Murchana

[Pistal]

Hey everyone,

I'm wondering if anyone can post some good murchana excersises to add to my riyaz?

Thanks very much in advance

[fossesitar]

Try the Chai Latte Vente Grande

[Pistal]

Wow.....that's really helpful

Seriously though, anyone who can help, I'd really appreciate it.

[fossesitar]

I started in ICM at the age of 21, I am 66 now.
Been a lover of sitar and ICM all that time, studied here and in India.
Happy to help but I do not have a clue what "Murchana" even IS. I
googled it, nothing, nada. This is onna my pet peeves, and when
I go into Starbucks I orde a "LARGE COFFEE PLEASE".

We are in America, can we speak english? Is it OK to call "riyazz"
practice? or do we hafta pretend we are in some secret society
with secret words. If you want to use Hindi (or Urdu) words then
why not write'em in Hindi or Urdu script??

Then those who actually speak and use those words can read them.
Guess I am just dumb or lazy but you are posting on the "newbie"
thread using words I do not comprehend after 40+ years in ICM.

Smile.

[fossesitar]

My point is this: I studies with Ustad Vilayat Khan in India for the better part
of a year, virtually living with him at his home in Simla for much of that period.
I received much personal one to one instruction from him. Also occassionally
he would teach Shujaat (age 11 or so at the time?) and me together.

I also studied with the dear departed Patric Marks here in the good ol' USA.
Not once in all my studies was the word murchana used or mentioned in any way.

These esteemed teachers communicated to me in English, I suggest we do the same.

[ragamala]

Hey everyone,

I'm wondering if anyone can post some good murchana excersises to add to my riyaz?

Thanks very much in advance

Ho Pistal

Fear not - some of us over-sixties do remember to take our medication

There's nothing special about scale murchhana - here are Ravi Shankar's murchhana exercises from his My Music My Life book.

If difficult to read better scans at
http://www.mediafire.com/?whhor8hiu7fi1og
and
http://www.mediafire.com/?67fd8mzbdgaqika

Best
Alan

[nicneufeld]

Greg brings up an interesting point, which is probably a side issue since murchana seems to be a concept for which I don't see a ready English equivalent. It is amusing that some of the best Indian teachers are more likely to use translated English terminology when teaching English speaking students, as compared perhaps to Western teachers who may (this is a gross overgeneralization) be more inclined to relish in the exoticism of the lingo. My teacher (also of Etawah gharana) generally doesn't load me up on Hindi terminology. He refers to "exercises" instead of paltas, "practice" instead of riyaz, "pulling" instead of meendh (although he's about half and half with that one), etc. However, there are some terms best left untranslated...alap, gat (although he often refers to a "composition"), taans instead of "runs", tihai, etc.

But if he ever starts telling me the ascent of Yaman is Ti Re Mi Fa La Ti Do, I'm out! Sargam into solfege is a bridge too far!

Back on topic, my understanding of murchana comes from this website, where it seems more a theoretical construct showing how a shifting Sa creates, from the same swaras (SORRY! "notes") various new thaats/modes.
http://chandrakantha.com/articles/scales.html

[fossesitar]

HA ! Good one Ragamala !

But is it the lack of medication or the excess of same?
Once you are adequately sedated please provide a definition
of the word "murchana" for this antiquated warrior.

[ragamala]

HA ! Good one Ragamala !

But is it the lack of medication or the excess of same?
Once you are adequately sedated please provide a definition
of the word "murchana" for this antiquated warrior.

You've just caught me before the medication wears off and the alcohol takes over.

If we were even more antiquated we would regard the use of murchhana to maybe just represent a concept of scale. And the concept of modulation as exemplified in teh chandrakantha page nic referred to.

In sitar practice, however, it is clear that some sitar practitioners regard murchhana as being fairly simple practice in playing scales. ie scale practice as per the examples I gave, to be mastered by beginners (and after plainer unembellished sapat) before moving on to paltas and more advanced exercises. WYSIWYG

If with your years you didn't practice murchhana I can think of only two possible reasons - the first and more charitable is that UVK regarded explanation in any terms, Indian or English, unnecessary.

[fossesitar]

Seems as though murchana, similar to "gharana" is one of the many untranslatable words, as our honorable compadre alluded to above. Which is a reasonable justification for their use, even if UVK often found words irrelevant and unecessary in the teaching of sitar.

As for the meaning of "murchana", I am still confused - it is what it is, perhaps more "medication" will clarify the linguistics?

[ragamala]

Next time you're in the UK we'll sort this out over a beer...... or if you like starbucks (yuck- what are you folks turning the world to) maybe over a kafi in Italy...

[fossesitar]

Not a Starbucks fan, can I use their lingo ("vente grande") to order a Guiness?

[ragamala]

Not a Starbucks fan, can I use their lingo ("vente grande") to order a Guiness?

Since vento grande or venti grandi probably mean big wind/s or big fart/s I think another approach to the waiter would be better? Stick to Guinness per piacere. At least in an Irish pub unless you want to be laughed out of Italy.

[fossesitar]

Sounds like a plan !! Lets get laughed out of Italy before the lira implodes,
and then on to Swat (pakistan) for some of the local medication

[nicneufeld]

maybe over a kafi in Italy...

Mishra kafi?

Maybe some of these terms are gharana based too...ie., Maihar using "murchana" to denote a specific style of exercise, whereas our Imdadkhani teachers apparently have not (at least in our mutual experience, my share of which being much smaller). Some of the early exercises I was taught, patterns of ascent and descent 3, 4, 5, 6 notes at a time in Yaman, I'm sure there was a term for them, but my teacher just played them for me and taught them to me, and if he called them anything it was "exercises". Which I've not been giving rather enough practice time to of late!