Why learn Carnatic Music?
The reason to learn music for every individual may vary. Some aspire to become great singers and for few others it is out of sheer interest to learn the art form. Whatever be the intention, learning Carnatic music has great benefits. Lets take a look at some of them
- Music has a calming effect on one's mind. It is also scientifically proven that music reduces blood pressure levels and some ragas have the power to cure chronic diseases. Learning music is a great stress relief and practicing regularly relaxes your mind. After a tiring day at work, practicing music for 1 or 2 hours is a great stress buster. Try it out!
- Often, musicians are expected to learn and memorize a lot of compositions in different ragas/languages and remember complex gamakas (oscillation of notes) etc., Hence it is no wonder that a musician has fine memory skills. Starting from the basic exercises, a student of Carnatic music is expected to memorize the varisais (sarali varisai, janta varisai) etc., Memorizing these varisais are a great way to improve your memory.
- Singing is a yoga by itself. Holding your breath and focused inhaling and exhaling while singing is just another method to practice "pranayama". Hence it is good to know that singers have a good lung health :)
- Learning carnatic music, often demands listening keenly to a phrase/swara/gamaka/song sung or taught. One of the most important practice to be a good singer is to constantly listen to great masters through recorded or live concerts, radio programs etc., To be able to understand and assimilate what is being sung and taught, a student of Carnatic music has to develop his listening skills. This is a great way to train your ears and to improve listening skills.
- It improves fine motor skills by teaching the student to sing/play while doing the talam simultaneously. To be able to achieve this, one requires a lot of practice, dedication and discipline. This goes a long way, especially in children to help them improve their concentration.
- To be a good singer, religious practice everyday is a must. To dedicate undivided time and attention for practice, listening to concerts of great masters, attending regular classes are tasks for a lifetime for any musician. This brings in a lot of discipline and control.
- Learning Carnatic music is another way to keep us connected to our Indian culture. Every composition has some amazing mythological connection to our ancient temples. It would be very interesting to read and get to know some of our ancient practices/tradition/stories that have been dissolved over the years through these compositions by the great saints of Carnatic music.
The benefits of learning Carnatic music are enormous and I hope that this article motivates you to learn music! Happy learning!
