Carnatic Music is a dynamic art form that has something unique to offer everyone, the composer, performer, musicologist and Rasika(connoisseur) alike. Whether it's melody, rhythm, vocal or instrumental; the possibilities are endless. Carnatic Music goes [...]
This chapter contains thumbnail sketches of eminent composers many of whose works have been included in this book and in level 1. Some of these personalities shaped the very history of Carnatic music. It is desirable for students to read more on these greats as well as learn about other composers from various sources. It must be noted that the time periods of some are approximate.
Carnatic music is a highly organised system, easy to learn with a rational approach. But it is also very intricate and demanding, and full of subtleties.One needs musical aptitude, patience, perseverance and focus on quality. Above all, one needs to possess and display the right attitude towards the art and the teacher
Carnatic music is one of the most colourful, complete and evolved melodic systems of the world. With over 7.2 million melodic scales (ragas) and hundreds of rhythmic cycles (talas) to choose from, there is very little that a good Carnatic musician and composer cannot do, especially from a melodic perspective.
Learn about the fundamentals of rhythm in Carnatic Music from the Perfecting Carnatic Music Level 1 Book published by IFCM.
Rhythm is inherent in almost every activity of nature. There is rhythm in the movements of cosmic bodies, as there is in the microcosmic. Tala is the orderly physical expression of the rhythm inherent in music. In Carnatic music, this is done through beats, finger counts or waves of the hand. A tala has several parts.
Question from Student: Is manodharma something that is taught or should be developed naturally by the student! When beginning to attempt manodharma what is the rope of the guru? What are some suggestions for kids [...]
Question from Student: For students to become performers in sabhas ,should the Guru also be a top performing musician in TV and sabhas? Answered by Shri Chitravina N Ravikiran A Guru Has [...]
Question from Student: Is there a sure way to increase the sustenance of breath, as even trying for 15-20seconds leads to shortness of breath. It is becoming difficult to sustain a note/swara phrase for even [...]
Question from Student: I am performing Carnatic music from past 10 years . My home pitch is c. With conscious efforts, I have pushed it up to c sharp. My intention is to dock my [...]
Question from Student: Namaste Guruji, Could you please share, what is the practice for singing 12 Notes correctly at a stretch in ascending and descending order? Answered by Shri Chitravina N Ravikiran [...]
Question from Student: Dear Sir...I have gone through some of the syllabi of schools that teach western music...In that they have some basic exercises such as Breathing Exercises,Sustaining Notes, Falsetto Exercises. Can similar exercises be [...]
Acharyanet invited students to share their renditions for the Navarathri Festival by recording a song learned from our site and sending it to us. We received a very good response from students all over the [...]
The Carnatic Deontic Event was successfully conducted online on May 14th with over 50 participants worldwide in front of a Super Jury of acclaimed gurus including Sanguta Kalanidhi Dr T.V Gopalakrishnan, Sangita Kalanidhi Chitravina N Ravikiran [...]
We are happy to announce the results of the Indian Music Spelling Bee Contest which was jointly run by the Melharmony Foundation and Acharyanet.com. The concept of the Indian Music Spelling Bee was first conceptualized [...]
The beauty of Carnatic Music is to bring the essence of a raga in even a few seconds. Acharyanet ran an online one minute alapana contest to test the 'sense of essence' with respect to [...]
Listen to the beautiful sounds of the 9 chitravina orchestra led by Sangeet Samrat Chitravina N Ravikiran in presenting Thyagaraja's Pancharatna Krithis ShriGanapatini – Sowrashtram Gurulekha – Gowrimanohari Jagadaanandakaraka – Nattai [...]
Acharyanet has included some interviews with leading Carnatic Musicians like Sangeet Samrat Chitravina N Ravikiran, Smt Ranjini and Gayathri , Shri Abhishek Raghuram and Shri UnniKrishnan on this page. Many valuable tips have been provided to improve the singing voice.
Acharyanet interviewed well-known Carnatic vocalist Abhishek Raghuram, as a part of our ongoing series on Voice Culture in Carnatic Music.
Voice is an instrument , an integral part of the body, which can also be trained and tuned. It is probably one of the most beautiful and versatile god given instruments. The most important aspect of a good voice production is the ability to bring out the purity and richness of sound. I would say that a single sustained note given with utmost purity and fullness , filled with 'nadham' can produce an effect not even equal to a complex bhriga laden phrase.
Voice Culture – What it all means? – Part 1 Voice Culture is a common term heard these days. Pavarotti knew its secrets as did MS Subbulaxmi. For us lesser mortals, what does it mean?Fundamentally [...]
Below is an excerpt from the Femina article that featured the interview with Sowmya Acharya, founder of Acharyanet.com. If you love Music but had to move abroad and do not find the right [...]
See the original article in The Hindu Classical music has taken to technology effortlessly, with apps and web tutorials proving a hit Sathya Devi (29), a researcher who settled down in the city five years [...]
See the original article in The Hindu One hundred years ago a musical classroom might have been the beaten ground underneath a banyan tree or a simple spare room in a guru's home. Sowmya Acharya, [...]
Among the traditional art forms chosen for their kids, Carnatic Music has been the popular choice for the South Indian diaspora. The reasons could be many. Parents themselves may have learned music while growing up [...]
It is important for students to understand the importance of sustained practice over several hours. Although the process could be frustrating initially, patience and perseverance could bring great rewards in achieving fulfillment and progress. He recommends that students devote time for revision and focus on new areas that need to be mastered. Many great musicians have even devoted even 10-15 hours practice per day , which he highly recommends as an enlightening experience for aspiring students.
Acharyanet recently interviewed accomplished Vidushi Smt Kiranavali Vidyashankar on the topic of "What makes a complete musician?" The video interview contains some thoughts shared by the artiste. Smt Kiranavali shares some thoughts [...]
Sanjay Suresh, a gifted 12 year old violinist learning with guru Shri Chitravina N Ravikiran shares his views on the "Key to Success" in music. As a second generation Indian, you can experience things in [...]
Most of the songs Venkata Kavi composed on his favourite God Krishna are part of an opera; the songs are composed as though sung by various gopis, in manner, tone and mood of what they saw Krishna as. Some are lamentations in not getting his attention, some are praising his prowess and some are scolding him for his antics