About me!
About Me!

I am M.Subramanian and I live in Chennai, Tamilnadu, India after my retirement from Government Service. I am the author of RasikaV2 software package, containing Rasika, Gaayaka, Sishya, Student's Music Players and Novice programs(and also the previous DOS programs CMRasika and CMSishya)and the Web Pages containing much of the softwae using WebAudio API.

My interests are Carnatic Music (South Indian Classical Music) and Computers. Of course I listen to other types of music also, especially North Indian Classical Music. I had formal training in Veena from late Dr. S.Ramanathan during 1955-56. (He taught me 2 small krithis within 8 months of my starting tuition on Veena!). Thereafter I learnt from Sri A.Muthiah (who was then in the AIR, Madras) during 1965-67 and later from Sri R.Venkataraman (of the Veena,Venu,Violin fame) of Trivandrum during 1974-77. After my retirement, I have also been teaching Veena and vocal music (only krithis and alapana guidance) and involved in my other interest - Computers.

Amateur Musician
I had also given a couple of concerts in the local temple and played Veena as accompaniment (in place of Violin) in a full concert.

On 1st May, 2005 I gave a 'Musical Discourse' (along with my friend Mr. M.Ganesan)on 'Thyagaraja on Sangeetha Shasthra' in our local Sabha, Sangeetha Rasikar Sangam. We sang about 15 krithis of Thyagaraja dealing with music (such as Nada loludai, Swararaga sudha etc.). I explained the meanings of the krithis and what I perceived as Thyagaraja's concepts on music. Click here for a review (originally put up in the Sabha's website) of this program.

On 2nd February, 2003 I gave a short Veena Concert in my residence before an invited audience. (For a review of the concert go to Concert Review. which was put up in the website of our local sabha Sangeetha Rasika Sangam). Excerpt from the concert (Alapana in Varali) is available here Varali Alaapana.. A more recent recording (2019) Kalyaani Alaapana and short Thaanam - recorded when I was 86!

Carnatic Music Software
In 1992-93 I wrote two programs for Carnatic music, Cmrasika and Cmsishya which worked in DOS and produced music using the PC Speaker. I believe that Carnatic music cannot be properly represented by the mere notes and the nuances of movements between and around notes are very essential to get the raaga bhaavam. I spent much time experimenting and was eventually able to develop a system for producing gamakams. Thus although the sound of the PC speaker is poor in quality, the deft use of gamakams made the music sound realistic and the programs were well received. Cmrasika is a program for appreciating the Carnatic music system and Cmsishya is for beginners, helping them to practice lessons upto Geethams, in between their sessions with a teacher.

When sound cards became standard items on PCs, I wrote 2 programs - Rasika which is the sound card version of Cmrasika and Gaayaka which is a new program enabling the entry of notation in the South Indian 'sa ri ga ma ..' style and playing it. Gaayaka can be used to enter notation and play it with gamakams (if the notation includes anuswarams and movements for which Gaayaka has provision). The first version of this software had 5 upgrades and the second version (RasikaV2) with additional programs (Sishya, Student's Music Players and Novice) is the one now described in this website. In these programs the music is produced by synthesizing the wave data required to play through the wave device of the soundcard, using wave definitions of Veena or Flute. These require fast calculations and the program gets these done through some DLLs.

Carnatic Music Software as web pages
As more and more people are migrating to non-Windows based devices I have produced most of Rasika program as a series of web pages using the Audio synthesis capabilities of HTML5 and Javascript. Equivalent of Gaayaka program with 'S R G M..' notation, a Thalameter and Sruthis are also available as a web pages. They can be used in Windows, Linux, Mac and Android These require no installation and user can go to the web site and use them with Chrome,Firefox or Microsoft Edge browsers (will not work with Internet Explorer). The second Tab on the home page of this web site gives all the details.

Articles
A few articles dealing with the problems of computerisation of Carnatic Music and my experiences, Analysing Gamakams with computer, automatic generation of Gamakam from bare notation etc. have been published in 'Sangeet Natak' (Journal of Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi) and elsewhere. The articles may be accessed in the articles page of this web site. An article titled 'Tracing present Carnatic Music Style to ancient Tamil Music works' by me and accepted for publication by 'Sangeet Natak' is available here.

Automatic Gamakam generation by the computer
My recent work is automatic introduction of detailed gamakam notation in bare notation. Gaayaka program plays what is typed and the notation available in books is skeletal (not depicting the gamakams). My efforts in this direction are described in https://carnatic2000.tripod.com/gamakam/index.html. The web site also has audio clips to show how the conversion has worked. The article published on the subject may be downloaded AutoGamakam.pdf. A paper was presented in the 2nd Computer Music Workshop (Istanbul, July 2012) on this subject. The video of the presentation is available here. Copy of the paper prsented there is avaialble here. I also gave a lecture demonstration in the Music Academy on 17th Dec., 2012. A slide set of the lecture with audio is available here.. An article published in the Journal of Music Academy is available in the isssue of 2013, (Vol. 84) - pp 72-81.

Trying Composing !
I composed a song on Vinayaka of the temple adjoining our residential complex on the occasion of the Kumbabhishekam of the temple (2011). Click here for details and audio of the song 'VarasiddhiVinayakam'. The Anupallavi of the song refers to the Kumbaabhishekam. I have now updated the Anupallavi to a general description. The revised lyric in Tamil and Sanskrit with meaning in English is also available in the same link.

More recently I composed a Tamil kriti in Atana on the Kamala Vinayaka - the deity inside our complex. It was sung on Vinayaka Chathurthi of 2019. Click here for an audio and lyric of the song .

I can be contacted by email at manianms@yahoo.com or msmanian@hotmail.com

Home
About Rasika
About Gaayaka
How to Get Rasika-Gaayaka
Other Music sites
Articles
Some Gaayaka files
Users' Contributions
Tuning Test Program