how to measure pitch or kattai?

[SANDHYAV]

Share:

Facebook X Bluesky LinkedIn WhatsApp Email Share Link

normally when i tune in my violin, i dont have a sruti box, i just make sure
sp sp is ok.
but my qs are
1. how to measure kattai on a harmonium
2. is it different from a piano

 

[Raji Ram]

Dear Sandhya,

Normally in Harmonium the very first note played will be C as shown in the electronic sruthi box and = oru kattai.

The next is a black which is oNNarai kattai which is in between oru kattai and reNdu kattai.

All the white keys represent the full kattais and the black ones are the halves in between.

The markings in the electronic sruthi box are:

C = oru kattai; C. = oNNarai kattai

D = rendu kattai; D. = reNdarai kattai

E = mooNu kattai and There is no mooNarai kattai on Harmonium

F = Naalu kattai; F. = naalarai kattai

G = anju kattai; G. = anjarai kattai

A = aaRu kattai; A. = aaRarai kattai

B = Ezhu kattai and there is no Ezharai kattai on Harmonium.


But we can set oNNE kaal, oNNE mukkaal and so on in the electronic sruthi box and of course in all the stringed instruments.

So we can set mooNarai kattai and Ezharai kattai also!! Hope it is clear.

 

[Raji Ram]

 

[Raji Ram]

If we keep C as the sruthi, the white ones which follow will be Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni of SankarAbharaNam.

 

[SANDHYAV]

C = 1 and C is before the double blacks and not the triple blacks, thanks madam

 

[SANDHYAV]

Madam, i heard somewhere, you can tune a piano with rows of keys, i guess it is possible to have 0.25 and 0.55 kattai madam?

 

[Raji Ram]

Dear Sandhya,

I have noticed the provision for fine settings in a few advanced keyboards.

If fine settings are provided, it is possible to have the kaal and mukkaal kattais too.

Our Renu is a piano player. She might answer this, if she happens to view this thread!

 

[sadasivam.sridharan]

For a layman like me, it is too technical to understand the sruthi settings . I can only pinpoint the moment when there is a derailment from the sruthi when the artist performs on the stage.

 

[Raji Ram]

Dear S. S Sir,

The apaswaram would be noticed by those who have good ear for music.

I fix the sruthi for my students who learn vocal music by checking their range. They should be able

to reach base panchamam and at least top madhyamam with ease. In fact I teach them to take their

correct sruthi by singing the lowest note possible and sing P. D. N. S and take that S as the sruthi.

Cool right?

P.S: With some years of teaching experience we can roughly find out in the pitch of the singer without

the help of sruthi box! :thumb:

 

[sadasivam.sridharan]

When we talk of the pitch of the singer, I am reminded of Shri.S G Kittappa of bygone years who could perform to a large audience without the aid of microphone and loudspeaker.

 

[Raji Ram]

When we talk of the pitch of the singer, I am reminded of Shri.S G Kittappa of bygone years who could perform to a large audience without the aid of microphone and loudspeaker.

Dear Sir,

For the concerts at the 'navarAthri mandapam' of Sri. Padmanabha Swami temple, Trivandrum, there are no

electric lights or amplifiers. I wish to attend at least one concert there! It will surely be a new experience.

 

[Raji Ram]

In the youtube upload, only audio is available!

Enjoy the not-much-heard thillAnA:

Sanjay Subrahmanyan (Navarathri Mandapam - Thillana - Anandhabhairavi

 

[sadasivam.sridharan]

r Sir,

For the concerts at the 'navarAthri mandapam' of Sri. Padmanabha Swami temple, Trivandrum, there are no

electric lights or amplifiers. I wish to attend at least one concert there! It will surely be a new experience. [/COLOR]

The one thing that is unique in Kerala is adherence to the age old customs and traditions in the places of religious activities and temples,especially.That is really good.

 

[Raji Ram]

I visited Kerala last week. As always, I found that most of the helping maids, including those who sweep the

roads, have a head bath and chandhanam on the forehead, while coming to work, in the early morning!

 

[sshanks]

Discussion on shruthis and kattais is a welcome one. I am not trained in these but have an ear for such nuances. They have "PA" scales and "MA" scales. Many bhajans (SAI) are set to one of these scales with an appropriate kattai. At the same time there are some equivalents between "PA" and "MA". for example Scale 4PA = Scale 1MA. Then why not have only one scale either based on "PA" or "MA". I feel i miss some intricacies in such a classification. Can anybody explain?
Sankaran (sshanks)

 

[Raji Ram]

Dear Sankaran Sir,

The basic sruthi is known as 'Panchama sruthi' but is starts with SA as the base note.

This SA is the AdhAra sruthi and we call this as Sruthi of a voice / instrument.

When a song has ONLY low and middle range notes, it will be nice to hear in a higher pitch

rather than in the basic sruthi. So, this AdhAra sruthi is shifted to M1 which is known as

'Madhyama Sruthi'. So when M1 becomes the AdhAra sruthi:


M1 = S; M 2 = R1; P = R2; D 1 and 2 = G 1 and 2 ; N 1 and 2 = M 1 and 2; S' = P;

R' 1 and 2 = D 1 and 2; G' 1 and 2 = N 1 and 2; M'1 = S'.

So the bhajans which has ONLY lower and middle octave notes are sung in Madhyama Sruthi.

I hope it is clear!

 

[sshanks]

Dear Raji Ram,

Thank you for your reply posted above. I am able understand your answer and the necessity of having the MA scale, for those songs which do not span adequate or optimum no.of swaras in at least three octaves for a pleasant listening. Shall I understand that instead of going to a higher octave in SA for the rendition, the MA scale gives the singing convenience as well as pleasantness. In other words the MA scale is in between two SA scales. Is it so?

Sankaran

 

[Raji Ram]

...... In other words the MA scale is in between two SA scales. Is it so?

Yes Sir!

Usually male voice is around 1 kattai + / - 1 and female voice around 5 kattai + / - 1. While singing duet songs in films,

the males don't change much where as the female has to sing the higher octave which will be 8 (for 1) - ettu kattai sruthi!!

Some male playback singers of olden time could manage up to 5 kattai if there are not many higher notes in the song. So the

male voice will sound shrill and the females who sing in the same 5 kattai will sound very low!! Have you noticed it?

 

[Raji Ram]

Listen to this duet song:

M K Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, M L Vasanthakumari-Ennaanadam

 

[Raji Ram]

One more duet:

M K Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, M L Vasanthakumari - INGUM ANGUM

 

[sshanks]

Dear RR,

Listened to those songs.I think "aadadha manamum Undo" by TMS and MLV in Mannadhimannan also brings out this effect. Syrprisingly MLV's pitch only could effectively cope up with such male renderings. Am I correct? Or anybody else? How do you classify KB Sundarambal's voice. What peculiarities?

Sankaran

 

[Raji Ram]

Dear Sankaran Sir,

Thanks for pointing out this song. Male voice can be comfortable up to 3. In film duet songs, if the male sings at 1

the female has to sing at 8 which the higher octave. In this song Aadadha manamum undo they are singing at 'F.'

which is 4 & 1/2. So, it would have been tough ONLY for TMS and not for MLV, since it is a comfortable pitch for her!

Smt S. Janaki easily manages at 8 and 8+ because sometimes the male sings at 1+


Another male singer who can manage high pitches is Sri. T. R. Mahalingam (lived in Ram's opposite house at Thenkarai)

Here is one sample at 'F.' sruthi! Isai Tamizh Nee Seida - T.R. Mahalingam . Hits Top panchamam with ease!! Real

.


Smt. K B S has a special 'veNgalk kural' which seldom women possess. (Carnatic music has Smt. Aruna Sairam now!)

K B S sang in her real voice and never in false voice! In the following song, her pitch is 5 which is comfortable for ladies.

Pazham Neeyappa - K.B. Sundarambal

 

[sadasivam.sridharan]

Btw did K B Sundarambal have any formal training in Carnatic music? Or was it that she was a great singer by kelvi gnanam?

 

[Raji Ram]

Btw did K B Sundarambal have any formal training in Carnatic music? ..

I don't think so Sir. She seems to have been very poor till she joined a drama troupe and married S G Kittappa.

 

[sshanks]

Dear RR,

There is a saying that " those things which can't be expressed in numbers can't be well understood". The pitch definition proves this and more so when you have mentioned the kattai of TMS in Aadadha Manamum Undo.I think MLV's voice is one female voice that has a good throw while singing in lower octaves. One more personality is the great DK Pattammal, i think!!

Another exceptional renedering in this category is "Aerikkarayin melay poravaley penmayile" by TMS. What pitch is this?
How does Sri MD Ramanathan compares with a normal male scale? Another curiosity -What scale is KBS's "Parama Gnanapazhathai Pizhindhu..."?

Sankaran