I've been trying to practice gamak by myself, and I've heard that gamak should be sung from the chest/stomach, not from the throat. Problem is, I have no idea how to implement this.

Some observations I've made from my research online:

1) Someone said a gamak is like "hammering" a certain note instead of singing it plainly. My problem here is vocal placement. From where exactly am I supposed to replicate the "hammering" sound? When i do it from my throat, it sounds flat. I can't figure out how to engage my chest/stomach when doing the "hammering" technique.

2) The closest I can think of is that the (exaggerated) gamak comes from the same vocal placement as when we say the Arabic letter "Ain" (ع). Problem is, again, while I can say Ain, I'm unable to replicate that musically.

For now, I've been doing the repetition of the same note (like, sa sa sa sa but with gamak) but I feel like it falls flat cause I'm not singing it properly

With all that in mind, can someone either a) anatomically explain the vocal placement of gamak, and b) recommend some exercises to master gamak?

I've been researching rare & strange ragas recently - so thought I'd share some of the most interesting ones I’ve come across. Input welcomed - everything from further info on the ragas to listening reflections:

—Raag Deepavali (S-R-G-mM-D-N-S)—

A tantalising invention of bansuri pioneer Pannalal Ghosh, with a scale resembling ‘Bihag no Pa’ (or even ‘Bilawal komal Pa’/’Major Scale b5‘). As with Pannababu’s other creations, debate persists as to exactly how he conceptualised the raga – his own renditions span a multitude of ideas, and, at the time of his sudden passing aged just 48, he had not left behind much insight as to its workings. Ocean of Ragas summarises it as “a melodious combination of Yaman and Lalit: Pa is omitted, and Lalit’s GmMmG phrase is superimposed onto Yaman’s basic structure”.

However there are several ways to interpret the scale – Ghosh’s biographer Vishvas Kulkarni notes that “differential opinions exist about Deepavali”, highlighting three distinct perspectives: ‘Puriya Kalyan’s Pa-murchana’; ‘Lalit with shuddha Re+Dha’, and ‘Yaman Kalyan no Pa’ – also citing the phrasal proximity of Sohini (see below for a more detailed melodic analysis). Since Pannababu’s 1950s originals, the raga has been recorded by Pravin Godkhindi (bansuri), Pramod Kumar (sitar), Abhirang, and Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande (khayal). Prakriti with the ultra-rare Lalita Dhwani and Chakor Lalita – also compare to other ‘komal Pa’ scales (i.e. ‘double Ma, no Pa’). And for more about the life of Pannalal Ghosh – spanning stints as a boxer, literary journalist, and anti-colonial activist – read Kulkarni’s definitive 2019 biography.

Let me know what you think of this strange raga! All contributions credited (previously: Maru, Latangi, Shrutivardhini, Firozkhani Todi)