Dear All,

Namaskar,

We are happy to announce a Dhrupad workshop with Pt. Ritwik Sanyal,

an outstanding Indian classical singer and the maestro of the Dhrupad style vocal music of the Dagar Tradition, who is my Guru of the vocal music.

The workshop will take place at Kyoto Toko Kaikan in Kyoto in the name of “Dhrupad Camp”.

All of you who wishes to participate in the camp are greatly welcomed to join us,

as the workshop is open to all levels from beginners to advanced of Indian classical music,

the singing technique of Dhrupad is quite tough though.

Dhrupad singing is the ultimate arts of vocal music.

Let’s say - a Dhrupad singer can be called as a magician of vocal music.

It’s a good chance to develop your capability to be a good singer

by learning the voice culture and deep secrets of the improvisational music arts.

Dhrupad is,

among the numbers of the north Indian traditional music styles,

the oldest and the highly formal one.

It is highly sophisticated art of musical performance,

and at the same time,

is music for individual self-discipline which is based on 3 yoga

1. -Nada(sound),  Bhakti (devotion) and Jnana (knowledge).
   

In Dhrupad, as well as other styles of Indian traditional music,

a Raga (melodic mode) is improvised spontaneously.

We can say, a universe of a Raga is manifested carefully through voice.

Mostly, that process takes for nearly an hour and

thorough all this time a singer has to keep singing and improvising the melody.

The melody is started with very slow meditative tempo.

For the fine rendition of a length of one sound and slow curvy motion,

a singer should be well-trained at controlling breathing and inner energy flow.

Control of inner energy flow allows the affluent and dynamic expression.

The expression comes not only from emotion, but more from the universal energy.

The deep echo of voice is made with natural voice from the center of a heart and it is based on Nada Yoga.

By the way, recently there are many people who don’t like their own natural voice.

And nor do Japanese people. It sounds so sad.

Your voice is only You have in the world.

Let you be aware of the beauty of your voice.

Let it - Your natural voice - be deepen and shined.

A Dhrupad singer has the quite large range of tones by natural voice,

which the singer obtain through regular morning practice.

And the singer has an unique technique of “shaking”, which comes from deep inner body.

It is so-called Gamak, by which the singer shake the voice even in the range of an octave.

The way of vocal, the range of voice and shaking technique are realized by not just a throat, but by all the body. And that is deeply connected with an energy stream and a center such like Sushumna Nadi and Chakra, which is well-known with physical yoga.

In order to improvise a song for an hour long, the singer’s vocal movement should be highly free.

However the singer is supposed to keep one Raga as a basement,

the one can express things freely under the Raga framework.

An hour of improvisational performance demands the quite tough work physically and mentally.

In India, there is plenty of trainings which allows person to make it thorough.

As a same time, a singer should obtain a sense of pitch in order to be able to hear and sing microtones.

Nevertheless,  a Dhrupad singer has to be empty minded when they sings.

Hence Dhrupad is considered as Jnana Yoga, the Yoga of knowledge.

Om,

Shree, 11th July 2016

18th (Sun.) Sep. 〜 22nd (Thu.) Sep.

The Dhrupad Camp has been held

with Grace and Joy.

Wishing to have this wonderful opportunity again,

Thank you,

Shree, 　9th Oct. 2016