes of cultural expression. Eventually some of these local folk tunes formulated into Raag(s). For example, from the tribes/people of malava-kaisika derived Raag Malkauns, Raag Gurjari from Gujarat, etc. 3 Genres of Indian Music There are three main genres of Indian music • Classical Music (Shaastriya Sangeet) • Semi-Classical Music (Upshaastriya Sangeet) • Light Music (Bhav Sangeet) Classical Music Classical Music or ‘Raag Sangeet’ is that genre of Indian Music in which it is mandatory to follow all the rules of music that have been followed and handed over to us through generations of music tradition. Hence it is that form of music which is rule bound. For example, while singing a particular Raag we have to follow the rules pertaining to that Raag like the swar (notes) that can be used and that are forbidden, the way they can be used and also it has to be sung within the boundaries of laya (vilambit laya, drut laya, etc.) Classical Music is sung in two styles or methods ❖ Hindustani Classical Music Hindustani Classical Music is also called North Indian classical music. This style is prevalent in the northern parts of India namely Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu Kashmir and Maharashtra. Some of the popular Hindustani classical singers are Pandit Gulam Ali Khan, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Pandita Kishori Amonkar etc. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi 4 Carnatic Classical Music Carnatic Classical Music is also called South Indian Classical Music. This is prevalent in the southern parts of India like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh etc. Some famous Carnatic Classical Singers are, Dr. Balamuralikrishna, M. S. Subbulakshmi, etc. Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna M. S. Subbulakshmi Though both these styles have their own distinct characters, yet their basic principles are more or less similar as both are based on one of the most important Sanskrit music text called ‘Sangeet Ratnakar’, written by Sharangdev. Semi Classical Music Semi Classical Music is that genre of Indian Music which even though is based on the classical Ragas; the compositions are not so strictly rule bound as in classical music. These compositions mainly aim to express one’s emotions through skillful rendition of words rather than showing one’s technical knowledge and expertise. This genre of music includes Thumri, Dadra, Tappa, Kajri, Hori, Chaiti etc. Some of the popular Semi Classical Singers are Begum Akhtar, Shobha Gurtu, Shubha Joshi Malini Rajurkar, etc. Begum Akhtar Shobha Gurtu 5 Light Music Light Music is that genre of Indian Music which unlike Classical Music is not bound by rules at all. The compositions may or may not be based on particular Raag. The singer is free to use whatever notes or Laya (tempo) he/she wants and whether or not he/she wishes to use Aalap, sargam, taan etc., is completely the singer’s choice. The main aim of Light Music is entertainment. The compositions of this genre include devotional songs (Bhajans or Kirtans), folk songs, film songs, celebration or festival songs, inspirational songs, patriotic songs, Ghazals etc. Some of the popular singers of this genre are Lata Mangeshker, Mohammad Rafi, Anup Jalota, Mehdi Hassan, Wadali Brothers, etc. Lata Mangeshker Mohammad Rafi Suresh Wadkar Introduction to Swar 2 types of Swar/notes • Shuddha Swar • Vikrit Swar Shuddha Swar To know about music we, it is imperative for us to study the concept of ‘Swar’. Useful melodious sounds used in Music are called ‘Swar’. Swar (Notes) - A Swar is a distinct tone on the Indian musical scale which is reproducible and pleasing to the ear. Swar is also called Sur. There are totally seven primary Swar (notes) that have been formalized in the ancient Indian music texts. 6 The names of these seven swar are • Shadaj (S) • Rishabh (R) • Gandhar (G) • Madhyam (M) • Pancham (P) • Dhaivat (D) • Nishad (N) For the ease of singing, the first alphabet of each of these names is taken and the short form or short names of these swar are formed as Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni. सा रे ग म प ध नि Song based on Shuddha Swar Jyoti kalash chhalke Hue gulabi, laal sunehere, Rang dal baadal ke Practice for Shuddha Swars Practice at Home Please practice the following several times before meeting for the next class • The names (full and short forms) of all the primary/shuddha swar • To write the shuddha swar • To sing the shuddha swar, holding on to each note one at a time for as long as your breath lasts. • Memorize the lyrics of the song based on shuddha swar and practice singing it as is taught in the video. • Listen to a few classical, semi classical and light music performances of various artists 7 Special Tips • Listening music will bring about a natural improvement in your understanding and singing. Many experts say that learning music is 60% listening and 40% singing!! • Whenever you sing, make sure your spine remains straight as it helps to breathe properly. • Choose your own scale and sing in the scale comfortable to your voice so that you do not strain your vocal chords while singing!! Most Important… Enjoy Yourself While Singing!!! Space for Rough Notes 8 LESSON 2 In this lesson you will be learning about • Vikrit Swar- Komal swar and Teevra Swar • Chal and Achal Swar • Song based on Komal Swar • Song based on Teevra Swar Concepts Vikrit Swar In between the primary or full tone notes/swar there are the flat/sharp or half tone notes called the Vikrit Swar. These are of two types: • Komal Swar • Teevra Swar ❖ Komal Swar Komal Swar are found between two shuddha swar and are a bit lower in pitch from the shuddha swar. Hence the komal swar are those which fall half step lower from their original or shuddha position. These are referred to as flat notes. There are four komal swar- Komal Re, Komal Ga, Komal Dha and Komal Ni. These are symbolized in notation by a dash below the note. रे ग ध नि Practice of Komal Swar Practice these Komal swar with the help of the harmonium. Song based on Komal Swar: Tu pyar ka sagar hai Teri ik boond ke pyaase hum Lauta jo diya tune Chale jaayenge jahaan se hum Tu pyar ka sagar hai 9 ❖ Teevra Swar Teevra Swar is the note which is half step above the full note or shuddha swar and is referred as a sharp note. Hence, when a shuddha/primary swar raises half step above from its original position then it is called a Teevra Swar.