Improvisation in Carnatic Music
Raga Alapana
Raga Alapana is a form of creative music or manodharma sangeeta in Carnatic music. Its origin may be traced back to the term ‘Niravalatti’ described in the ‘Panchamarabu’, a tamil work of the 12th century. It has a very fluid flow of music as it is unmetered and is not bounded by taala. As such, it is usually rendered before a composition or before Tanam and has a very determining role in creating both a musical atmosphere as well as the mood for a particular raga. In an alapana, the artist’s knowledge and creative skills are put to test due to the fact that he has less restrictions. In a Carnatic
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This section too is initiated from the madhya sthayi shadja and also goes down to the lower octave. In some sancharas, the notes of the middle octave are also included by the performer. He sings most phrases in the vilamba kala (slow tempo), frequently combining them with those of the middle and fast tempos. He carries on by singing madhyama kala sancharas, reaches up to the tara sthayi shadja and then, makes a dashing descent to the tonic. Starting again from there, the movement of his phrases are now concentrated chiefly in the middle octave. Some artists, after having touched the higher octave Pa, make a quick return to the tonic. In the next step, sancharas in the higher octave will be explored which will be followed by Brigas i.e. phrases in fast tempo.
In the final section of the alapana i.e. the Sthayi, sancharas are sung in madhyama kala. These begin as well as end on the same musical note which is technically known as sthayi swara. Different sthayi swaras are used in order of both increasing and decreasing pitches, one after the other, starting with the middle octave shadja. In addition, fast paced characteristic phrases covering the 3 octaves are also included in this section. Eventually, the middle shadja is reached to mark the end of the
Wadada Leo Smith, an intellectually gritty and lyrically stunning trumpeter/composer, releases a double CD stuffed with highly-articulated music that envisions to provide historic insight and socio-political conscience about the America’s National Parks. Similar to what had happened in “The Great Lake Suites” (2014), each disc is composed of three movements. However, the band Wadada enlisted for this project was an expansion of his dream-team of veterans known as The Golden Quartet (Anthony Davis on piano, John Lindberg on bass, and Pheeroan AkLaff on drums), with the acquisition of the young cellist Ashley Walters, who adds a chamberesque texture and diversified colors to the organic divagations. “New Orleans” is an incredible 20-minute piece that
The song begins with the bass and guitar. Shortly after Albert King’s voice joins in as well as the drums and trumpet. Albert King’s voice is deep adding texture to the song. The same basic rhythm continues throughout the whole song. This song does not follow the typical twelve bar I-IV-V progression
King alters his prosody by changing the pitch of his voice multiple times throughout this moment. He makes it sound similar to singing a song, as there
Self-sacrifice is a common theme throughout Steven Galloway’s novel “The Cellist of Sarajevo”. The novel itself is a combination of fiction and nonfiction, while based on true events, Galloway’s imagination has vividly created four distinct character that each make sacrifices for their own ideal. They all share one vision, the vision being their city, Sarajevo, in a state of peace, rather than war. Each of the four characters attempt to survive in their war torn city in their own way. Amidst sniper fire, and bombing of markets, homes and even hospitals, each of them continues on with their lives, in what seems to be an unrelated chain of events.
The pitches are getting higher, while the song is going to the end. From 32:25 to 30:10 the flow is gaining momentum and the song has more powerful sounds until 44:25. The atmosphere of the work is entirely powerful and strong. The other hand, as the song is progressed, the flow loses momentum, and at 58:41, the atmosphere is changed into placidly mood. Ratio-based tuning system has intimately relationships between the other scales and notes.
There are many activities that I personally enjoy. One of those activities include playing the violin. The violin has always been a part of my life, my mind, and my body. I’ve always thought the violin as an extension of my vocal chords so I could “sing” through the violin. In addition, the violin was my stress reliever during times of great distress.
It was one of the first rhythms to be touched with the accordion just like puya and the composure of the songs do not have a particular theme rather they are composed for fun even though most speak about experiences of the composers
Latin Jazz, also known as Afro-Cuban jazz originated around 1940. It was due to the gradual and long interactions of American and Cuban music which birthed this distinct style of jazz. African american tunes and dance rhythms traveled north into the United States as well as the musical styles of African-American Jazz found their way down to the Caribbean and Central and Southern America. The fusion of both musical styles; Cuban music and African-American jazz was largely due to musicians and dancers throughout the area beginning to familiarise themselves with both of the musical techniques. The fusion happened in 1940 in the city of New York through the beginning of Machito and the Afro-Cubans orchestra, which was under directorship of Cuban trumpeter Mario Bauzá who essentially created the Latin Jazz through fusing jazz arrangements with Afro- Cuban percussion rhythm.
This is then followed by a sing-song like eight-note figure that features a pointed forward momentum. The rhythmic building blocks of the theme is constructed in two bar phrases which then sequences upward by step (Example 1). The accompaniment to the theme is sustained half notes played by the second violins, Violas, and Cellos The home key and the harmonic content of the exposition is also very clear in its presentation. The opening of the movement is in A major and remains primarily diatonic in its harmonic content, with only the occasional passing tone. The primary theme is played twice having a four-bar transition in between each quotation (Example 2).
In some parts he also uses ironic phrases to help visualize the description being made. Tone shifts when the woman singer comes in
The voice which Marley uses to sing his music alters some pronunciations of words to make them rhye and stick in the minds of his listeners, as well as the message he portrays. Before God and man, yeah To see the unification of all Africans, yeah
The Philippines has always had a rich musical history. It takes its roots from the indigenous tribes of the Philippines, who used it as a way to pass on epics and stories about gods and heroes, a way to celebrate good harvests, festivals, weddings and births, a way to mourn the dead, to court women, and a way to praise the gods. This music was then enriched by the Philippines’ western colonizers. The Spaniards imparted the zarzuela (called sarswela in the Philippines) and the rondalla, adding more Spanish touches to Filipino folk songs. The Americans, on the other hand, influenced the Philippine music scene by introducing pop and rock, eventually leading to the creation of “Pinoy pop”, which included a wide variety of forms like dance tunes, ballads, rock n’ roll, disco, jazz, and rap.