South Indian Violin: Ornament in the Carnatic style

GemArts is delighted to present this lecture demonstration on Carnatic violin. Carnatic music is renowned for its heavy use of ornaments, referred to in south India as gamakas. These oscillations, fleeting leaps, and subtle touches convey nuances of motion and mood that give ragas their individual characters. This lecture-demonstration will present an introduction to Carnatic gamaka and raga, demonstrated by the ethnomusicologist and violinist Lara Pearson alongside an audio-visual presentation of her research on south Indian raga performance. The left hand technique required to produce the gamakas on the violin will be explored through video and 3D motion-capture footage, as well as live demonstration. This is not primarily a workshop; however there will be opportunities for audience members to try out some of the phrases discussed, either through singing or playing violin. There will also be time set aside for questions from the audience. 
This talk is the perfect introduction to the Carnatic style of violin which you can experience performed live by Jyotsna Sirkanth at our next Riverside Ragas:Shashank Subramanyam concert on 18th May. 

Presented with Sage Gateshead during Fiddles on Fire.

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