Singles, albums and more are keeping slide guitarist Prakash Sontakke busy during the lockdown. Prakash had to cancel a host of concerts abroad and used the time to compose two albums. “This helped me relate to my thoughts,” says Prakash. “I wanted to utilise this time to express my contemplations musically. I have composed two albums Quarantine 1 and 2, which will be released after the lockdown is lifted. They reflect my state of mind. I have used fusion music. While one album features global tunes weaved into complex rhythmic cycles to mirror my charged mind, the other is more like a trance with a signature line of repeats on an improvisation mode.”

Prakash says he is now working on his third album. He has also uploaded three singles – a quarantine anthem, ‘Stay home Stay safe, Stay healthy’, a quarantine ‘Tarana’, and a Quarantine ‘Tillana’ on YouTube and Facebook. ‘“Tarana’ was to quench my classical thirst, and in ‘Tillana’, I have quick-set melodic lines with my son accompanying me on the violin. People often ask me for pacey pieces and I created the quarantine anthem’, to spread positivity,” says Prakash. The guitarist has used the Russian instrument, Theramin, on the anthem.

Extending lessons

Prakash is using the lockdown to extend his online lessons to his students across the globe including Denmark, Norway, Malaysia, Singapore, Germany, US and India. Remembering how he used to record music lessons on video and send them for his students to practice 20 years ago, he says, “Then came Skype and online lessons became a way of life.”

Prakash is continuing with his Saturday live sessions. “People send me requests for songs and my compositions which I do gladly.” Prakash will play classical compositions, old Bollywood numbers and Western fusion on his Facebook live at 7 pm on April 25.

Jyotsna Srikanth: This reset button is good

Classical western and carnatic violinist Jyotsna Srikanth has had to cancel 50 collaborative concerts including her UK tour where she was supposed to play with She Koyokh and Klezmer & Balkan band, be at the World Yoga Festival in Reading playing with the Bollywood Brass Band there, apart from the Edinburg Fringe Festival for a collaboration with Polish cellist Justyna Jablonska.

“I am unhappy that many of my concerts were cancelled. It is a big loss both financially and in terms of opportunity for a performing artist. However, if I were to think deeper, I feel we needed this reset button — a forced one unfortunately. COVID-19 has put the brakes on the entire world, to give us some think time,” says Jyotsna, a medical doctor who took to instrumental music.

“For the first time we are appreciating the true beauty of nature. We have so many parrots and rare birds on our terrace that I have never cared to see. The air seems clean and fresh and pollution-related allergies have drastically reduced. People are getting aligned to a new course. I am focusing on more melody and composing.”

Twice the learning

Jyotsna learnt vocal music from her mother, Rathna Srikantiah, and Carnatic violin from seven-stringed violinist, RR Keshavamurthy. Her love for anything classical led her to the Western classical violin at the Bangalore School of Music and VS Narasimhan. “I have been lucky to have learnt both the systems of music in detail. This helped me experiment and collaborate with different genres.”

With 10 albums to her credit, Jyotsna had been working with Nordic Raga for a collaboration with Swedish Folk music, Raga Garage with western classical violinist Robert Atchison and Carnatic Connection for a collaboration with Bollywood Brass Band, among others.

Off the road

Off the road now, Jyotsna, is happy composing for Carnatic Connection 3, with Bollywood Brass Band, and composing for Emotions 9 (Navarasa) for her next Indian violin concerto.

“Apart from this I have been teaching students around three hours a day. My students are from UK, mainland Europe and the US. Technology has been a boon to me. Though group classes have been a challenge, individual classes seem to be fine.”

Jyotsna will be performing a free online carnatic concert on May 1 at 4.30 pm (www.facebook.com/Dr.JyotsnaSrikanth). “It is International Workers Day and this would be my way of paying a tribute to the selfless workers during the COVID-19 crisis.”