@WarrenSenders@mastodon.world

Warren Senders @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world · 3d ago

Replying to @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world

I begin today's practice in the Kafi tappa "aa gumani aa jaa" with soft-voice exercises, keeping my lips lightly together and humming five- or six-note paltas up and down (while keeping their sargam equivalents front and center in my mind). My voice is a little hoarse around the passaggio but I keep at it and things smooth out after about ten minutes, when I open up a bit. 3/

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Warren Senders @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world · 3d ago

Replying to @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world

Traffic is very heavy and I get a lot of good (albeit non-verbal) responses. I'm still a bit sleepy and groggy today and frequently shut my eyes for a minute or so to rest against the light and the congestion. The sky is somewhat cloudy and grey, a light wind is blowing from the North, and I only gradually come awake and aware in the Medford morning. 2/

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Warren Senders @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world · 3d ago

Man With Sign, August 11, 02026 I wake before the alarm, force myself back under for a while, and finally rouse myself, head downstairs, drink my coffee, head out to Roosevelt Circle for another day as a soloist. I arrive at 7:31, set up my big wooden sign (definitely due for refurbishing, BTW), and lean on the railing holding up THINK IN EONS — ACT NOW! 1/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znuDTktl6QI #ClimateChaos #GlobalWarming #HindustaniMusic #CitizenActivism

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Warren Senders @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world · Aug 07, 2026

Replying to @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world

Traffic is as usual light at the end of the week. We get some positive responses along with a guy in a fancy sports car who calls out, "Vote Trump!" I guess this is that "economic anxiety" we hear so much about? Some bicyclists greet us, and a jogger in the rising heat. Craige keeps it together as long as he can, but about 8 am he tells me it's too hot, and heads home. The sun keeps rising. 2/

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Warren Senders @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world · Aug 07, 2026

Man With Sign, August 7, 02026 Friday I roll out of bed with the alarm after a good night's sleep for the first time in a couple of days. Drink pre-vigil coffee and set out for Roosevelt Circle, arriving at 7:30 and setting up my big sign etc., then leaning on the guardrail and holding up MOTHER NATURE DOESN'T CARE WHAT YOU BELIEVE. Craige arrives a few minutes later. 1/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51fEbdhGjBo #ClimateChaos #GlobalWarming #HindustaniMusic #CitizenActivism

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Warren Senders @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world · Aug 06, 2026

Replying to @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world

At 8:22 I start to make a video, get interrupted by the plumber handing me a pen, and try again, this time without commercial interruption. This completed, I walk back to stand with Craige, and we do a pretty solid version of "Underneath The Pines," marred only by my inadvertent spoonerism on the second chorus, where I sing, "The shades of grown and breen" instead of "brown and green." Heh. 7/

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Warren Senders @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world · Aug 06, 2026

Replying to @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world

Because the raga's overall tessitura lies in the middle and upper registers, the utility of the antara as a support for improvisation is somewhat diminished. Nevertheless, I practice some antara-ang variations, opening up the tar saptak and indulging in some tasty bol-taan work before resolving. I actually like this antara very much and find it very evocative and flavorful. 6/

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Warren Senders @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world · Aug 06, 2026

Replying to @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world

Another pathway is to do Agra-style bol-bant, which is not strictly idiomatic for a Jaipur-style chiz like this, but which can be combined with medium-tempo taankari to provide dynamic and textural contrast. The mood of Nayaki Kanada is muscular and emphatic, so the challenge for me is to build on those qualities while introducing delicacy and nuance into the rendition. 5/

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Warren Senders @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world · Aug 06, 2026

Replying to @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world

Because this slow-tempo khyal is filled with fast passagework, any shift to a slower melodic tempo carries the problem of energy loss. This means that if, for example, I want to craft a gesture that moves in 8th-note triplets (as opposed to the 32nd notes of the mukhda!), it's necessary to use gamaks or forceful voice production to sustain the music's power. 4/

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Warren Senders @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world · Aug 06, 2026

Replying to @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world

I start up "Mora piya" in Nayaki Kanada again, and today the pieces more or less fall into place. Yesterday's somewhat scattered approach integrated itself overnight, and (after the necessary warmup in the lower register) my handling of the composition itself is much more relaxed and swinging. The antara also comes out freely and I start enjoying myself. 3/

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Warren Senders @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world · Aug 06, 2026

Replying to @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world

Traffic is intermittently heavy, and we get some supportive responses from many drivers (along with a woman in a minivan who shouts "We're voting TRUMP!" (insert extravagant eye-roll here) and a guy in a trades van who leans out his window and hands me a ballpoint pen with the name of his company on it. "Tell your friends!" he instructs me. 2/

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Warren Senders @WarrenSenders@mastodon.world · Aug 06, 2026

Man With Sign, August 6, 02026 I wake well before the alarm and after a while I give up on trying to get back to sleep and come downstairs for coffee in the quiet kitchen. Setting out for Roosevelt Circle, I arrive at 7:29 and set up my big sign and speaker, then lean on the guardrail holding up SCIENTIFIC IGNORANCE IS A POOR FOUNDATION FOR PUBLIC POLICY. Craige arrives about 7:40 and we chat briefly. 1/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKNNVig4bAE #ClimateChaos #GlobalWarming #HindustaniMusic #CitizenActivism

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