Warren Senders

Man With Sign, March 16, 02026

Jeez. It's raining pretty heavily AND it's cold. Minimally protected by a small umbrella and a plastic poncho, I'm nevertheless getting damper by the minute; only a full rain suit with trousers would have kept me dry. And (stupidly) I'm wearing sneakers? What was I thinking? Anyway, I reach Roosevelt Circle at 7:32, and it's ALL-BLACK signage as usual for a Monday.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPivq9zVhy8
#ClimateChaos #GlobalWarming #HindustaniMusic #CitizenActivism

Man With Sign, March 16, 02026

YouTube
Mar 16 at 1:19pmWeb
Show threadWarren Senders6d ago

Except for one WDIPT who says something I can't make out (though from the tone it was the usual mix of simple ignorance and snotty entitlement characteristic of White Dudes In Pickup Trucks throughout our nation), the drivers are entirely preoccupied with their windshield wipers and the constant downpour. Nobody spares a thought for a Man With Sign, even a sign with no visible message.

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Show threadWarren Senders6d ago

It's been a while since I did any practice purely focused on technique, and I feel the need to work on articulation in melismata. So I pull up a Patiala-style drut bandish in Megh, "kaare badariya" with text appropriate for a rainy morning. This item is essentially a string of bol-taans connected by a few more relaxed short phrases, and as such is a perfect vehicle for grinding muscle memory.

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Show threadWarren Senders6d ago

As it's pouring, I keep the tabla in my side bag and under my poncho, which muffles the higher frequencies but allows the bass drum to throb directly in my flank, an interesting sensation. I start with the tempo at a very sedate 120 bpm, and sing through the bandish multiple times with each eighth-note separately articulate; if I was a Western violin this would be spiccato. Then increment by 10 bpm and repeat.

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Show threadWarren Senders6d ago

As we proceed up the ladder of gradual acceleration, I build in approach runs in eighth-notes, starting an 8-note burst at beat 5 with the "ka-" syllable and linking it to the nominal onset tone at khali. Depending on the initial starting note this can be difficult, and I compose multiple versions of the line, sometimes intensifying my focus to start a 7-note run on the offbeat.

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Show threadWarren Senders6d ago

Patiala singers use a melismatic technique that allows each note in a passage to "pop" a little, and while this type of voice production can have what Walter Kaufman delicately described as "a certain bleating quality," it is an important skill to have, and one that requires regular maintenance. I lose intonational focus more often in this practice than I'd like.

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Show threadWarren Senders6d ago

By 8:23 I'm at 170 bpm, brisk enough for the composition's hyperkinesis to manifest, and generally holding it together. It takes me a few minutes to get things ready for making a video (I'm holding a sign AND an umbrella, so how do I hold the phone too?), but I manage eventually, then boost the tempo to 180 for the last 2 minutes of the hour before gratefully shutting down and heading home.

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Show threadWarren Senders6d ago

By the time I stow my signs in the garage my feet are soaking wet (and cold!) and I am looking forward to a second cup of coffee with something approaching lust. Getting dry, warm, and on with my day seems an extremely attractive proposition. I've got students, a meeting, and the usual resistance chores to carry out (and feet to dry off!).

Resist! Sing! Tell the truth!

See you tomorrow.

Man With Sign

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