While some men follow the path created by their predecessors, others strive to improve it and make it more comfortable. This constant striving towards perfection has been the reason for the continuous betterment of mankind. Like other fields, great experiments have taken place in the field of music.
A flute player creates magic with just a bamboo reed that has no strings, frets or keys. You may hear a melodious sound, but getting the right gamut and glide isn’t easy. And, it is not possible to play all the accompaniments using the same flute. This is the reason why a flute player makes various experiments during the performance.
Palakkad KL Sriram, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and self-taught flute player (he considers N. Ramani his ‘manasika guru’), spent a lot of time revising his flute during the lockdown. His efforts to replace the hole used for pure Madhyamma and add another one for Antara Gandharam yielded the desired result. For the gliding notes he added a hole in the space available for the middleman. Since there are already seven holes, he used his thumb for the eighth and his little finger to hold it. Thus, generating the desired tone and accompaniment seemed easy.
When he discussed his experiment with veteran mridanga player Srimushnam Raja Rao, the latter approved and suggested that he should do a full concert with this new flute.
Sriram recently performed under the aegis of Madhurdhavani which was a sort of ‘arrangetrum’ for this instrument.
Saveri Varnam began with ‘Sarasuda’ and the concert was lively, featuring beautiful melody depictions of Ranjani (‘Durmarga Charadhamulanu’ – Tyagaraja) and Kalyani (‘Atavunara, Tyagaraja). The Arabic Pancharatnam ‘Sadinchane’ and Shyama Shastri’s ‘Marivere’ also shined in Anandbhairavi. Niraval and Swara repartee were delightful with Amber Kannan’s violin. Kannan’s raga essays flowed like a fountain of melody.
Srimushnam Raja Rao on Mridangam and N. Guruprasad greatly increased the appeal. The meticulously woven Thani was delightful. ‘Maname Unakku Kavalillai’ (Varamu) by TM Thiagarajan was one of the compositions presented after Tani Avataranam.
During an interaction with the audience, Sriram spoke about the changes he has made and how they help bring out glide and glide with reassurance and ease. He has no plans to obtain a patent for the new flute, and says he would be happy if someone else has the facility to use it.
Critics write on Carnatic music.