Becoming a vocalist!

Hi,

Had been busy these days, trying to learn the basics of singing. I accidently ran into a Guru, who has enviable credentials.

The experience of singing, that begun three weeks ago, has left a pleasant effect on me. Simply said, it is one's ability to make sounds, using one's vocal cords.

But, the irony is, it isn't as simple as it sounds. The sound produced needs to come from the bottom of one's belly. Having perfected this way to make sound, it is required to immerse oneself into the emotion (Bavam) of the words sung. Then, there is a basic need to have the voice resonate with the sruthi (the basic grammar of sound). Having done the above, the singer needs to tap the rhythm by his / her knee joint (while being seated cross-legged). The tapping changes based on the raga of the piece sung. The tapping needs to go synchronous with the chosen beat (Tala).

It was wonderful to know all these. My learning has just begun. My tutor felt it might take some time (a couple of months) for my voice to align with the sruthi.

The "known" seems to be a myth, and seems to admeasure the size of a grain of sand.

I cherish these experiences as they help reveal the depths of my ignorance.

Luv,

Vijay