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Developing the Right Health Constitution
Unless one is endowed with a strong set of lungs with excellent cardiovascular health, it takes a considerable amount of blowing effort much to the discomfort of one's own ear to merely get a hold on the 16 notes (including the 4 dissonant notes) on the instrument with the right pitch or shruthi. Even the most musically gifted students do not easily get this first part right when choosing the flute as their instrument of choice. Without unrelenting effort, this is often the part that turns off early enthusiasts from picking up the instrument.
Secondly, one must take great pains to develop breath control and mental focus through the practice of athletics, yoga or meditation, without which, it is almost impossible to handle the instrument in a concert recital. Without breath control, it is almost impossible to play the instrument at a particular juncture when the flautist performing on the stage is starved of oxygen. When the brain is starved of oxygen, the neural functions stalls for that moment creating a discontinuity in the recital. This should not be confused with the artiste taking intermittent breaks at will to ensure consistency in the performance.
Adding to this challenge is the performer's job of handling daunting tasks such as playing to the beat (a crucial requirement of Carnatic music) by tapping the feet or some part of the body (unlike a vocalist), understanding how to position the flute over sweaty lips in a face covered with sweat (especially in open door heated light intensive environments), knowing what is the next line to play in a composition or thinking what to play impromptu for improvised passages and at the same time monitoring that the playing pitch is correct. With so many factors at play all at once, it is impossible to even think of delivering a first class flute concert or even an excellent recital without a certain mastery of breath control and mental focus
Thirdly, one must take great care in the sitting posture for long periods of time in the appropriate position so that the legs do not get numb and that they do not crouch under long periods of recital. The upper torso must be erect for optimal quality of blowing with minimal movement of the upper body so as not to slur the quality of the pitch especially when playing in multiple of varying speeds. Those who have issues in this area could engage in regular full body athletics (including pilates or calisthenics) activities focussing on the upper body and lower body core muscle groups to help develop some composure on the performing posture.
Adopting a Life Long Learning Attitude
It is of great concern that most Carnatic flute students today do not spend a considerable amount of time listening or better still learning Carnatic vocal music thinking that mastering the instrumental techniques themselves are alone enough. Even teachers of Carnatic flute do not put the same amount of emphasis on Carnatic vocal music as the flute especially to potentially talented budding Carnatic flautists.
One of the most commonly held misconceptions of budding Carnatic flute students is that learning the instrumental part of the music is considered alone enough to master the instrument and the music that comes with it. While some students may not be vocally adept in learning Carnatic vocal music. They often fail to realise that the melodic modulations in Carnatic music are predominantly vocal oriented. To emulate these vocal nuances on the flute one would require a great deal of mental osmosis (through attentive listening) of the melodic nuances from top notch Carnatic vocalists so as to develop an innate sensing of how to handle a particular melodic scale or raga in Carnatic music. Secondly, the mental osmosis would enable the learner to understanding the rhythmic dynamics of Carnatic music. While the teacher could only teach what they know, much of one's own personal growth and proficiency depends on their hunger to learn from Carnatic vocal concerts. The ramifications of this activity would also enable the learner to build up of one's own confidence in creating impromptu improvised music which is the hallmark aspect of Carnatic music.
As a matter of fact, almost all top-notch Carnatic flautists at one point in their learning journey have formally learnt Carnatic vocal music and continue to listen to Carnatic vocal music to develop their musical acumen in the vocal style that is expected of Carnatic music. Showing at least some level of serious appreciation for the Carnatic vocal form would encourage budding Carnatic flautists to learn new compositions, improve their vocal techniques and develop a sharp ear in listening to the nuances of Carnatic music.
Apart from the primary focus on vocal music, some focus should also be spent on listening to high quality Nadeswaram music (double-reed woodwind instrument) which serves as a good source of creative ideas for creating impromptu improvised music as well as listening to the Carnatic violin and veena. For rhythmic aspects, focussing on the manodharma (improvised) playing of the mridangam (double barrelled drumming instrument) and the tani avartanam (solo section playing) would allow one to acquire techniques to start and finish improvised music passages professionally.
Receiving High Quality Homogenous Foundation Training
While it is a common practice for students of Carnatic vocal music to learn from multiple teachers to increase the number of compositions in their repertoire even in the early stages, it is not usually the case for students of Carnatic instruments, in particular the flute. There are various reasons for this trend. One could say that the playing style and position of holding the flute varies from flautist to flautist even if they belong to the same school. As such switching teachers at the foundation stage would impose unwanted difficulties in adjusting to the playing style and positioning of the flute over the lips. Such events often taking a toll on students' morale and progress in their pursuits. Secondly, it is hard to find high quality and dedicated flute teachers who have the patience to impart their knowledge over a substantial period for starter students to achieve some foundational skills. A common misconception that students often believe is that a top grade flautist would also be a top grade teacher. But in reality this is not the case. While the quality of music is of a paramount assessment criteria in selecting the right kind of flute teachers, the greatest teachers are those who have the patience and skills to impart high quality knowledge to their students. One could make reference to what was Joseph Hayden to Mozart even though Mozart, being much more talented than Hayden or even Beethoven never became as illustrious a teacher or a mentor as Hayden.
As such, much effort must be put in getting a teacher who is committed to impart high quality knowledge over a substantial period of time at the foundation level. After which, the student could pick up advanced training from other teachers or increase the size of the repertoire to add variety to concerts. A possible confidence measure to ensure successful completion of foundation level training is being able to present small compositions or provide short solo recitals.
Closing Note
Based on the points discussed in this article, it may seem that one has to undergo meticulous planning and development of physical health, musical knowledge and high quality music practice to master the Carnatic flute. But above all these attributes, it is the power of unrelenting discipline and focus that matter the most as they would form the guiding light to achieving development in the above mentioned areas. It is also important to note that mastering this instrument does not yield instant results and it also requires years of continuous practice, sound physical health and an attitude for life long learning to upkeep the music in top shape for concert recitals which is the case even for top notch performers.
As audiences and connoisseurs of Carnatic music, it would be polite and even humbling to keep all these challenges that professional Carnatic flautists have to content with when they are performing and respect their devotion and commitment towards this perplexing instrument before offering their criticisms and reviews.
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