RaRa VeNu Gopala - An Alto Saxophone performance

Jr. has been practicing RaRa VeNu Gopala on her Alto Sax on and off now. It started first week of October as an attempt to peform at Navarathri golus, but she got busy and never got past the first half.

Today she practised the whole thing and did it after 35 minutes of takes and retakes. 

She made me very proud today because she stuck to it and got it done. She had first given up on this because she learns Carnatic music (south Indian classical) with the Indian notation and all her Saxophone lessons are in sheet music and western notation! There is a big conflict in her head when she reads the notation because even the Indian notation is written in the English alphabet for her. When I was a kid used to learn with the notes written in Tamil alphabet.

So what happens? 

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Da Ni Sa gets written in her book as S R G M P D N S

When I translate the carnatic notes for her to Western, I have to go with a G to G scale and write it as 

G A B C D E F G and the problem is G and D are there is both the representations.. poor thing had to practice it many times to get things going.

Now she is on a roll. Going to get some of her other favorite Tamil Songs converted to her notation so she can play it. 

For what it is worth see the pics of the notes made for her. 

 

We will definitely have a few songs ready by next Golu! 

ps. On a side note, this is part of the basic Carnatic music lessons. Some guy is trying to claim Copyright to Raravenu Gopala and is claiming this is infringing on his copyright! Have filed a dispute. These days it is getting ridiculous.

Jr. figures it out

Jr. has been playing with the Alto Sax, trying to figure out the Carnatic music scales on the instrument. She saw so many kids perform instrument solos at the Navarathri Golu festival and saw it was an easier alternative to singing everywhere. 

Started with renewed vigor today and she did it! (There was no school today and that meant boredom at home. At least the time was used a little constructively for figuring this out!)

Next year at the Golus... Jr. might be playing a Tamil song on the Alto Sax. Can't wait to see that!

Summer success

Jr. has been busy with a nintendo DS. In spite of our pushing her to do something else to occupy her time from a learning perspective she has been busy with the DS.

The only things she has done to make a pleading daddy happy are

Read the first Harry Potter book. She is halfway through the book and seems to enjoy it so far. How a kid who loved books till second grade suddenly became averse to books is beyond us. It is not like she reads iBooks and therefore is averse to paperbacks. She just doesn't like to pick up a book. Have been trying real hard to change that and hopefully Rowling will do the trick for us.

Play the Alto Sax with coaching!

She has improved a lot in the last month and has impressed most importantly, herself! She can see that she is improving and that keeps her going.

Hope is that she will keep going and learn the saxophone to an extent where she can play a geetham on the alto sax by Navarathri. At least that was the goal set for her by daddy.

Told her that we will play a duet with Guitar and Saxophone before the Golu season begins. The little one who is now pining to learn some instrument or other overnight has volunteered to video tape said duet.

Time will tell.. through this blog of course!

Jr. plays the Sax

Jr. has been learning the Alto Sax this year. They had their first performance for parents.

It is an expensive but beautiful instrument. Thankfully they allow us to rent on a monthly fee and if we rent for enough months we get to buy it! (Reminds you of Bama Vijayam, doesn't it?)

Took this HDR picture of the Alto Sax a few months ago..

Here is a video of her practicing at home after her first two classes..

Considering that we don't get to see her practice at home often (San's complaint that the thing is too loud!) and are limited to once a week, she did very well!

The plan is to encourage her better going forward...

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