50 Articles for 2019 Number 05
Topic: gamakams
In the first four decades of my life, gamakams were not thought of, understood or explored at all. However, as I started listening to more concerts, especially in recent years - and listening to lecture demonstrations, discussions with friends & acquaintances, I wanted to learn more about them.
In some tidbits discussed, some said there are 10 different types of gamakams. Sometimes I heard there are 16 different types of gamakams in Carnatic music. Soon, I was also able to understand that the gamakams of Carnatic music are different from Hindustani music. Then came the lecture demonstrations and YouTube videos of such lec-dems. I was able to gather a few more tidbits. Here, I will just mention whatever little I have heard & then parrot some from a book that I have, leaving the rest of the learning to you all to pick what you wish to learn of your own interests.
Shri T M Krishna in a 3 hour lecture demonstration on manOdharmA, started with the 'kampita' gamakam. He mentioned that without the kampita gamakam there is no Carnatic music. It is the identity - and this shake, sometimes circular around the note, is not apaswaram (or be-sur). It is sung in particular ways for different swarams in different rAgams. Please see the lec-dem curated by First Edition Arts for more details.
The other types of gamakams are Tirupa, Sphuritha, Lina, Andolita, Vali, Thribhinna, Kurula, Ahata, Ulasita, Plavitha, Gumpitha, Mudrita, Misrita, Namita (panchadasha gamakas from caturDanDi prakAshikA). In different discussions with musicians and other rasikas, I learnt that some of these are speicific to instruments. For example, some are specific to the way a gamakam is played on veenai, or others are specific to the nagaswaram.
In another lecture demonstration a couple of years ago in Music season, which may or may not be available on YouTube, Shri Neyveli R Santhanagopalan mentioned that there are 1 or 2 more types of gamakams on other instruments, which cannot be easily produced in all instruments. These can be added to the list, he said, continuing that Carnatic music is an ocean and as we explore we will find such things, which are also quite pleasing for us.
Another reference to gamakam classification are the dashavida gamakams. These include basics like Arohana, Avarohana, Kampita, and Shuritha, other than Dhalu, Ahata, Pratyahata, Tripuccha, Andola and Murchana.
Of these gamakams, many are for instruments, while "kampita" gamakam has a special place in being use to distinguish / classify ragams. Kampita, ardhakampita and kampavihina ragams are the 3 sets of rAgams depending on the level of usage of kampita gamakams in the swarams of the rAgam.

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