Hi! Sorry for the hiatus. But I’m back with the first korvai lesson for naanfunctionalharmony! Korvai’s are a major part of Carnatic music and konnakol language. Think of them as miniature rhythmic compositions. They exist in two parts: the purvangam (the questions) and the utrangam (the answer). They typically start on beat 1 and end on beat 1. Check out the video below. You can find the notated supplement to this lesson here: korvai lesson #1 (notation)

Written syllables for this korvai:

Purvangam (Question)

Di thankita taka tari kita taka Din
Di thankita taka tari kita taka Din
Di thankita taka tari kita taka Din

Utrangam (Answer)
Tha thom tha din gi na thom Tham
Tha thom tha din gi na thom Tham
Tha thom tha din gi na thom Tham – say this last “Tham” third time only. Otherwise omit and loop back to the start of the Purvangam.

Di thankita taka tari kita taka = 8 beats
Din = 4 beats

Tha thom tha din gi na thom = 8 beats
Tham = 2 beats