He speaks with utmost clarity on Carnatic classical music and is aware of the audience interest. Playing for the audience requires accommodation, says 13-year-old mandolin prodigy Sadhgun Aithal.
“A large section of the audience wants fast music, there is a small group who enjoy the classical music. You could say 75 per cent fast and 25 per cent classical,” Sadhgun Aithal said in an interaction after a concert here on Sunday.
Many believe mandolin is suited for fast music and want me to play them, he added. The acoustic mandolin is suited for fast music as its double strings make it appear like a fast note, Sadhgun explained.
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If one continuously plays fast music on the five-stringed mandolin, it tends to get harsh and intolerable and it is a strain to hold the plectrum, he said.
“Personally I don’t want to play either a fast song because it gets painful holding the plectrum and don’t want to play a slow one because the audience gets bored. There has to be a mix of fast songs with melodious ones. That way the audience is not bored,” Sadhgun said. When you are giving a Katcheri, you cannot ignore the wishes of the audience, he added.
“While it is not easy to play accompaniment to instrumentalists, with Sadhgun it has been a good experience and we have struck up a good on-stage chemistry,” said mridangam artiste Nikshit T. Puttur, who finished a performance in Shivamogga and then rushed to Bengaluru to catch a flight to Visakhapatnam on Sunday afternoon to play with Sadhgun on Sunday evening.
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Sadhgun started learning music at the age of five and his choice of mandolin was more because of its size and convenience. Today, he is happy with his choice and enjoys it.
He learned his mandolin from U. Prasanna Ballal — a direct disciple of Mandolin U. Srinivas. Sadhgun has also been taking his training in vocal and mridangam from Vidwan Ballapadavu Yogish Sharma and in Veena and keyboard from Shodhan Aithal.
When you are giving a Katcheri, you cannot ignore the wishes of the audience