What is "gamaka"

Gamaka, also known as kaavya vaachana, is a form of storytelling by singing that originated in Karnataka, India. One person reads a stanza of a poem with highest emphasis on meaning, applying suitable raga or a dhaati (melodic line), usually matching the emotion of the poem; the song generally has no established rhythm. Another person then explains the meaning of the stanza with examples and anecdotes. Gamaka draws ragas from traditional Kannada folktunes and Carnatic music . The singing itself is called gamaka and the singer a gamaki. The explanation of the rendering is called vyakyana. The emphasis in kaavya vaachana is on literature (Saahithya) and not on music where singer splits compounds words in poems to make it easier to understand.

The poems are chosen mostly from old Kannada epics such as Karnataka Bharatha Kathamanjari, Jaimini Bharatha, Harischandra Kavya, Siddarameshwara charite, Ajita purana, Devi-Bhagavata, and Torave Ramayana and recently from that of Sri Ramayana Darshanam

Gamaka, also known as gamak or gamakam, refers to ornamentation that is used in the performance of Indian classical music. Gamaka is any graceful turn, curve or cornering touch given to a single note or a group of notes, which adds emphasis to each raga's individuality. The unique character of each raga is given by its gamakas, making their role essential rather than decorative in Indian music. Nearly all Indian musical treatises have a section dedicated to describing, listing and characterising gamakas.

The term "gamaka" itself means "ornamented note" in Sanskrit. Gamakas involve the variation of pitch of a note, using heavy forceful oscillations between adjacent and distant notes. Each raga has specific rules on the types of gamakas that might be applied to specific notes, and the types that may not.

Various commentators on Indian music have mentioned different numbers of gamakas. For example, Sarangdeva describes fifteen gamakas, Narada in Sangeeta Makaranda describes nineteen gamakas, and Haripala in Sangeet Sudhakar describes seven gamaks.

Gamaka may refer to:

• Gamaka (storytelling)
• Gamaka (music) are different types of ornamentations used in Indian classical music

<!-- This long comment was added to the page to prevent it being listed on Special:Shortpages. It and the accompanying monitoring template were generated via Template:Longcomment. Please do not remove the monitor template without removing the comment as well.