4.3 Mandrasthayi varisai: into the lower octave

The same thing, four instruments

The exercise is the same whichever one you play. What changes is how you make it.

Singing

Low notes go breathy before they go wrong, and the fix is support from the abdomen rather than more air. If the bottom of the exercise is inaudible, it is not yet yours.

On the veena

Below the middle sa the line moves onto the other playing strings rather than further down the frets. Plan which string each low note comes from before you play the exercise, or the changes will interrupt the line.

On the violin

The lowest string carries these notes, and it is the one most likely to be out of tune after a session. Retune before this exercise rather than after discovering the problem in the middle of it.

On the flute

The lowest notes need the slowest and widest air stream, which is the opposite of everything the upper octave taught. They will not speak at all until the fingers are sealing perfectly, so a silent low note usually means a leaking hole.

Work through these

• Learn the first mandrasthayi varisai down to the lowest note you can hold.

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• Keep the volume even as the line descends.

• Check the lowest notes against the drone, where they are hardest to hear.