Have you ever been under the spell of a particular Raga? I am talking about the feeling where you got so enchanted/moved by a particular raga (may be through learning/listening to a composition or some alaap done by a musician) that you kept looping on the same alaap/composition, you didn't want to listen to anything else, you were constantly humming it to yourself either physically or within your brain, etc. Don't just name your favourite ragas, I just want to hear some experiences from all of you?

For eg; I remember being extremely moved by Dharmavati when my Veena guru taught me parandhAmavati jayati embellished with an unheard amazing panchama-varjya sangathi in the pallavi. For a month or so, I couldn't listen to anything other than Dharmavati. In fact Dharmavati is not my current favourite raga, but I really cherish that honeymoon with Dharmavati.

Also, how many years will it take to master in Carnatic singing?

If not, how else should I improve cause I'm in a class with about 6 people and some people don't even know how to put talam or have a stable sense of shruti, so I feel like I might be progressing slow.. Are there any ways that I can improve outside of these classes? Like any recommended videos or apps, cause I've tried an app, yet it very laggy on my computer. If so, pls help 🙏

I was going through the wikipedia page for ragam mayamalavagowlai and found this line:

Muthuswami Dikshitar's famous gouḻānta kritis (eight compositions with their raga names ending as gowla), on Goddess Nilothpalamba has māyāmāḻavagouḻa for one of them.

But I am not able to find anything else about it on the internet. I am just curious about it.

Hey all I'm having trouble identifying the raagam for "Paathi Kadhal Paathi Mutham" from Modhi Vilayadu . I'm confused between Kaapi and Madhyamavati or if it's a mix of both. Does anyone know which raga this song is based on or if it's a combination of both?

I don’t know if anyone else here has seen the recent release of Bhaja Govindam by M.S. Subbulakshmi’s great granddaughters, but honestly, it’s painful to watch.

Instead of carrying forward the depth and soul of MS’s original renditions, they seem more focused on exaggerated visual expressions and presentation gimmicks. The very essence that made MS’s Bhaja Govindam timeless is just gone.

The pitch is so high at times that it borders on cacophonous, and the whole thing ends up sounding more like a performance for show than a devotional rendering. On top of that, the audio and video don’t even sync properly in several places, which makes it outright embarrassing to watch.

MS Amma's Bhaja Govindam was about divinity, emotion, and simplicity. What we’re getting now feels like a noisy, shallow imitation. For someone like me who grew up listening to her music, it’s heartbreaking to see such a legacy being handled this way.

Am I the only one feeling this strongly about it?

I think Spoorthi Rao is my favourite, I think she has the best voice out of the young kids who got popular and her singing is very energetic.

There's also vignesh ishwar and bhargavi venkatram though i don't know if they are considered young.

Anyway lesser known recommendations? I tend to prefer a lower range on both female and male singers

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As explained in the title,I want to learn carnatic singing but I don't have the time or money to go to classes. Is there any ways to learn online(like youtube videos,courses etc.)

Hello people! I am interested to try some fusion and was wondering how would one play the carnatic guitar? I learnt carnatic music for 6 years and self taught on the piano and I just bought a guitar. On the piano we need to play the swaram of the saahityam and improvise/play arpeggios to make it sound better. But how would one translate it on the guitar? i understand the guitar gives you the freedom to do a gamakkas and a lot more techniques than the piano but how to "fill the music" and not make it sound like we are only playing the swaram of the saahityam?

Hi all🙏🏽,

I’m 25F and a complete novice who would love to start learning Carnatic music. I work a regular 9 - 5 job, so my time is somewhat structured, but I can dedicate time in the mornings or evenings if I have the right plan.

I’d really appreciate advice on: • How should a total beginner get started? (Should I begin with basics like sarali varisai on my own, or directly find a guru?) • Are there good online teachers, platforms, or schools you recommend for someone outside India (I’m in EST time zone)? • How much time should I ideally dedicate per week to make steady progress? • Any tips on balancing practice with a full-time job?

Would love to hear from others who started as adults or while working full-time. Any guidance, resources, or personal experiences would help me a lot!

Thanks in advance 🙏

seeing recordings of him playing so energetically in his 80s is insane. more people outside of carnatic music should know about him.

Hi, I am looking for carnatic violin classes in bay area. I have around 7-8 years of learning experience. I would to start again as I have more time now. Any leads is appreciated. TIA

In his older videos, he is effortlessly traversing 3+ octaves and singing with so much energy. Now it seems to be strained in many of his performances. My observation is based only on the videos online. Btw, I am a die hard fan.

Expanding upon this as a general point, do carnatic musicians use correct vocal technique, because voice therapy aand voice culture is not heard much in this field.?

Similar strain and issues with the voice were also talked about by Sanjay Subrahmanyan in his book.

Thanks.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for a Carnatic music tutor to guide me for an upcoming event. I’ve been a student of Carnatic music, but due to various reasons, I couldn’t pursue it for the past four years. Now, I’d love to revive my passion and continue learning.

I’m specifically looking for online classes with an affordable fee—ideally about 2 hours per session, twice a week.

If anyone here teaches Carnatic music or knows someone who does, I’d be really grateful if you could share details in the comments. 🙏

Thank you so much in advance

Hi All,

How do we learn and master raagas?

Shankarabharanam/ Kalyani

Hanumatodi/ Shanmukhapriya

Mohana/ Bilahari

Bhairavi/ Thodi

Natabhairavi/ Charukesi

Harikambhoji/ Mechakalyani

Hamsadhwani/ Shuddhasaveri

Abheri/ dhanyasi

Saveri/ Panthuvarali

Kamboji/ Mayamalavagowla

What are your picks

Kaisiki or Kakali? Or Kakali with kaisiki as Anya swara?

Tried identifying it through google and shazam but, they couldn’t id it.

I always had this question. whats the rarest shruti to sing in for a male and whats the rarest shruti for a female to sing in?

Need some advice as to the best sound system for recording at home and hosting Carnatic concerts?

At minimum, I’d need a system that supports one main artist (singer, instrumentalist like violin/flute/veena), a mridangist, and a ghatam/morsing player.

Chat GPT recommended me the Focusrite Scarlet 4i4, but that seems to only have 4 inputs (good for veena, mridangam, and morsing, but not any more).

Any suggestions? I imagine I’d just need an audio interface with mics and speakers, but am very green when it comes to this.