Online Carnatic Instrumental Music Courses In India

India is a hub of classical music tradition for five thousand years. India has two kinds of classical music, one is the Hindustani classical music and another one is the Carnatic classical music. Hindustani classical music developed in the northern region of India, whereas the source of Carnatic music is in southern India. This kind of music commonly associated with Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu. Carnatic music is considered one of the oldest type of music in the world. Thousands of year ago, Yazh and flute are mainly used as a Carnatic music instrument. Nowadays the well-known instruments are Veena, Gottuvadhyam,  Gadam, Mridangam, Tanpura etc. Online Carnatic instrumental music courses are becoming popular now. This is basically a live music class that is very famous in the present day.

About Carnatic music:

Carnatic music is presented mainly in concerts or recordings. Important elements of Carnatic music are Swara, Sruti, Raga, Tala.

·         Swara- A type of musical sound that means a single note known as Swara. It also defines the higher and lower position of the note.

·         Shruti- It is referred to musical pitch.

·         Raga- Raga sets the rule to build a melody. It is a scale and the seven notes of the scale are Sa-Re-Ga-Ma-Pa-Dha-Ni.

·         Tala- Tala is the particular time which is needed to build a group of beats.

Why Carnatic music?

Dhatu that is music and Matu that is words, make togetherly a Geetam or song. Though words are important music is more important. Because in many cases people do not know the language but they can feel the taste of music. The specialty of south India is their unique melody. So that many of the people interested in it. A music is popular is depend on the listener only. The music can change the listener mood then it is called a successful music. Carnatic music has that much success that in the present condition so many people have an interest in it.

Online Carnatic instrumental music classes are now on demand. Because it is not possible that one who lived far away from Carnatic music center, they can regularly join the class. Another problem is the time, in our generation the time is too short. So at this condition, online courses are very essential. These online classes are live, similar to Skype online classes. 

Significance Of The Four Basic Elements Of Carnatic Music Throughout Its History

The basics of Carnatic music feature four elements, namely: Shruti, Swara, Raga, and Tala. The foundation and improvisation of Carnatic music involve the optimum utilization of these four components. Like any other significant piece of Indian culture, the evolution of Indian classical music portrays a divine form of art. Mainly popular in the southern parts of India, the system of Carnatic music is credited with being an important subgenre of Indian classical music; the other being Hindustani music. Although certain differences exist in terms of style and composition, it is worth mentioning that both Carnatic and Hindustani music has witnessed the application of the same basic features; thus occupying a prominent role in the history of Indian classical music.

Shruti in Carnatic music is regarded as being equal to a tonic in Western music. All other notes in a musical composition are derived using Shruti as the base note. The general perception regarding Shruti is that it is the smallest gradation of pitch that is audible to a human ear or for a musical instrument to perform. Swara, another prominent feature of Carnatic music, provides emphasis on a single note capable of producing a musical sound. Swara pinpoints the relative position of a note, instead of highlighting any definite frequency of it. Significant differences exist between the Swara and the Shruti in Indian classical music. However, certain Carnatic musicians tend to believe that as both of them are Nadas, they are closely interrelated.

The set of prescribed rules for constructing a musical composition or building a melody in Carnatic music is defined as a Raga. From specifying upward and downward movement of music notes to the scales based on which such notes ought to played, Ragas are the collection of obligatory events that require proper observation for a Carnatic musical composition to be performed with absolute perfection.

Most Carnatic music singers follow a certain beat in the form of hand gestures and movements while performing a Carnatic tune. They track the time it takes for every beat to rise and fall simultaneously. A Tala forms the fourth and the last basic element of Carnatic music that refers to a fixed time cycle or meter in relation to any Carnatic melody. It represents a certain number of beats that occur within a song. Usually, a Tala consists of three basic parts, namely laghu, dhrtamand anudhrtam. 

Basic features of Shruti for Carnatic Music

The system of Carnatic music rose to prominence after being associated with the southern provinces of India for many years. It highlights the cultural values of ancient Hindu traditions and is an important subgenre of Indian classical music. The performance of Carnatic music requires an assembly of musicians playing different types of instruments, such as violins, veenas, ghatams, flutes, etc. Vocal music tends to be the major point of emphasis when it comes to Carnatic music; for almost all compositions require simultaneous singing performances even when they are played on musical instruments. Shruti for Carnatic music forms an important concept of conventional Indian music that originated from ancient and medieval Sanskrit texts. Being an important element of Carnatic music, it commonly refers to the smallest pitch interval that can be possibly detected by a human ear or produced by a musician while playing any kind of musical instrument.

Shruti for Carnatic music is considered to be equivalent to a key or a tonic in relation to Western music depending upon which all other music notes in a musical composition are derived. There can be witnessed a considerable difference in the meaning of Shruti when the two systems, Grama and Mela are taken into account. The Gama system uses Shruti to determine a perceptual difference that exists as a result of the possible interval between two notes. The Mela system focuses on utilizing the same initial Swara without providing any specific attention to any fixed interval for a Swara in terms of Shrutis. People generally tend to consider Shruti and Swara as the same concept of Carnatic music. However, there exists a significant difference between the two. A Swara may be defined as the combination of selected pitches that are utilized by a musician in order to construct the different scales, melodies, and ragas while writing a composition for Carnatic music. On the other hand, a Shruti is the lowest gradation of pitch that is used to derive all other music notes.

Certain Sanskrit gurus and Carnatic music experts tend to believe that the fundamental aspects of a Swara are closely related to those of a Shruti. They suggest that on account of Nadas (sounds that provide the perception of music), both Swaras and Shrutis are Nadas. Hence, the distinct identification of a Swara from a Shruti requires an impeccable knowledge of Carnatic music. 

Emergence Of Online Carnatic Music Classes Due To The Global Acceptance Of Indian Classical Music

Carnatic music, originating from the southern parts of India, is quite a unique system of music that has witnessed its fair share of acceptance in recent years among today’s youth. Carnatic music is credited to have evolved as a subgenre of Indian classical music from ancient Hindu traditions. Individuals, who are accustomed to listening to Carnatic music from an early age, indicate vocal music to be its most significant prospect. Carnatic compositions, even when played on instruments, are simultaneously assisted by Carnatic music singers, who sing such compositions according to the suggested musical notes. Nowadays, different musical institutes, through their individual websites, with an intention of popularizing Carnatic music, have begun to provide online Carnatic music classes.

Carnatic music admirers are the reason behind online Carnatic music classes becoming a trending concept in the modern era. All across the globe, hundreds and thousands of Carnatic music aspirants intend to attend traditional Carnatic music lessons. However, their hectic lifestyles and busy schedules prohibit them from doing so. In order to assist people in realizing their dreams, most influential and traditional Indian music schools have opted to provide online Carnatic music classes, at reasonable costs. Not only amateurs but also professionals can participate in such musical classes, thereby taking the opportunity to enhance their musical skills and abilities. The most fascinating aspect of attending these online classes is that any individual, from anywhere across the globe can learn a lot about Carnatic music conveniently from their homes or workplaces or from anywhere else. Also, the fact that such Carnatic music lessons are provided by reputed and experienced music gurus or tutors, serve as a blessing in disguise for every interested student or individual.

Not everyone can afford to participate in such expensive online Carnatic music lessons that are provided by established Indian musical schools and their expert personnel. Here in lies the importance of free online Carnatic musical courses. These free Carnatic lessons are provided by different Carnatic music practitioners through their personal websites. Such websites provide the option to download pdf’s, audio and video lessons so that interested students may learn from them even in an offline mode. Individuals also have the opportunity to communicate with such Carnatic music practitioners through personal texts or emails.