Introduction
Do you want to tone up your voice? When you sing (or even speak), do you want to sound your best? Do you wish to cultivate your voice to make it mellow, rich, and sweet? If your answer to these questions is a resounding "YES", then you are ready to begin with this first lesson-- and continue with those that follow.
This text has accompanying music lesson.
How to get the best results with these lessons
(i) Please be very regular
(ii) Be patient and steady
(iii) Sing along, using your voice to produce steady, soft tone
Instructions
Click on the link to listen to the lesson online. You will need the RealAudio player to listen to the lesson
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Every pattern starts in my voice, and is immediately followed by the same pattern in my student Kathleen's voice.
Attend carefully to the pattern when I am singing, without singing along with me; you should sing along with Kathleen.
If you like, you can record your voice when singing along, and send the recording to me, by attaching it to your
email addressed to:
This series is voice-training exercises in several parts. Each segment of
exercises is called ALAMKARA or PALTA (or, pattern). The series has its key
in the note of C (commonly called 'white one' of 'sufed ek'). The note C
has ben chosen as a matter of common practice and convenience: there is no
other special reason.
The alamkara-s are in the thaat Bilawal. So we have all shuddha (natural)
notes. Playing these notes will involve only white keys:
The key
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
Indian notation
Sa
Re
Ga
Ma
Pa
Dha
Ni
Symbols
S
R
G
m
P
D
N
If you play these notes on the keyboard, you will need to use only white
keys. However, NEVER PLAY THE KEYBOARD ALONG WHEN SINGING.
An apostrophe to the left of a note indicates that it is to be sung in the
lower octave -- for example, 'N; an apostrophe to the right of a note
indicates that it is to be sung in the upper octave. In this first lesson,
notes in the upper octave are not involved.
Join us: enjoy and improve. During the lesson, I demonstrate a pattern, and
Kathleen repeats it. You can sing along with Kathleen's part.
The order and the notation of the exercises (alamkara-s) are:-
(1) S
(2) S 'N S
S 'N 'D 'N S
S 'N 'D 'P 'D 'N S
(3) S R S 'N S
S R S 'N 'D 'N S
S R S 'N 'D 'P 'D 'N S
(4) S R G R S 'N S
S R G R S 'N 'D 'N S
S R G R S 'N 'D 'P 'D 'N S
(5) S R G m G R S 'N S
S R G m G R S 'N 'D 'N S
S R G m G R S 'N 'D 'P 'D 'N S
----------------------------------
(6) S-R-G-m-P-m-G-R S-R-G-m-P-m-G-R S-R-G-m-P-m-G-R -S
[Repeated several times, with increasing tempo]
----------------------------------
(7) S R G m P
(8) SRG RGm GmP
(9) PmG mGR GRS
(10) SRG RGm GmP PmG mGR GRS
(11) SRGm RGmP
(12) PmGR mGRS
(13) SRGm RGmP PmGR mGRS
(14) SS RR GG mm PP
(15) PP mm GG RR SS
(16) SS RR GG mm PP mm GG RR SS
(17) SS RR GG mm PP mm GG RR SS RR GG mm PP mm GG RR SS
(18) SSS RRR GGG mmm PPP
(19) PPP mmm GGG RRR SSS
(20) SSS RRR GGG mmm PPP mmm GGG RRR SSS
(21) SSS RRR GGG mmm PPP mmm GGG RRR SSS RRR GGG mmm PPP mmm GGG RRR
SSS
(22) S R G m P m G R S
(23) S R G m P m G R S 'N
(24) S R G m P m G R S 'N 'D
(25) S R G m P m G R S 'N 'D 'P
(26) 'P 'D 'N S R G m P m G R S 'N 'D 'P
(27) S
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