Indian Classical Music And Sikh Kirtan
by Gobind Singh Mansukhani (M.A., LL.B, Ph.D.) © 1982
Voice Training
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by Gobind Singh Mansukhani (M.A., LL.B, Ph.D.) © 1982
Voice Training
Indian Classical Music And Sikh Kirtan by Gobind Singh Mansukhani (M.A., LL.B, Ph.D.) © 1982 Voice Training |
| 3. Voice Training Particular breath-control exercise may not be necessary for voice training. The alaap exercises are intended to secure both poise and resonance of the voice. What is needed is the capacity of sustaining the breath over a slow vocalisation. The nom-tom exercise are meant to give practice in the reproduction of vowel and consonant sounds (found in the wording of the song). The breath throws the vocal chords into action and when it passes through the mouth cavity, it resonates according to the opening or closing of the teeth and lips. The strain on the “vocal chords can be reduced to a minimum by the judicious use of mouth cavities and proper control and adjustment of the tongue, the teeth and lips” [1] The vowel sounds can be easily sustained while the voiced consonants require some effort. The alaap exercises apart from voice training are also meant to regulate the pitch and the time. Subsequently tan exercises regulate the voice in equal steps. The parts of the alaap (ascending and descending) acquaint the student with the different groups of notes in a raga. Finally in the meend, the continuous glide, the performer gets relief by a return to the tonic note and thus contains the aesthetic relish of the raga. In India, vocal music is rated higher than instrumental; music. As such, ancient writers laid emphasis on the cultivation of the voice. Control over the voice is the key to the art of singing. A cultivated voice is the result of great discipline. Bharata mentioned five qualities which a singer must cultivate in order to build up a musical voice: a) Volume of voice: It should be audible from a distance of about 60 feet. Perhaps this requirement is not necessary now an account of acoustic arrangements in concert hall. b) Steadiness of tone: It should be cultivated so as to improve the tonal quality. c) Mellowness of voice: The voice must be trained to be able to produce different notes without any effort. d) Production of several notes to the basic or fundamental note: Such notes would include similar notes, consonant notes and side notes. The singer must know the composite nature of musical notes and be able to reproduce them at will. e) Range of voice: It should be comprehensive. He should be able to use the notes of the three saptaks: the lower, the middle and upper octaves. Sarang Deva the musicologist added the following qualifications for a good vocal singer. He is one who: a) Pays great attention to the rhythm of his song. b) Pronounces the words of his composition correctly and in such a manner that they are intelligible to the audience. c) Produces the raga-form correctly according to his tradition, and d) Sings in his natural voice and does not imitate another voice or singer. According to the old Indian tradition, vocal music is a life long education and one cannot be perfect even when one approaches one’s end. The sadhana is difficult but rewarding. Practice makes a person perfect. Even well-known and reputed singers practise eight to twelve hours a day. |