Chitravenu has been featured at:

• SPACES, Besant Nagar, Chennai, India — Chandralekha memorial concert – Dec 30th 2017
• VIII World Flutes Festival, Mendoza, Argentina – Sep 21-25th 2016  
• Swara Shraddhanjali to Pt. Venkatesh Godkhindi at JSS Auditorium, Jayanagar, Bangalore – April 15th 2016

• Private recital at N. Ram’s residence, Chennai – Dec 2015
• School Assembly, The School KFI, Adyar, Chennai – Oct 2015
• International Seminar on Science of Music, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala (Keynote Lecture) – Sept 25th 2015
• NAADAM Festival – International Seminar on Science of Music, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala (Featured Concert and Valedictory Recital) – Sept 26th and 27th, 2015
• Mari Sthalam, Mookaneri Lake Eco-restoration project, Salem, Tamil Nadu – March 2015
• Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Design Competition, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA – Feb 2014 (Finalist)
• Lecture-Demo for Madhuradhwani at Arkay Convention Centre, Mylapore, Chennai – Dec 2013
• Cleveland Tyagaraja Festival, Cleveland, USA – March 31st, 2013
• Teachers’ Conference of Krishnamurti Foundation of India, Pathashaala School, Vallipuram, Tamil Nadu – Jan 2013

FIRST PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION

I am happy to announce that I will be demonstrating the Chitravenu at

The Cleveland Tygaraja Festival
Sunday 31st March 2013 at 1:00 PM EST.

The schedule is available at http://www.aradhana.org/schedule.html#sun1

LIVE WEBCAST

This demo will be webcast for free at http://www.icarnatic.org/liveconcert.aspx
Please go to the bottom of the page and register for the FREE channel.

Monday 1st April   2013 at 3:00 AM in Brisbane
Sunday 31st March 2013 at  5:00 PM in London
Sunday 31st March 2013 at 1:00 PM EST (US)

Sunday 31st March 2013 at 10:30 PM in India

Namaste and Welcome.

This website/Blog presents the Chitravenu, an invention I have developed in my spare time over the past five years.

Chitravenu is a melodic wind musical instrument capable of producing a continuum of pitches in a fashion that is highly suited to playing Indian classical music both of the Carnatic (South Indian) and Hindustani (North Indian) variety, according to a particular aesthetic philosophy dominant in Indian classical music called “gaayaki ang”, which can be translated as “vocal style”. Indian classical music is typically performed by very small ensembles of one or two vocalists or instrumentalists and one or more percussionists. The “gaayaki ang” aesthetic philosophy dictates that Indian instrumental music should be aimed at mimicking vocal music to the best extent possible and replicating the standard vocal repertoire on the instrument. Consequently, the “gaayaki ang” aesthetic philosophy is a primary consideration for the design of any new instrument in the Indian context, including the Chitravenu.

Indian classical music is based on a set of discrete notes similar to western music, but a major difference is that part of the Indian aesthetic that mandates the ability to glide smoothly between notes separated by small or large intervals, as well as the ability to create smooth modulations around any individual note. Therefore, ideally, Indian classical music calls for a complete continuity of pitch, as well as the ability to control pitch movement with great rapidity and precision. All of these are achieved by the present invention.

Among melodic wind instruments (as opposed to string instruments), only the trombone and the slide whistle offer continuity of pitch. The latter is of limited range and of non-musical tonal quality, and, hence, can be classified as a toy. The trombone is not very well suited for Indian music because it does not allow for the desired fine dynamic control, as well as the fact that it offers less than a single octave range without overblowing. Overblowing cuts the continuity at the point of transition from normal to overblowing. Thus, the present invention fills a clear void in the type of instruments currently available for playing Indian classical music.

Please check out the rest of the website and subsequent Blog posts for more information.

Best Regards,
Uday Shankar