WHY SHOULD WE LISTEN TO LIVE CONCERTS?

Why should we listen to live concerts?

​The main reason is that you will learn. I enjoy going to live concerts. I wasn’t like this when I first started to learn carnatic music.  My mom would make me to come to the concerts. I wasn’t interested in the concert. But, my mom would still make me sit and listen. Today, I thank her for that. Listening to live concerts is very important and has impacted the way I sing.  But, how? As you listen, you learn. I am sure that you have heard your guru sing a song at class or at a concert. The same way you listen to your guru sing a song and then learn from it, is the same way you can learn from live concerts. During a live concert, you are exposed to the musician and/or the accompanists. Your eyes see the thalam as your ears listen to the ragam.You are also able to see how to present the song/songs on stage.  Soon, you are able to understand the ragam, improve your own style of singing, and know how to present the song. As you learn all of this, you build a strong foundation.This foundation helps you learn difficult things like kritis.
TRY THIS!

1. Go to a live concert.
2. After you go home, play the same songs you listened to online.

What is the difference? Well, you cannot see anything. You are not able to see the thalam, so it is hard to figure out the rhythm. The atmosphere is also different. No, not the air around you but the enthusiasm. When you listen to a live concert, at the end of a song there is always a great round of applause. I think that the singers encouraged by this, so they might sing better than usual. Since the singer will sing better, you will probably learn a little more seeing it live than just listening to it at home.

-Nandini Kuppa

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