A new school in the city is set to give interested musicians a chance to master the Carnatic flute, finds Joanna Lobo.
At a quiet neighbourhood in Chembur’s Shankara Colony, mellifluous notes of the flute drift out from Sathva Srinath’s home on a nippy evening. Srinath is in the middle of teaching a class of eager musicians the basics of the flute. For her, the class is a prelude to what she can expect when the first school of music dedicated to the flute, opens in the city.
Ramani’s Academy of Flute (RAF) inaugurated its Mumbai chapter on Saturday. Srinath is one of the four teachers who will be guiding the school’s interested participants through the rigours of mastering the Carnatic flute. It’s a skill she learned under the master himself —
Padmashri Dr N Ramani, 79, considered by many to be the best Carnatic flautist in the country.
“Being a south Indian, music has always been a big part of my life,” says Srinath. While she learned singing and dancing, it was the flute she showed the most interest in. And when she got the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) scholarship, she knew she had to learn under Dr Ramani himself. “My father looked up his number in the directory and called him. He was out of town so I learned under his son. When he returned, he heard me play and agreed to teach me,” says Srinath.
Srinath isn’t the only dedicated student of Ramani. The other teachers are also former students. Ramani hails from a musical family, most prominent amongst them being his grandfather Shri Aazhiyur Narayanaswami Iyer and his maternal uncle, the flute legend TR Mahalingam. Ramani has been performing since the age of seven, and even today, travels all over the world to teach and perform. He started the Ramani’s Academy of Flute in Chennai in 1982, Trivandrum followed in 2002 and Bangalore in 2004. Why did it take this long for Mumbai to get its own school? “I’ve always had a long connection with Mumbai, having performed many of my solos there. I have also met a lot of music lovers, even those interested in Carnatic music,” says Dr Ramani, over the phone from Chennai. “I have been trying to start a chapter there but it is only now that I have students who are capable of managing it for me.”
The RAF doesn’t have a physical space in Mumbai yet but will start classes as soon as they get students. The school will start with a basic course and then move on to more specialised fields like how to perform at a concert, how to gel with other instrument players, understanding the audience and delivering a music piece in a way that is appreciated. “We will also be arranging workshops with western artistes and Hindustani classical music artistes,” says Srinath.
The classes will be in batches of five to seven. Skype and online teaching sessions with teachers from RAF’s other centres will also be included.
RAF will also be using special flutes ordered from Chennai. “A Carnatic flute is different even in the way it is made. The Hindustani classical flute has seven holes, bass scales and is made of a lighter bamboo...we use D sharp scale, the flute has eight holes and uses a different quality of bamboo,” explains Srinath.
“You have to learn the art for a long time before you can say you are good at it,” says Dr Ramani.
“We want to teach Mumbai to be good at the Carnatic flute.”
Proposed Activities
Result oriented training methodologies to learn the Flute / Classical Music
Inter active sessions with other Indian classical instruments
Exposure to different types of flutes and techniques from cultures across the world
Exposure to challenges in performing the classical flute
Gearing up to perform jugalbandhis/ experimental music
Sound theory and Sound Engineering
Introduction to the recording world challenges
Pure Indian classical wind instrument ensembles
RAF Certification for teachers / students
1. Inter RAF competitions (Chennai / Bangalore / Kerala)
2. Introduction to Rhythmic structures — as an aid to melodic structures
3. Seminars
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