Carnatic Music Classes for students in the US over Skype
I offer classes to children and aspiring concert performers up to ages 20 interested in learning traditional Carnatic (South Indian Style) music.
At present, I reside in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and I teach over Skype and some in person classes depending on where students live.
If you're already studying Carnatic music and/or performing concerts, I can help you hone your singing and stage performance skills. I specialize in teaching advanced Carnatic techniques, such as Raga Alapana, Niraval, Kalpana Swaras and Ragam Thanam Pallavis.
At this time I do not teach the basic lessons and expect students to be at a stage where they can sing at least a few varnams. I also do not teach adults over the age of 20 years.
Learning from a professional performing musician is very different compared to learning from people who specialize in teaching music. My focus will always be on stage performance type singing, which requires significantly more polishing than otherwise. On the flip side, it deals somewhat lesser with the theoretical aspects of music. The precision in thalam, alignment to sruthi, oozing of bhaava or feel in the music rendered are very important when giving a stage performance as is the focus on coordination with accompanying artists. Such a goal also requires a vast repertoire and plenty of variety. Yes, my focus is on teaching to perform rather than teaching how to sing Carnatic music.
I also believe that each individual must develop his / her talents on an individual basis. Some students are more receptive than others and every student takes a different developmental path in building their talent. The teacher must focus on building a musical foundation specific to the talent and weaknesses of the particular student. For instance, some students need more time and different types of exercises in achieving stability in rhythm or talam. Others take more time to align themselves to the Sruthi.
The type of classes I offer are customized to each student's potential and the maturity of their talent.
Secondly, most students tend to compromise on fundamentals in a hurry to move on to more advanced constructs or accumulate as many songs or geethams or krithis as they can. Ask yourself this - did you or your child learn every single lesson in the beginner's course (Sangeetha Bala Paatam)? Why or why not?
Thirdly, I emphasize on learning through listening - a student is likely to learn twice as much from a teacher when exposed to music that has been sung by the great artists of yesteryears and absorb the nuances. Cooking to taste often produces the best food. Likewise, developing a sharp ear for Carnatic music and enjoying great music is vital to developing one's musical skills. I share with students, the master pieces of Carnatic music that I have gathered through two decades of continuous listening to the highest quality of music that has been sung in the last 100 years.
Lastly, I choose my students carefully and allow them or their parents to decide as well that the relationship and association with me will be successful and valuable. There is always a lot to learn from someone like me, but the chemistry and imbibing of the Guru's style is as important as accumulating musical knowledge. And there are surely many teachers much more capable and knowledgeable than I am.
Structure and frequency of classes
Classes are typically weekly. Also, I insist on students practicing at home to complement their music classes and progress. Classes can be scheduled in a flexible manner depending on schedules of the students and mine. The Stage I classes last typically for 30 - 45 mins., Stage II and III for an average of 1 hour and Stage IV on an as needed basis without time constraints. That said, I don't like operating to any strict time limit and typically spend the time it takes to get the student to learn what I am teaching rather than stop after 30 or 45 mins. I get to determine which stage is appropriate for each student and when students are ready to move to higher stages. I highly recommend recording the class sessions so students can listen to it afterwards and practice whatever was learned.
The following are the categories of my music classes:
Stage I
1. Introduction and familiarization of thalams and ragams
2. Simple varnams and krithis in simple ragas without a lot of Gamakams
3. The student is expected to practice everyday for at least 30 mins at home
Stage II
1. Increasing the repertoire of Krithis and Varnams
2. Preliminary techniques of Kalpana Swaram singing
3. Introduction to Raga Alapana and its structure; Raga alapana in lower speeds and for simple ragams
4. Basic techniques of establishing Sarvalaghu Shuddham or sense of rhythm
5. The student is expected to practice everyday for at least 1 hour at home
Stage III
1. More complex krithis including ones in Ghana ragams & Vilamba Kaalam
2. Advanced techniques in Kalpana Swaram singing; Introduction to Kuraipuu and Korvais
3. Basic techniques of Niraval
4. Elaborate Raga Alapana singing (concert style); training on important gamakams for ghana ragams; Introduction to Brigaas
5. How to learn by listening - developing a sharp ear for Carnatic music
6. Honing diction and appreciating lyrical richness of compositions
7. Focusing on Bhavam and Bhakti Rasa
8. Concert structure and preparation techniques
9. The student is expected to practice for a minimum of 1-2 hours every day at home in addition to the music class.
Stage IV
1. Focus on increasing the repertoire of Krithis to several hundred (yes, that is correct!)
2. Advanced level Alapana, Niraval, Kalpana swaram singing in concert style and with full depth
3. Kalpana Swaram singing - advanced concepts - Kuraippu / Reduction for different types of thalams; Korvai or mathematical constructs
4. Introduction and mastery of brigas, multiple kalam Niraval singing
5. Ragam Thanam Pallavi - basic concepts and RTPs in a variety of thalams including Nadai Pallavis
6. Progressive shift to singing Carnatic music as a spiritual offering to the Divine rather than just a musical performance - appreciation of nuances of lyrics, their meaning and how to bring out the Bhavam and essence of the krithi
7. Self-learning techniques using notation and how to finish and fine tune a krithi learned through self-learning
8. How to compose Ragam Thanam Pallavis
9. Advanced level concert planning, preparation and perfection techniques
10. "Tons" of offline listening to Carnatic music from my very special music collection
11. The student is expected to practice for a minimum of 2-3 hours everyday.
I like to ensure that students have a vision of their own journey of the pursuit of Carnatic music and always something to strive for and look forward to.
Finally, some of my favorite lessons learned in my musical journey that I like to share with my students in the form of popular quotes -
1. "Rome was not built in a day"
2. "We don't know what we don't know"
3. "The more we learn the less we know"
4. "Carnatic music is less about what we learn and more about how we learn" - probably true for many things in life.
5. "The main objective of Carnatic music is to praise the Divine, as must be the objective of every student"
6. "Carnatic music is an expression of humility of the performer"
7. "Hard work builds character, muscle, careers.... And vocal chords and Carnatic musicians too!"
All the best with your attempts to get more spiritual using the medium of music!
Note to parents:
I am receiving a large number of requests for teaching Carnatic music to children anywhere between ages two and a half years to six years. Please note that my experience thus far has not shown any child to be capable of learning formal Carnatic music lessons less than the age of seven, unless the child has prodigal talent. This kind of talent is rare and sometimes found in children born in a family that has a lineage of performing Carnatic musicians. For nearly all of the rest of us, prodigal and exceptional talent is rare. I recommend waiting till 7-8 years of age at least so your child has adequate level of attention, focus and is able to align well to sruthi.
There are teachers that may teach kids songs, but I am into teaching formal lessons with proper sruthi and thalam only and such instruction is rarely possible prior to six or seven years of age.
Till date I have conducted several evaluations of children younger than this just to be sure and have not found anyone ready before this age.
I understand the interest, enthusiasm and concern exhibited by parents, but Carnatic music has to come and grow naturally in the child and it will work out regardless of the age at which the child starts learning.
HOW TO APPLY:
There are a very large number of parents who regularly contact me for classes. Due to the limited availability of Carnatic music teachers that can impart professional level training, I am forced to be very selective in choosing students who are really talented and most deserving, in order to do justice to the art of Carnatic Music and build performers for the future. In many cases, even if students are talented, I might take a few months to fit them into my schedule. If you are interested in enrolling for classes please provide the following information about the student:
- Age
- Shruthi
- Background in music and learning thus far
- A link to a sample audio or video clip (preferred) containing any Carnatic piece sung by the student,if possible. In this age of smartphones and electronic recorders, I am sure that anyone will find it easy enough to do a quick recording and upload onto YouTube or many other sites.
You may submit the above information over the Contact Page on this website. While I go through all requests individually , I may not be able to respond to every request.
I have been teaching many students over many years now. Below, you will find some of their videos that highlight their progress in the journey of Carnatic music since learning from an early age and starting this journey with me as their guru.
At present, I reside in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and I teach over Skype and some in person classes depending on where students live.
If you're already studying Carnatic music and/or performing concerts, I can help you hone your singing and stage performance skills. I specialize in teaching advanced Carnatic techniques, such as Raga Alapana, Niraval, Kalpana Swaras and Ragam Thanam Pallavis.
At this time I do not teach the basic lessons and expect students to be at a stage where they can sing at least a few varnams. I also do not teach adults over the age of 20 years.
Learning from a professional performing musician is very different compared to learning from people who specialize in teaching music. My focus will always be on stage performance type singing, which requires significantly more polishing than otherwise. On the flip side, it deals somewhat lesser with the theoretical aspects of music. The precision in thalam, alignment to sruthi, oozing of bhaava or feel in the music rendered are very important when giving a stage performance as is the focus on coordination with accompanying artists. Such a goal also requires a vast repertoire and plenty of variety. Yes, my focus is on teaching to perform rather than teaching how to sing Carnatic music.
I also believe that each individual must develop his / her talents on an individual basis. Some students are more receptive than others and every student takes a different developmental path in building their talent. The teacher must focus on building a musical foundation specific to the talent and weaknesses of the particular student. For instance, some students need more time and different types of exercises in achieving stability in rhythm or talam. Others take more time to align themselves to the Sruthi.
The type of classes I offer are customized to each student's potential and the maturity of their talent.
Secondly, most students tend to compromise on fundamentals in a hurry to move on to more advanced constructs or accumulate as many songs or geethams or krithis as they can. Ask yourself this - did you or your child learn every single lesson in the beginner's course (Sangeetha Bala Paatam)? Why or why not?
Thirdly, I emphasize on learning through listening - a student is likely to learn twice as much from a teacher when exposed to music that has been sung by the great artists of yesteryears and absorb the nuances. Cooking to taste often produces the best food. Likewise, developing a sharp ear for Carnatic music and enjoying great music is vital to developing one's musical skills. I share with students, the master pieces of Carnatic music that I have gathered through two decades of continuous listening to the highest quality of music that has been sung in the last 100 years.
Lastly, I choose my students carefully and allow them or their parents to decide as well that the relationship and association with me will be successful and valuable. There is always a lot to learn from someone like me, but the chemistry and imbibing of the Guru's style is as important as accumulating musical knowledge. And there are surely many teachers much more capable and knowledgeable than I am.
Structure and frequency of classes
Classes are typically weekly. Also, I insist on students practicing at home to complement their music classes and progress. Classes can be scheduled in a flexible manner depending on schedules of the students and mine. The Stage I classes last typically for 30 - 45 mins., Stage II and III for an average of 1 hour and Stage IV on an as needed basis without time constraints. That said, I don't like operating to any strict time limit and typically spend the time it takes to get the student to learn what I am teaching rather than stop after 30 or 45 mins. I get to determine which stage is appropriate for each student and when students are ready to move to higher stages. I highly recommend recording the class sessions so students can listen to it afterwards and practice whatever was learned.
The following are the categories of my music classes:
Stage I
1. Introduction and familiarization of thalams and ragams
2. Simple varnams and krithis in simple ragas without a lot of Gamakams
3. The student is expected to practice everyday for at least 30 mins at home
Stage II
1. Increasing the repertoire of Krithis and Varnams
2. Preliminary techniques of Kalpana Swaram singing
3. Introduction to Raga Alapana and its structure; Raga alapana in lower speeds and for simple ragams
4. Basic techniques of establishing Sarvalaghu Shuddham or sense of rhythm
5. The student is expected to practice everyday for at least 1 hour at home
Stage III
1. More complex krithis including ones in Ghana ragams & Vilamba Kaalam
2. Advanced techniques in Kalpana Swaram singing; Introduction to Kuraipuu and Korvais
3. Basic techniques of Niraval
4. Elaborate Raga Alapana singing (concert style); training on important gamakams for ghana ragams; Introduction to Brigaas
5. How to learn by listening - developing a sharp ear for Carnatic music
6. Honing diction and appreciating lyrical richness of compositions
7. Focusing on Bhavam and Bhakti Rasa
8. Concert structure and preparation techniques
9. The student is expected to practice for a minimum of 1-2 hours every day at home in addition to the music class.
Stage IV
1. Focus on increasing the repertoire of Krithis to several hundred (yes, that is correct!)
2. Advanced level Alapana, Niraval, Kalpana swaram singing in concert style and with full depth
3. Kalpana Swaram singing - advanced concepts - Kuraippu / Reduction for different types of thalams; Korvai or mathematical constructs
4. Introduction and mastery of brigas, multiple kalam Niraval singing
5. Ragam Thanam Pallavi - basic concepts and RTPs in a variety of thalams including Nadai Pallavis
6. Progressive shift to singing Carnatic music as a spiritual offering to the Divine rather than just a musical performance - appreciation of nuances of lyrics, their meaning and how to bring out the Bhavam and essence of the krithi
7. Self-learning techniques using notation and how to finish and fine tune a krithi learned through self-learning
8. How to compose Ragam Thanam Pallavis
9. Advanced level concert planning, preparation and perfection techniques
10. "Tons" of offline listening to Carnatic music from my very special music collection
11. The student is expected to practice for a minimum of 2-3 hours everyday.
I like to ensure that students have a vision of their own journey of the pursuit of Carnatic music and always something to strive for and look forward to.
Finally, some of my favorite lessons learned in my musical journey that I like to share with my students in the form of popular quotes -
1. "Rome was not built in a day"
2. "We don't know what we don't know"
3. "The more we learn the less we know"
4. "Carnatic music is less about what we learn and more about how we learn" - probably true for many things in life.
5. "The main objective of Carnatic music is to praise the Divine, as must be the objective of every student"
6. "Carnatic music is an expression of humility of the performer"
7. "Hard work builds character, muscle, careers.... And vocal chords and Carnatic musicians too!"
All the best with your attempts to get more spiritual using the medium of music!
Note to parents:
I am receiving a large number of requests for teaching Carnatic music to children anywhere between ages two and a half years to six years. Please note that my experience thus far has not shown any child to be capable of learning formal Carnatic music lessons less than the age of seven, unless the child has prodigal talent. This kind of talent is rare and sometimes found in children born in a family that has a lineage of performing Carnatic musicians. For nearly all of the rest of us, prodigal and exceptional talent is rare. I recommend waiting till 7-8 years of age at least so your child has adequate level of attention, focus and is able to align well to sruthi.
There are teachers that may teach kids songs, but I am into teaching formal lessons with proper sruthi and thalam only and such instruction is rarely possible prior to six or seven years of age.
Till date I have conducted several evaluations of children younger than this just to be sure and have not found anyone ready before this age.
I understand the interest, enthusiasm and concern exhibited by parents, but Carnatic music has to come and grow naturally in the child and it will work out regardless of the age at which the child starts learning.
HOW TO APPLY:
There are a very large number of parents who regularly contact me for classes. Due to the limited availability of Carnatic music teachers that can impart professional level training, I am forced to be very selective in choosing students who are really talented and most deserving, in order to do justice to the art of Carnatic Music and build performers for the future. In many cases, even if students are talented, I might take a few months to fit them into my schedule. If you are interested in enrolling for classes please provide the following information about the student:
- Age
- Shruthi
- Background in music and learning thus far
- A link to a sample audio or video clip (preferred) containing any Carnatic piece sung by the student,if possible. In this age of smartphones and electronic recorders, I am sure that anyone will find it easy enough to do a quick recording and upload onto YouTube or many other sites.
You may submit the above information over the Contact Page on this website. While I go through all requests individually , I may not be able to respond to every request.
I have been teaching many students over many years now. Below, you will find some of their videos that highlight their progress in the journey of Carnatic music since learning from an early age and starting this journey with me as their guru.