That music therapy is catching on in India comes across from the fact that the August 2002 issue of Life Positive – India’s first body-mind-spirit magazine – has devoted two articles to this topic.
Music Therapy: Communication Disorders
As well as teaching at the University of Aalborg in Denmark, Tony Wigram practices music therapy in Britain. There he works with children with communication and developmental disorders like autism and similar conditions.
Music Therapy: Melody & Rhythm in Carnatic Music
Melody and rhythm are fundamental to any music system in the world. Though they are inseparable, they can be viewed distinctly and studied separately. Different systems in the world give emphasis to one or the other, as, for example, the Ya-yueh music of China is more melody-oriented, while impressive rhythms form a prominent part of Central African music.
Continue reading Music Therapy: Melody & Rhythm in Carnatic Music
Music Therapy: Basic Characteristics of Carnatic Music and Tips for Appreciating Carnatic Music
Some basic characteristics of Carnatic music are
i. It is melody – and not harmony – based1. In simple terms, this means that by and large, the stress is on successive notes rather than simultaneous notes and chords.
Music Therapy: What is Raga?
A raga may be understood as a melodic scale (or mode) created by the permutation and combination of notes, rendered in a specific sequence in both ascent and descent. In other words, it is not only the notes that give the raga its identity but also their sequence. Apart from these two aspects, a ragas identity and beauty are also dependent on characteristic ornamentation and intonation. A raga has an innate capacity to create different moods, independent of lyrics.
Music Therapy: Tala in Carnatic Music
Tala may be understood as an organized form of expressing rhythm by means of beats, finger counts or waves of the hand. There are three commonly used parts of a tala: anudhrtam – a beat, dhrtam – a beat and a wave of the hand, and laghu – a beat followed by finger counts. Each tala has a well-defined combination of these parts, which not only gives it its unique identity but also makes the Indian tala system highly organised and colourful.
Music Therapy: Significance of Raga in Indian Music
A raga is a medium to display the expressive and creative abilities of an artiste. Each raga has its own boundaries and characteristics that give it a typical mood, structure and colour. For instance, ragas like Kadanakutoohalam and Vasanta bring about a cheerful atmosphere, while those like Varali and Ahiri are known to evoke pathos. In terms of scope, Todi and Kalyani can be elaborated endlessly, whereas sublime ragas like Nayaki and Devagandhari need just a few seconds to create a sense of fulfilment in the listener.
Continue reading Music Therapy: Significance of Raga in Indian Music
Music Therapy: Image of Raga
Every raga has an individuality derived through its particular pattern of ascending and descending notes and, more importantly, the manner in which they are rendered. Individual characteristics of a Carnatic raga depend more on the ornamental relationships of notes and phrases than on the interrelationship of notes based on principles of consonance, assonance and the like (as against systems like Western or Hindustani classical).
Music Therapy: Dynamic of a Carnatic Concert
Let us consider a simple fact. While there are hundreds of music systems in the world revolving around melody and rhythm, only a few enjoy international acclaim. Why? It may sound commonplace, but is nevertheless true that for anything to be successful, people should perceive it to be worth investing their time and money in. Specifically, for a music system to be successful, the foremost criterion is public acceptability. The degree of success may be defined as the rate of acceptability and could be measured by the formula:
Continue reading Music Therapy: Dynamic of a Carnatic Concert
Music Therapy: Compositions in Carnatic Music
Carnatic music is rich in compositions. In fact, the compositional aspect of Carnatic music is unparalleled for its sheer variety in ragas, talas, languages and styles, a repertoire built by great musicians, saints, philosophers, poets and historians of different periods. To top it, the lyrical content is emotional, spiritual, philosophical, romantic or descriptive, but (in most instances) with an underlying current of devotion to the almighty. Melodically and structurally, there are nearly fifty varieties of musical forms, though all of them do not find a place in concerts.
Continue reading Music Therapy: Compositions in Carnatic Music