Traditional Indian fine arts, once an integrated whole, have, in the course of time, become segregated into various art forms, moving towards a global performing culture. Shifting away from a school of approach or tradition, new individual interpretations emerged, resulting in departures from the original unity. However, we need to understand the various styles in order to retain the unified richness of a particular tradition. 

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The vast array of resources now encourages proficient Karnatak practitioners to skilfully adapt the works of great masters, often blending elements from different styles or, in the interest of novelty or popularity, relying on available written materials such as notations. This process, reinforced by intellectual optimisation, is sometimes presented as originality. The larger the following for such approaches, the greater the divergence from the tradition itself. However, any authentic Karnatak rendition requires a heightened sense of listening at both macro and micro levels in order to understand and interpret a composition meaningfully.

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Professor Karaikudi S. Subramanian introduces the COMET methodology as an integrated approach to accurate self-learning with heightened sensitivity to time, tone, tune and text. Reaching this stage is a gradual process that requires steady engagement and sustained practice. This workshop addresses the foundations of self-learning and outlines its core principles, emphasising mindful practice over rote memorisation.

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Any authentic Karnatak rendition is firmly rooted in an understanding of the composite nature of gamakas. The participants in this workshop will be guided through the initial stages of self-learning by opening themselves to holistic listening at the macro level and detailed listening at the micro level. Holistic listening makes the students absorb the whole song over various stages of listening. This method not only helps a student within the culture but also goes beyond cultural boundaries to sensitise students to the nuances of any musical system. 

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How will this be approached?

The participants will be engaged in a meticulous learning of a stylistically distinctive composition from the Karaikudi repertoire under the guidance of Professor Karaikudi S. Subramanian. This learning experience will serve as a model to learn any stylistically distinctive composition.