This week, I will be discussing something different from the rest of the blog pieces. The many potent disadvantages of playing the chitraveena.
1. It is extremely hard to carry. When I travel to Chennai, I have to carry my smaller navachitraveena so that it can fit in the hold of small turboprop airplanes. This Chitraveena does not have the same quality of sound as the normal one and it also requires a large amplifier and a pickup microphone. All these extra items make for a royal hassle and make this version of the Chitraveena equally as hard to transport.
2. It is not widely recognized so many competitions and organizations only find out about the instrument once they see it leading to them asking a lot of annoying questions. It can also diminish the grandeur of the instrument because the uninformed listener cannot appreciate the music coming from this special yet peculiar instrument.
3. It is very hard to play. It takes a long time to learn and master the art of playing the Chitraveena. I myself took a year just to familiarize with the instrument before I could play songs. It took me five years to get to the stage where I am today and my journey is still not complete.
4. While playing for extended periods of time, it can be extremely painful. Moving the teflon slide continuously at high speeds can cause pain in the arm and can sometimes lead to an injury. I you want to learn how to play this instrument, be prepared to feel some pain.
Although it has it's disadvantages, it still is a great instrument and is the best way to express feelings without singing. it remains a great opportunity for people who want to learn Carnatic music but don't want to learn how to sing.
1. It is extremely hard to carry. When I travel to Chennai, I have to carry my smaller navachitraveena so that it can fit in the hold of small turboprop airplanes. This Chitraveena does not have the same quality of sound as the normal one and it also requires a large amplifier and a pickup microphone. All these extra items make for a royal hassle and make this version of the Chitraveena equally as hard to transport.
2. It is not widely recognized so many competitions and organizations only find out about the instrument once they see it leading to them asking a lot of annoying questions. It can also diminish the grandeur of the instrument because the uninformed listener cannot appreciate the music coming from this special yet peculiar instrument.
3. It is very hard to play. It takes a long time to learn and master the art of playing the Chitraveena. I myself took a year just to familiarize with the instrument before I could play songs. It took me five years to get to the stage where I am today and my journey is still not complete.
4. While playing for extended periods of time, it can be extremely painful. Moving the teflon slide continuously at high speeds can cause pain in the arm and can sometimes lead to an injury. I you want to learn how to play this instrument, be prepared to feel some pain.
Although it has it's disadvantages, it still is a great instrument and is the best way to express feelings without singing. it remains a great opportunity for people who want to learn Carnatic music but don't want to learn how to sing.
