Cognitive Neuroscience

It is quite a vivid fact that a normal man only uses one side of his brain. And consequent to the above fact, it also goes hand in hand with the conclusion that a person who has developed the skill of using both sides of his brain as being extra-ordinary. Well, I am neither an expert in this topic nor have I done any research, but, as a layman, I am safely assuming that multi-tasking is a simple example of utilizing both sides of the brain.

That being the case, I would now like to think about the various shades of subtle multi-tasking that actually happens in Carnatic Music. Here is the list of things that have to be synchronized during the rendition of even a simple composition:

~Thaala: The hand that goes up and down for the appropriate subsection of ever group of notes. There are 7 types of Thaala and each has its own pattern. A whole composition can lie within one Thaala or can even shift between Thaalas.

~Swara: Each composition is based upon the subset of the basic notes “Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Da Ni Sa”. So, in effect when a song is being sung, its Swara also is to be kept in mind, because the lyrics of the song have the Swara as its platform.

~Raaga: Innumerable permutations and combinations of the basic notes have led to the creation of hundreds of Raagas. Since each of the basic notes also have other shades, like Ri1 Ri2, Ga1, Ga2, the permutations and combinations multiply into a whole new array of Raagas. Again, each composition is based upon a particular Raaga, so when the singer sings Alapana or Swara, he should lie within the framework of the particular Raaga to which the song belongs to.

~Breath: During singing, it is most important to breath in and breath out as and when there are breaks in the lyrics. And it has to be done seamlessly without the audience ever coming to know the breath in take.

~Finger: In an instrument such as Violin, a fraction of space will mean an entirely different note. One can easily fathom the importance of precision. Also, to make an instrument sing like a singer, one has to add the Gamaka.

~Coordination: In a live concert, an automated, unspoken synchronism has to be established amidst the performers to lie within the same tempo and deliver a class rendition.

Assume a song being sung. Here is the list of things that the singer should remember:
~Alapana in that Raaga.
~Thaala as per that song, during matching exactly to the last note.
~Lyrics based on the pre-defined Swara.
~Synchronize with other performers in the concert.
~Bring in a dose of Individuality by adding in that bit of devotion and musical acumen to make it one’s own; else, after all, it will just remain nothing but someone else’s song rendition.

Similarly, for an instrumentalist, he should remember the Thaala of the song, the Raaga of the song, the Swara of the song, the Gamaka as and when needed. But then, the above is just for the mind. To make it come out, assuming Violin, the physical activity of one hand to move the bow across the Violin to and forth (one note one bow; two notes one bow; four notes one bow as per the tempo) and the other hand in deftly moving the finger with clear cut precision and speed over the strings. Like wise, in Veena, one hand is in constant motion to set the note and the other hand’s fingers are always getting the music out.

This multi-tasked activity of singing while hands apply the Thaala and remembering the notes as per the original framework of Swara and Raaga, of playing an instrument with both hands and fingers deftly moving about while remembering the song and its basic framework of Swara and Raaga, is, I believe, sufficient enough to induce using one’s both sides of the brain. This, I have been told, is Cognitive Neuroscience. It is, in other words, a gym for the mind.

If kids are made to practice the above at a young age, when the grasping capability is at its peak, it is without doubt, that the ‘normal’ IQ levels tend to automatically become ‘Extra-ordinary’ due to this simple science of using one’s both brains through learning of Music.

PS: This is just an attempt to answer my own question.