Innovative Use Patterns of the Music Archives Web Pages and CDs. Share your usage experiences! Email: 
- CDs are primarily a convenience , especially when:
- You are away from the Internet (eg: travel, exercise etc)
- You prefer the CD/music system to the computer
- When Internet access/download is slow (eg: 56kbps access)
- Rapid access, controlled playback, recording to other media (tape etc)
- When my website is down (crashes, maintainence etc).
- Also, if I move on to a different
job, I cannot guarantee that these archive webpages will continue
to be hosted free-of-cost.
Otherwise, all songs, classes and new additions are always available
freely on the website for download anytime when you are online.
- Most people use this resource to complement other forms
of music learning/experience/appreciation (not as a pure
substitute). Just like a book does not replace a guru, an "audio book"
does not. You can get a different perspective on existing songs or
learn new songs.
- Self-learners (especially when a guru is not available) find this
resource very valuable. I am very happy to report that I receive over
10,000 hits/month and over thousands of unique users of the web
site. Hundreds have purchased the CD set and help me sustain this
effort.
- Several folks in their middle age or later (30+) have used this
resource to jump start their re-involvement in music learning.
- Folks write down song lists in concerts, and then come to the
website to learn more details about the songs or learn the song
itself or listen to another expert version of it (eg: Semmangudi) ...
- The Manodharma Site organizes not only alapana, swarakalpana,
neraval, RTP etc, but also sorts the songs/audio classes by
ragas. Some folks have surfed the site on a raga-by-raga basis to get
a comprehensive understanding of each raga.
- Karthik Subramanian from U.K. listens to the music classes at
work and subconciously learns first before firming up the lessons
later. I would also strongly recommend this efficient learning method.
- Rama Devagupta has her children sit by the computer and listen to
a geetham class everyday: creating an environment of music
learning from their early youth! Isn't this cool?
- Some folks use the CD-ROMs or downloaded MP3 files during their daily physical exercise
routine times (eg: on their jogging trails or during their treadmill time)
- Some folks listen to classes during their commute to work (i.e. in their cars
or train/subway).
- I tend to learn new songs in hotels or plane trips on my laptop computer (i travel a lot).