John McLaughlin Gateway to Rhythm DVD

Hootsmon

Konokol.........anybuddy got this DVD....what say you Bro?

ChrisMusic

Not got the DVD, sorry, but have you checked out the information in my thread on this ?

It may be of some help to you.

http://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/25418/rhythms-and-poly-rhythms-with-a-little-indian-spice#latest

Hootsmon

thanks Chris.......I shall go through the complete thread tonite,ta.

here is a site that is very good...he is an amazing guitar player too!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL23GWlksIDwDnRHhQX9UYoc0fJVxmEGzr

oh, PS why do you think that the "5s" ta di gi na dom is such a handful ( to pronounce) compared to the others?

ChrisMusic

No worries, hope it is useful for you.

Do leave a message in the discussion while you're there.

As to the "Ta Di Gi Na Dom", I think there are maybe a couple of reasons.  Firstly, Konnakol originates in southern India, and I suspect that these syllables fall easier on their native young than they do for us in Britain (or the west).  Secondly, the sounds, whilst being generally percussive in nature, also contain accents, the possibilities of pitch, and I believe reflect the particular characteristics of the Mrdangam drum on which they appear to be based.

The Mrdangam drum is a simple small hand held drum, but is capable of a very wide range of voices and expression in the hands of a master player, see the Mattias Eklundh video on page two somewhere for a good example of playing timbres.

I suspect that the "Dom" is used to impart some of the sound of the "boing" pitch change inherent in some drum hits.

Several John McLaughlin performance videos on YouTube have examples of the drum, it looks a bit like a tambourine, but that's about as far as the analogy goes..

I have a piece by Australian musician Lisa Young which I will add to the discussion soon, which I think demonstrates the possible interpretation of very literal drum sounds in the vocal performance of Konnakol.  That should demonstrate what I mean, I hope.

You can also use other groupings for 5s ~ like "Ta Ka Ta Ki Ta", still a bit of a tongue twister when done fast, and trust me some of the Indian vocal proponents of Konnakol can go at break-neck speeds, check some of the videos in the discussion and you'll see what I mean.

If I can find some more sections of the John McLaughlin lessons on YT I will add them to the discussion in due course too.  You are very welcome to add anything you feel adds value to the discussion too, including those, if you find them first...

Hope that helps  

Hootsmon

thanks  Bro. BTW I saw the original SHAKTI in Glasgow when he was touring with the Shakti debut album.....great show

lento

This humble Yorkshire man has accomplished nearly everything that can be achieved in Jazz and World Music.

A true pioneer who has a touch that very few others are blessed with ......