Gamakam

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The gamakam is a feature of the Carnatic music, the Indian classical style of South India. It is of high significance and an essential component. Many of the Ragas cannot even be played without gamakam-s.

A gamakam is defined as a slide or slur performed in quick successions. Gamakam shall not be understood as a technique. It is a vocabulary of its own. Gamakam-s are nuances or smooth movements between and around the Indian notes (swara-s).

Indian music pedagogy herefore follows a different way, the so called Guru-Shishya-Parampara. Within this unique teacher-pupil relationship of oral teaching the pupil (shishya) is getting guidance over many years from a performing music maestro as teacher (guru) with deep knowledge of ragas, it's complexity and an individual aesthetic consideration.

Same a music scholar trains the specific gamakams by learning several compositions in each raga (lakshana geethams, varnams, swarajathis, krithi-s) and by listening to renditions (alapana, krithi, neraval, swaram, etc.) by Indian music maestros (vocalists, instrumentalists).

Typically a notation of gamakams is not found in the Indian music system.

Sources

* Mayur Mudigonda (Michigan State University): [http://www.cse.msu.edu/~mudigon1/music1.html La Musica Carnatic]