Karnatic violin techniques in collaborative practice: a violinist's perspective

This thesis examines the study and incorporation of Karnatic (South Indian) violin techniques in contemporary music projects in London. The violin provides a lens for viewing the social and psychological interactions between musicians, instruments and cultures in practice. A series of six case studies document my experiences as a violinist ranging from lessons with Karnatic violinists through to creative projects where the influence of these lessons is present by virtue of incorporating Karnatic violin techniques as part of a toolbox of extended technique. I consider questions surrounding the ways in which knowledge is disseminated from teacher to student and then mediated between musicians, led by my own experiences working with Karnatic violin teachers, including the Mysore Brothers, as well as composers and performers in London. In this way, my research opens up broader questions about the creative potential and complexities surrounding cultural exchange in twenty-first century London. I examine the close relationship between culture and knowledge and the ways that the use of Karnatic violin techniques in collaborative practice can shift the creative emphasis of working relationships between musicians. Following the trend over the last decade to move away from a disembodied approach to music (Clarke and Davidson 1998: 74), this research aims to draw out the embodied experiences of incorporating Karnatic violin techniques in collaborative practice. An autoethnographic methodology is employed to investigate a mode of collaborative and professional practice in contemporary music, questioning: (1) How is the knowledge of the violin and Karnatic violin playing disseminated and mediated between musicians? (2) What can the use of Karnatic violin techniques with musicians in London reveal about the processes of creative collaboration and cultural exchange? On a practical level, extending the physical and cognitive means of the musical body can bring about new possibilities for contemporary violinists incorporating body and mind within cultural, social and psychological interactions. I will highlight the fact that while creative collaboration has become a prominent topic in recent research, collaborations involving cultural exchange are still relatively unexplored.