Western American method flute books prioritize reading and learning the notes on the flute first, allowing intonation and pitch matching to be incorporated later in education.
This website serves as a supplemental resource designed to accompany existing method books and practice.
The only things you need to use this website are basic knowledge of flute fingerings, the ability to make a sound on the flute, and an open mind! This is for everyone, regardless of skill level on the flute.
First things first: vocabulary
Before going through the website and learning the raagas, make sure to check out the glossary, the page on what Carnatic music is, and the page on melakartha raagams. It will help you understand the raagas and worksheet!
now we can get into the raagas
Make sure you download the raaga pages in the downloadable content tab!
There are only two rules to this process:
sing first, then play
always listen to how your pitch is in relation to the tanpura
The steps are simple
sing
play
practice
Each raaga page will contain three audios under singing: one of the raaga slow for you to sing along with no gamakkam, one of the raaga slow with gamakkam, and one that provides space in between the phrases for you to try and sing by yourself
this does not need to be good on the first try
If you’re struggling to find the pitches: good! This is how rote learning works! Repeat the singing exercises until you are able to complete the exercise of singing alone smoothly. Try to add the gamakkams in!
While you are singing, think about the following questions, and write the answers in your raaga sheet (found under downloadable pages)
When singing with the singer, how accurately are you able to match the pitches?
Which pitches are the hardest for you to sing? Try singing the pitch before the pitch you are struggling with. Does the interval feel smaller or larger than expected?
When you sing the whole raaga, are you able to sing the lower Sa, Pa, and the upper Sa in tune with the tanpura? If not, which pitch in the raaga is causing the intonation shift?
Listen to the gamakkam the singer is adding. Which pitch are they in between? Try to add them to your own singing of the raaga.
step one: sing
The next step is to try to play the raaga on your flute. I know there are no notes: that’s the fun part!
Now that you’ve sung the raaga a few times and have internalized the swaras in relation to the tanpura, try to play along to the recording of the flute playing the raaga and figure out the notes. All flute exercises will begin on F. The flute recordings will also include one audio track of the raaga at a slow tempo to play along with, and one that allows space between for you to play on your own.
Once you figure out the notes of the raaga, play with the recordings again and listen for your tuning to the tanpura. How is each note fitting into the sound? Try alternating between singing and playing. Is the pitch getting better?
Your worksheet will have a staff for you to write down the notes that you play for the scale.
step two: play
step three: practice
Now that you have learned the raaga, let’s put it into practice, just the way a Carnatic music lesson would go.
Each raaga will have two recorded exercises. On the left side, there will be recordings of the exercise sung in totality, and then with a break in between each phrase for you to repeat the line. The right side will contain the same but on the flute. Alternate between singing and playing. If you’re not able to get the notes while playing, keep singing it first and listen to each swara. What direction are the notes moving?
Your worksheet will come with a fill-in-the-blank page that contains the blanks for the two exercises. Try and fill in the swaras that you’re hearing in the singing audios.
Now that you’ve learned the raaga in one shruthi, try transposing it to a different key! Sing first, then play. Tanpuras for all the keys can be found under the tanpura tab.
The exercises tab contains the swaras for Carnatic foundational exercises. Once you become fluent in singing the swaras for a raaga, try and pick an exercise, sing, and then play it on your flute.
Or, just play the tanpura and improvise with the raaga! The possibilities are endless.