Aadishabdam - Cross Fingering Technique

An analysis of the most popular technique of playing Carnatic flutes.

1. Cross-Fingering
Technique

Copyright of Aadishabdam. All rights reserved.

2. Prerequisites
To complete reading of the following lectures:
• Introduc*on to Carna*c Music
• Introduc*on to Carna*c Flute

The above pre-requisites must be fulfilled in order to
understand some of the technical terms in this presenta*on as
well as to interpret the prac*cal nature of this presenta*on with
ease

3. Objectives
• To introduce commonly used techniques in flute playing
• To understand the origin of the cross fingering technique in
Carna;c flute playing
• To appreciate the contribu;on & importance of cross
fingering in Carna;c flute playing
• To highlight the importance of Nageswaram music in
Carna;c music

4. Synopsis
• Earlier Fingering Systems
• Nageswaram Tradi;on
• Cross Fingering Technique

5. Earlier Fingering Systems
Topics
• Introduc*on
• Three-Finger System
• Parallel Fingering

6. Introduction
The earliest music flutes in Indian music did not possess a
sophis;cated fingering system like today due to several
reasons

• Limited understanding of musical notes
• Differing fingering styles based on preference
• Unregulated design of flute – no standard design

7. Three-Finger System
This method is one of the earliest tradi;ons in Tamil music. It
was among the first accepted techniques in South Indian flute
playing

• BeIer known as the Mundru Viral Sadhakam, this technique
allowed the flau*st to reach up to the thara sthayi dhaivatha,
off-seMng the tonic note by one note
• Its tonic posi*on for Shadjam is the current Kaiski Nishada
posi*on & the Panchama is the current Suddha Madhyama
posi*on. By transposing, the rest of the notes can be played in
this order

8. Three-Finger System
Some of its notable contribu;ons to the evolu;on of Carna;c
flute playing are
• Advoca*ng the use of transposed fingering which lasted *ll
the introduc*on of the cross-fingering technique by 'Flute
Mali'
• Opening the avenue of playing semitone notes by its own
limita*ons, leading to its eventual disuse

9. Parallel Fingering
Introduced by the blind flute prodigy, Sharaba Shastri, it
became the first accepted standard in performance flute music
• It involved playing the notes in a staccato manner
• Covered the full range of notes in Carna*c music
• Classical composi*ons could be played cleanly on the flute
without much difficulty

10. Parallel Fingering
Some of its notable contribu;ons to the evolu;on of Carna;c
flute playing are
• It is the first *me tested technique of serious flute playing,
giving the competent flau*st the status of a soloist
• Opening the avenue of playing the gamakas (joining slides
between notes) semitone notes by its own limita*ons, leading
to it losing popularity today

11. Nageswaram Tradition
Topics
• Introduc*on
• Significance
• Playing Method
• Influence on Carna*c Music

12. Introduction
• Also known as the Nadeswaram, this instrument is arguably
the world's loudest non-brass aerophone
• Its made of a central wood body, carved out from a solid tree
trunk with a metal slot at the top for reed placement & a large
flaring bell-shaped piece at the opposite end
• The body tapers from the smallest point at the blowing point
to the largest point at the end
• Its North Indian equivalent is the Shenai, a shorter instrument

13. Introduction
• Designed like the flute, it consists of 7 holes with 5 addi*onal
holes at the boIom side of the central body
• Its range is about two & a half octaves, which is the range of
the human voice
• Modula*ons between notes are made by controlling the
amount of air pressure blown in the instrument as the
fingering is highly complex & challenging to master
• Its sheer size & loud volume calls for great stamina &
respiratory strength on the part of the performing ar*ste

14. SigniBicance
• Originally used in folk music & later on in Carna*c music, the
instrument achieved prominence as an auspicious instrument
because of its rich *mbre volume & resona*ng sound
• In the past, temple processions in South India are
accompanied by nageswaram music during the opening *me
of the temple of each day
• The full gamut of the ragas' characters are revealed in this
sacred music & *ll today, the world of raga alapana is ruled by
nageswaram ar*stes

15. SigniBicance
• So great is the exposi*on of the raga, that great stalwarts of
yesteryears would wake up early before dawn to listen to the
nageswaram ar*stes in the temple processions
• Nageswaram ar*stes themselves are highly regarded &
remunerated for their mastery of the challenging instrument
• Both connoisseur & laymen flocked readily to listen to great
nageswaram ar*stes & their performances. On the hand,
vocal music at that *me was at its infancy as a public
performance & had a very selec*ve audience

16. Playing Method
• While the now-popular cross-fingering method is used in the
flute, its origins undoubtedly came from the nadeswaram
which aptly produced the vocal nuances of the human voice
extremely well
• While par*al opening & closing of the holes are used
extensively in the Carna*c flute, the nadeswaram has finger
work using the 5 addi*onal holes is different while the shaking
of the notes to produce gamakas are used in the flute & the
nadeswaram
• This method of gamaka produc*on was later used by
Flute Mali to great success on the flute, with some changes

17. InBluence on Carnatic Music
• At the dawn of the 20th century, the era of performing music
called for new methods for presen*ng the art to the public as
opposed to the limited audience of royal patrons of the past
century
• Nageswaram music itself became the answer, with the step-
by-step delinea*on of a raga to the climax of sweeping
brighas appealed to one & all. The composi*ons remained
crisp & alluring with a madhyama kala tempo generally
• Par*cularly all the great *tans, including Semmangudi
Srinvasa Iyer, M. S. Subbulakshmi & G.N.B professed the
influenced of nageswaram music in their rendi*ons

18. InBluence on Carnatic Music
• Probably, the greatest phenomenon in nageswaram music is
the legendary T. N. Rajarathnam Pillai, a celebrated genius of
the instrument as well as a competent vocalist (he was a
disciple of Thirukkodikaval Krishna Iyer)
• His rendi*ons influenced many great stalwarts to adopt his
approach. Flute Mali & T.N.R shared a special friendship, &
ocen prac*ced together exchanging musical knowledge
• In the vocal arena, Semmangudi Iyer, among the many greats,
adopted T.N.R's performing approach significantly. G.N.B
completely assimilated the technique almost singing like a
nageswaram performance with his God-given voice

19. InBluence on Carnatic Music
• Needless to men*on, the trio; Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, M.
S. Subbulakshmi & G.N.B perpetually lec an indelible
influence in the performing era of Carna*c music
• The many disciples of Semmangudi Srinvasa Iyer & G. N.
Balasubramaniam have over the years modified & refined
their gurus' techniques to suit the new-age audience while
retaining the core techniques of their gurus
• Although nageswaram musicians once numbered in the
hundreds because of the music's appeal, today, their numbers
dwindle & rising stars like the Injukkudi brothers &
Sembanarkovil brothers are keeping this art alive

20. Cross Fingering Technique
Topics
• Introduc*on
• Explana*on
• Future
• Conclusion

21. Introduction
• In simple terms, cross-fingering is a method where air is
allowed through a finger hole(s) lec open between closed
finger holes
• In cross-fingering technique, semitones (sharp & flat notes) &
quarter-tones (altered sharp & flat notes for sruthi specific
playing) can be played appropriately
• Semitones can be played alternately with different fingering

22. Explanation
The produc;on of semitones of some notes will be discussed
• Assuming suddha rishaba (R1) is played with 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7
finger-holes closed, it will be the same as playing 1st finger-
hole closed & the 2nd par*ally closed
• Playing suddha dhaivatha (D1) with 1 – 4, 6 & 7 finger- holes
closed, leaving the 5th finger-hole open, will yield the same
note as playing 1 – 4 finger-holes closed & leaving the 5th
par*ally opened

23. Explanation
The produc;on of semitones' janta svaras will be discussed
• Playing R1 with cross-fingering as discussed earlier, will yield a
double note; R, R, when the 2nd finger-hole is tapped &
released. In conven*onal play, R, R, is obtained by sliding the
finger to S posi*on & back; R1, S, R1
• Playing D1 with cross-fingering as discussed earlier, will yield a
double note; D, D, when the 5th finger-hole is tapped &
released. In conven*onal play, D, D, is obtained by sliding the
finger to S posi*on & back; D1, P, D1

24. Explanation
The produc;on of quarter-tones will be discussed
• Quarter-tones are produced by altering the extent of opening
the finger-holes for the note for specific sruthi
• Due to the nature of this topic, further details on the 22-
sruthi system will not be discussed
Opening Hole Shruthi
¼ opened Ekashruthi
½ opened Dvishruthi
¾ opened Tisruthi
Fully opened Chatusruthi

25. Future
• It is therefore important to take note, that Flute Mali did not
completely assimilate the cross-fingering technique from the
nagaswaram, but adapted appropriately to certain notes to
improve the ease of playing the flute while producing the
vocal nuances of Carna*c music appropriately
• The current flute prodigy Shashank further added a new
dimension to the Mali's technique by introducing “Transposed
Fingering” which is discussed separately from this topic

26. Conclusion
• The importance of cross-fingering in flute playing should
never be forgoIen, for almost all avenues of Carna*c music
has witnessed the “vocal capacity” of the Carna*c flute
• Evolu*on on the other hand has to progress & refine the
current techniques of flute playing. One such approach is the
“Transposed Fingering” introduced by Shashank, which is a
modifica*on of the Mali's technique & also corrects some
subtle limita*ons of the Mali's technique