Published Paper Details:

This is a study on the techniques of singing Khasi indigenous vocal music by first understanding its structure. This study is also an attempt to compile and document the different techniques involve in singing Khasi indigenous songs right from the songs that has been sung for generations altogether to the songs of contemporary composition which are however based on a similar structural pattern. This endeavor of documenting Khasi indigenous vocal music is part of the conservation of Khasi music which thus aims at conserving the musical identity of the Khasi people. The key-finding in this research is the melismatic nature of Khasi indigenous vocal music. Though there are differences in the geographical settlement, the dialect spoken, the intonation in speech as well as in singing, yet the melismatic structure of the melody in these three study area binds them in one accord of Khasi indigenous music. Melismatic singing in Khasi indigenous vocal music is described as kyriah. How to sing them? or how to kyriah?, of course require different other techniques which has been defined in this study.