'Yati' - Decorative mathematical patterns in Carnatic music

My musical background is in South Indian Classical music, commonly known as Carnatic music. I started learning this musical art form when I was 9 years old and I have always been intrigued by the mathematical aspects embedded both in its fundamentals and its improvisations. There are many kinds of i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of mathematics and the arts 2020-04, Vol.14 (1-2), p.11-14
Main Author: Balaji, Srividhya
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Carnatic Music
Creativity
Hinduism
Improvisation
Indian culture
Mathematics
Music
Patterns
Yati
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Summary:My musical background is in South Indian Classical music, commonly known as Carnatic music. I started learning this musical art form when I was 9 years old and I have always been intrigued by the mathematical aspects embedded both in its fundamentals and its improvisations. There are many kinds of improvisations in Carnatic music and one of the most mathematical of these is called ‘Kalpana Swaras’. The usage of a variety of emergent mathematical patterns is its hallmark and an important technique involved in it, called ‘Yati’, is precisely about the different kinds of decorative mathematical patterning of musical notes. The concept of Yati has helped me immensely in developing my improvisational ability from the very early days of my learning. Before I delve into explaining more about Yati, I give a brief overview of some important terminologies and concepts in Carnatic music.
ISSN:1751-3472
1751-3480
DOI:10.1080/17513472.2020.1729301