Views He Always
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Florida State University Libraries 2016 The Electric Strings of South India: A Case Study of Electric Guitar in South Indian Classical Music Andre Aaron Fludd Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC THE ELECTRIC STRINGS OF SOUTH INDIA: A CASE STUDY OF ELECTRIC GUITAR IN SOUTH INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC By ANDRE FLUDD A Thesis submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music 2016 Andre Fludd defended this thesis on March 22, 2016. The members of the supervisory committee were: Michael B. Bakan Professor Directing Thesis Kathleen Erndl Committee Member Frank Gunderson Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the thesis has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii In memory of the late Allen Lee Fludd III- my most important source of inspiration. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to start by thanking my primary informant and teacher, guitarist Prasanna Ramaswamy. He has been incredibly supportive throughout the entire research process, and he continues to encourage my pursuit of Carnatic music to this day. Without his instruction none of this would have been possible. The entire Florida State University Ethnomusicology/Musicology faculty has played a crucial role in shaping my ideas as a scholar. I would especially like to thank my major professor, Dr. Michael B. Bakan, whose early work in particular reaffirmed my decision to pursue research from a reflexive, musician’s approach. Moreover, he helped to keep this thesis grounded, and the objective in focus. As an expert in Indian religion and culture, Dr. Kathleen Erndl’s contributions as a committee member outside of musicology were greatly appreciated. I would also like to thank Dr. Frank Gunderson for always encouraging me to utilize my own unique approach to the understanding of music in culture. Finally, I would like to thank my mother, who continues to support every decision I make, and my father, who inspired me to pursue higher education in a timely manner. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... vii List of Musical Examples ............................................................................................................ viii Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................1 Thesis Statement .........................................................................................................................1 Purpose and Significance ............................................................................................................2 Background .................................................................................................................................3 The Carnatic Ensemble ..........................................................................................................3 The Structure of Carnatic Songs ............................................................................................4 The Golden Age – Present .....................................................................................................4 Electrification Vs. Amplification: Amplification Technology ..............................................6 Musicians ...............................................................................................................................7 Survey of Literature ....................................................................................................................9 Music Technologization and the Guitar .................................................................................9 Carnatic Music .....................................................................................................................11 Theoretical Approach ................................................................................................................13 Methodology .............................................................................................................................16 Thesis Structure .........................................................................................................................17 CHAPTER TWO: VENNA BALACHANDER AND INSTRUMENTAL STYLES ..................19 The Veena .................................................................................................................................19 Instrumental Styles: Gayaki and Tantrakari ..............................................................................21 Sundaram Balachander: Early Life ...........................................................................................22 Balachander’s Transition to the Veena .....................................................................................25 Amplification Experimentation .................................................................................................26 The Veena and Electric Guitar Technology ..............................................................................28 The Balachander Bani and Legacy ...........................................................................................30 CHAPTER THREE: MANDOLIN SRINIVAS AND INTERNATIONAL CARNATIC MUSIC33 Uppalapu Srinivas: Early Life ...................................................................................................33 The Mandolin or a Mini-Electric Guitar? .................................................................................34 v John McLaughlin, Shakti, and Srinivas’s International Career ................................................38 An Untimely Passing ................................................................................................................42 CHAPTER FOUR: GUITAR PRASANNA AND MUSICAL PRACTICALITY .......................43 Prasanna .....................................................................................................................................44 In Theory: Swaras, Gamaka, Melakarthas, and Sruthis .............................................................47 Musical Practicality ...................................................................................................................54 Prasanna’s Musical Style ...........................................................................................................57 Strings and Tuning .....................................................................................................................59 Bending Vertically Versus Sliding Horizontally .......................................................................61 Sliding: The 16-note Chromatic Scale, Vivadi Swaras, and Everything In-between ..............64 Singing Through the Guitar .....................................................................................................67 A Lesson in Sahitya Meetu: “Maha Ganapathim” ..................................................................69 Speed and Feel Versus. Note Selection: “Evvari Bodhana” ....................................................73 One Rule ..................................................................................................................................77 Prasanna’s Reception, Original Music, and Building a Legacy ..............................................78 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION................................................................................................82 BIBLIOGRAPHYY .......................................................................................................................84 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .........................................................................................................88 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure One: Veena Construction ...................................................................................................20 Figure Two: Balachander’s Veena.................................................................................................29 Figure Three: Red Srinivas Mandolin............................................................................................36 Figure Four: Compressed Swaras ..................................................................................................48 Figure Five: Balu Viswanathan and the Yuva Veena ....................................................................63 Figure Six: Facebook Post .............................................................................................................81 vii LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES Example One: Maha Ganapathim: Introduction ............................................................................70 Example Two: Maha Ganapathim: Full Pallavi.............................................................................71 Example Three: Maha Ganapathim: Sangithi 1.A .........................................................................71 Example Four: Maha Ganapathim: Sangithi 1.B ...........................................................................71 Example Five: Maha Ganapathim: Sangithi 2 ...............................................................................72