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A Living Portrait of India India Heritage:Performing Arts:Music:Classical:Vocal Hindustani Music:khayalkhayal Gharanas.The gharanas of khayal gayaki (singing) are :Gwalior gharana Kirana gharana Jaipur-Atrauli gharana Agra gharana Patiala gharana ... Rampur-Sahaswan gharana Mewati gharana Bhendi Bazar gharana

Gwalior gharana

The oldest of the gharanas and one to which most others can and do trace the origins of their style is the Gwalior gharana. Some sources believe that Nathan Khan and Peer Baksh settled in Gwalior and evolved the style features that led to this gharana. Others claim that individuals named Nathan Peer Baksh and Nathe Khan founded the gharana. The accepted version is that Nathan Peer Baksh left Lucknow (in Uttar Pradesh) to escape the professional rivalry with Shakkar Khan that had taken an ugly turn. He arrived in Gwalior with his grandsons Haddu Khan and Hassu Khan.

Another great khayal singer, also originally from Lucknow, was Bade Mohammed Khan who brought the t�n into khayal singing. Haddu and Hassu Khan further enhanced the style into the Gwalior gharana as we recognize it today. Haddu Khan's son, Rehmet Khan (1852-1922) was a widely acclaimed singer who liberated the Gwalior style from the methodical form it followed to the emotional style that he preferred.

Apart from the emphasis on notes (swara), another distinguishing feature of the gharana is its simplicity because through simplicity alone can the singer and the listener arrive at the full beauty and impact of the raga. One means to this is of course the selection of well-known ragas so that the listener is saved the effort of trying to identify the raga. Attention can be focussed on the raga and the presentation of it. While the khayal singer does include raga vistar (melody expansion) and raga alankara (melody ornamentation to enhance the beauty and meaning of the raga, there is no attempt to include the tirobhava feature i.e. using melodic phrases to obscure the identity of the raga in the interest of adding interest or mystery to the listener's experience.

The singing itself places bandish (the composition) at the heart of the presentation because of the gharana's belief that the full melody of the raga and guidance on its singing is provided by the bandish. The sthayi section is sung twice before the antara, to be followed by the slow tempo of the swara vistar (note expansion). This slow rendition of the notes is known as the behlava, and is sung from Ma in the lower register to Pa in the higher register, following the pattern of the aroha (ascent) and avaroha (descent) of the raga.

The behlava is divided into the sthayi (from Ma to Sa) and antara (from Ma, Pa, or Dha to Pa of the higher register). The dugun-ka-alap follows in which groups of two or four note combinations are sung in quicker succession but the basic tempo remains the same. Thus the drumming pattern of the table (i.e. tabla theka) is left unaltered.

The bol-alap is next in which the different words of the text are sung in different ways, to be followed by murkis in which notes are sung with ornamentation to a faster pace. Bol-t�ns entail the formation of melodic sequences with the words of the song. The other t�ns, including the gamak, follow.

The sapat t�n is important to the Gwalior style and refers to the singing of notes in a straight sequence and at a slow pace.

Both dhrupad and khayal singing evolved in Gwalior and there are many overlaps. In the khayal style there is one form, mundi dhrupad, that incorporates all the features of dhrupad singing but without the mukhda. The Gwalior gharana usually prefers to begin ragas in the medium tempo (madhya laya) rather then the slow tempo (vilambit laya) as is the norm with other gharanas.

The chosen ragas include Alahya-Bilawal, Yaman, Bhairav, Sarang, Shri, Hamir, Gaud-Malhar, Miya-ki-Malhar.

Renowned singers of this gharana are Balkrishnabua Ichalkaranjikar, Vishnu Digamber Paluskar, Nissar Hussain Khan, Shankarrao Pandit, Krishnarao Pandit, Eknath Pandit, Pandit Vinayakrao Parwardhan, Narayanrao Vyas, Dattaraya Vishnu Paluskar, Sharat Chandra Arolkar, and Pandit Omkarnath Thakur who authored the Sangitanjali (a text on the nature of ragas).

Contemporary singers include Pandit V.R. Athavale, Pandit Vinaychandra Maudgalaya, Pandit Jal B8alporia. Others while not performing in the pure Gwalior style nevertheless retain the distinctive features of the gharana. Malini Rajurkar is an example of this. Her singing reveals influences of the Kirana style as well as that of the independent singer Kumar Gandharva but the clear rendition of each word in the manner of a short t�n stamps her singing with the Gwalior tradition.

Kirana gharana

The emphasis on elongating the notes and the importance to their resonance is a distinctive feature of this gharana. The founder, Khan Sahab Abdul Karim Khan (1872-1937), believed in the serene rendition of the notes as when playing the bin (a plucked instrument with resonators at both ends). Rehmet Khan of the Gwalior gharana is believed to have influenced Ustad Karim Khan's adoption of the direct style of presentation. Some have also indicated the influence of the sarangi (a string instrument) on the voice features of this gharana.

Kirana is the birth place of the Ustad, and situated near Kurukshetra. Ustad Karim Khan served as a musician at the Baroda and the Mysore courts and had a tremendous influence on the music of western India.

His own somewhat nasal voice led him to adopt the Carnatic style for singing the saptak (the seven notes). He preferred to sing in the slower tempo and stress the bol-alap through consonants because his own voice was not wholly suited to the lower register of notes. The aesthetic appeal was thus never marred and the continuity he desired was achieved. Other singers of the gharana, including his disciple Sawai Gandharva, used the upper register far more often than the lower. Some later singers, including Roshanara Begum and Bhimsen Joshi, sing almost equally in both octaves.

This factor has influenced the choice of ragas to those appropriate for the emphasis on the alap rather than the bandish. Karuna rasa (pathetic or sympathetic mood) is the foremost of the sentiments expressed through renditions that extend the notes gradually and use kanas (grace notes ) to fully express the raga. However, the lack of emphasis on voice projection and words led to a blurring of the lines as far as different ragas were concerned.

The emphasis on swara has led to a rather subtle tempo and rhythmic pattern, both factors allowing for the sentiment and mood to be highlighted. Due to this, the words of the bandish are not clearly enunciated and there are only a few in the Kirana gharana repertoire.

Kirana includes thumri singing in its repertoire, but with the emphasis on swara rather than on emotion and an absence of the characteristic lilt of thumri singing.

Contemporary singers like Bhimsen Joshi cannot be said to sing in the pure Kirana style because of the diverse influences apparent in his singing. The swara orientation is not as strong and the tempo is no longer latent as is characteristic of the gharana. However, the emotional appeal of the pure Kirana style remains and so do the Kirana compositions.

Ragas traditionally performed by the gharana: Shuddha Kalyan, Darbari, Malkauns, Bhimpalasi, Todi, to name a few. Some ragas of Carnatic music - for example, Jogiya - are included in the repertoire.

Renowned singers include: Bhimsen Joshi, Abdul Wahid Khan (he taught Begum Akhtar), Surash Babu Mane, Prabha Atre Malati, Hirabai Barodekar, Gangubhai Hangal, her daughter Krishna Hangal, and Pandit Feroze Dastur.

Jaipur-Atrauli gharana

Born in Atrauli and singing at the Jaipur court, Alladiya Khan (1855-1943) made both cities famous through the gharana he founded. His training in both dhrupad and khayal genres enabled him to bring the complexities of both into his style that can be best described as filigree. The variation of note patterns serves to enhance the rendition of notes that are linked in a characteristic manner. This in no way impinges on the individual quality of the notes. The tempo is consistently slow (but not as slow as in the Kirana style), with the varying note patterns providing the rhythm.

Many feel that the gharana follows an intellectual approach, and this does not lend itself to layakari (the development and play of tempo). However, the intellectual nature of presentation in no way precludes laya. It is very much in existence through the changing pitch and volume and the note patterns themselves: these factors comprise what Deshpande terms 'functional rhythm'.

The time factor permeates every performance. The attention to every beat and half-beat is a vital feature of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana and requires both singer and musician to co-ordinate on the sam. The sam is the most emphatic beat of the tabla (a drum) and is usually played at the beginning of the rhythm cycle and at other specific moments. The singer maintains this rhythm by coinciding the singing with the sam. In khayal singing, the sam may occur at the end of the mukhada (first melodic phrase) and the singer and musician do not consistently coincide their emphases. The Jaipur-Atraul gharana has elevated this to an art form by arriving at the emphatic beat in a specific but unexpected manner. By remaining aware of every beat and fraction of a beat even at the slow tempo, the singer can impart a great aesthetic value to the experience. Alladiya Khan was a master at this technique.

The bandishes are always the traditional ones, and no new compositions are present in the repertoire. The text itself comes second to the melodic movements and tempo of the bandish, the gharana preferring to emphasize the meaning and emotion through note combinations. Thus the musical element dominates. The akar (singing a part of the raga through the vowels 'aa') is not traditionally used (the singer Kishori Amonkar is an exception). The bols (words) are sung, and ornamented with t�ns and murkis, the ornamentation being in drut laya (fast tempo). The bada khayal is sung spanning all three registers and the antara section is omitted. While vakra t�ns (spiralling notes to embellish the raga) are to be found in the presentation, there is a rarity of other t�ns like kanas (grace notes) and sargam t�ns (sargam - a term comprised of the solfege names of the first four notes, and denoting all seven notes).

The choice of ragas reflects the school's selectivity of manner and presentation: acchob (rare) ragas and jod (compound) ragas like Sampurna-Malkauns, Basant-Kedar, Basant-Bahar, Kaunsi-Kanada and Nat-Kamod.

Renowned singers include Kesarbai Kerkar who trained under Ustad Alladiya Khan, Mallikarjun Mansur, Shruti Sadolikar Katkar, Padma Tralwalkar, Padmavati Shaligram Gokhale.

Agra gharana

The founders of the Agra gharana, Shamrang and Sasrang, were originally dhrupad and dhamar singers, and khayal singing was a later addition by Ghagge Khuda Baksh. The latter was trained by Nathan Peer Baksh of the Gwalior gharana. The emphasis on layakari in the Agra gharana is a result of these beginnings. Ustad Faiyaz Khan (1886-1950), widely regarded as the founder of this gharana, trained under both his maternal grandfather Ghulam Abbas and Natthan Khan of the Agra school. His paternal great-grandfather was Ustad Ramzan Khan 'Rangile' and Faiyaz Khan's singing is often considered the 'Rangile' style rather than the Agra style.

The Ustad himself had a powerful voice and sang in a low register. Through voice modulation as well as stress on alap and the rhythmic patterns in the bandish, he was able to evolve a distinctive style. The nom-tom alap remains popular with this gharana as does the use of ekar rather than akar. He employed a clear style in the enunciation of words which were sung (many believe they were spoken) according to the mood of the section. To add drama, he would often allow for a break in the rendition - a stylistic device is known as phut.

It was Faiyaz Khan's belief that a raga should commence with the note shadja and that the note be accorded a focal position. While classical texts accepted the shadja as the first note, in practice the opening note

(graha swara) was not necessarily the shadja. The current practice of commencing the alap with Sa began with Ustad Faiyaz Khan.

This gharana begins a raga with an extended alap replete with ornamentation, and the mukhda and other phrases are sung with equal emphasis. The bandish in medium tempo follows. The words of the text are accompanied by close attention to rhythm and in vilambit laya. The words of the sthayi may be repeated, if the section is deemed too short. Bol tans are next, sung at double or even treble the past tempo, followed by other tans in madhya laya. The ladant (duel with the tabla) is occasionally included, and at the close, a khayal sung in drut laya.

Like the Jaipur gharana, the Agra school emphasizes the melodic aspect of the raga, while the importance of the bandish is a legacy of the Gwalior style. Again, the sam (the most emphatic beat of the tabla) and the arrival at it by musician and singer is an interesting and much anticipated feature.

Renowned singers of this school include Sharafat Hussain Khan (believed to have a style very close to Faiyaz Khan's), Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan 'Agrawale', Latafat Hussain Khan, Yunus Hussain, Vijay Kitchlu, Jyotsna Bhole, Deepali Nag, Sumuti Mutatkar. A famous independent singer taught by Faiyaz Khan was Kanhaiya Lal Sehgal. Besides, the Agra gharana had a profound influence on luminaries such as Pandit Bhatkhande.

Patiala gharana

The well-known Allu-Fattu are often credited with establishing this gharana even though Kale Khan is the person responsible for this achievement. He provided preliminary training to both his son Ali Baksh (Allu) and Ali's friend Fateh Ali Khan (Fattu), and Kale Khan's illustrious teachers continued the instruction. The Patiala gharana is considered an off-shoot of the Delhi gharana.

Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (1901-69) brought glory to this singing tradition, and brought much of his own style into the gharana's stamp. His voice had an astounding range and clarity, and the effortless execution of even the most complex ragas is a strength that others owing allegiance to this gharana lean toward.

Close attention is paid to swara, layakari, and bols (perfect enunciation being a hallmark of the gharana). Bade Ghulam Ali Khan's ability to span all three octaves while singing the satta-t�ns (short spiralling patterns) and the shortened tonal aspect brought glimpses of the tappa (fast-paced, short, light-classical songs of Punjab) into this classical forte. However, this was appropriately restricted to the chhota khayal. But he did grant a special place to both tappa and thumri (a light classical style) singing, and went on to sing thumris in the tappa style! The clear enunciation of notes notwithstanding, there was and is an abundance of ornamentation that has been criticized as being entirely superfluous. Sargams often replace the text, and note-combinations are used in unconventional placements. The gharana regards these as being integral to the mood and emotion of the raga which became in many ways a means of expressing the singer's response to the raga.

The shringara rasa of the tappas and thumris is a fitting mood for the singing style of this gharana, and the raga selection in its repertoire reflects this.

Malkauns, Bhupali, Gunakali were the ragas of Bade Ghulam Ali's choice, and even today, these and similar ragas such as Megh Malhar predominate.

Renowned singers of the Patiala gharana include Munnawar Ali Khan (Bade Ghulam Ali Khan's son), Pandit Ajoy Charavorty, Raza Ali Khan, Parveen Sultana.

Rampur-Sahaswan gharana

The founder of this gharana is Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan (1849-1919), son-in-law of Haddu Khan of the Gwalior gharana, and disciple of, among others, Ustad Bahadur Hussain Khan (Tansen's descendant). Inayat Hussain Khan was born in Sahaswan and lived his professional life in Rampur. The city was an important centre of dhrupad singing, and together with the fact of Haddu Khan's teaching, there are definite influences of dhrupad, and the Gwalior gharana. For example, the prevalence of ornaments in the Rampur-Shahaswan singing style. Hence, the gharana is regarded as an off-shoot of the Gwalior gharana.

The alap of this gharana is structured and uses techniques like the behlava to express the mood of the raga. The bandish section stretches through the sthayi and antara sections, both of which are sung fully. The text is sung clear and strong so as to wholly reveal its literary nature. This is followed by sargams, akars and bols sung in all three tempos - slow, medium, and fast. Madhya laya is the preferred tempo for raga performance. These features are very similar to those of the Gwalior gharana.

The t�ns of this gharana are executed in the characteristic style, and end on the shadja. The number of t�ns popular in the Rampur-Sahaswan style is far more than in the other gharanas, and includes sapat-t�ns, halaq-t�ns, chut-t�ns, bol-t�ns, and tappa t�ns.

Apart from the classical ragas in its repertoire, the gharana favours tarana singing. This is clearly seen in the choice of ragas like Bhupali-Todi, Bahadur-Todi, Yaman, Kedar, Bihag, Gaud-Sarang, Chhaya Nat.

The renowned singers of this gharana include Ustad Mushtaq Hussain Khan (trained by Inayat Hussain Khan himself), Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan (Inayat Hussain Khan's son-in-law), Ghulam Mustafa Khan, Rashid Khan, Ghulam Sadiq Khan, Shanno Khurana, Sulochana Brihaspati.

Mewati gharana

The semi-classical music of this gharana founded by Ghagge Nazir Khan avoids the accepted norm of elongating words for the sake of rhythm. Sargams and t�ns (such as sapat-t�ns) are employed to provide the versatile link that is needed. The literary context and the emotional appeal of the raga are stressed, and expressed through the use of techniques such as the murchhana technique (enhancing the raga by changing the tonic).

This last is important because of the emphasis on the mood (rasa, bhava) of the raga. This school can be said to be bhava-pradhan (pradhan: of great importance, superior), and as such the ornamentations and the structure of the performance are geared to ensuring a continuity. This, the akar is conspicuous by its absence (as in the Kirana gharana). The bandish section is characterised by the notes and the raga itself that span all three octaves; the mukhda of both sthayi and antara sections is developed through bol alap. This part closes with the mukhda of the sthayi section, to be followed by layakari and ornamental devices particularly the gamak and sapat t�ns.

The bhajan quality of the performances is a feature unique to this gharana, and reveals a religious influence.

The gharana is represented by Pandit Jasraj and his two disciples Sanjeev Abhyankar and Rattan Sharma. This is reminiscent of Ghagge Nazir Khan and his two disciples, Nathulal and Chamanlal. Nathulal's nephew Pandit Motiram continued the tradition through his sons Pandit Maniram and Pandit Jasraj.

Bhendi Bazar gharana

A lesser-known but influential gharana, the Bhendi Bazar school was founded by Ustad Chhajju Khan, Ustad Nazir Khan and Ustad Khadim Hussain Khan in the late nineteenth century. They trained under their father Dilawar Hussain Khan, and Inayat Hussain Khan of the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana.

The akar sung in an open voice, the prevalence of merkhand (intricate singing of the sargam), and a clear articulation and intonation are the characteristic features of this gharana. Stringent practice of breath control permits the singer to sing a long stretch of the raga without pausing.

Renowned singers of this gharana include Ustad Aman Ali (who specialized in complex sargams without sidelining swara and laya, and taught Lata Mangeshwar, known also as 'India's nightingale'), Anjanibai Malpekar (who taught Kishori Amonkar).

Vocal Hindustani Music : Dhrupad, Dharmar, Tarana, Tappa, Thumri

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The mela of Carnatic music.Th�tIt refers to the parent scale i.e. basic arrangement of the saptaki from which ragas are derived. The aroha (ascending pattern, from Sa to Ni) and the avaroha (descending pattern, from Ni to Sa) of ragas are based on the parent scale. Th�t can be considered a classification that permits several ragas to be grouped together. One of the many ragas of a particular parent-scale will always bear the name of that parent-scale. Ragas usually drop at last one note of the parent-scale, and have a clear aroha and avaroha pattern, a feature absent in a th�t. However, the saptaki must be in the correct order in a th�t, although both pure and altered forms of a note may be included in an arrangement. This last would be an unusual feature in a raga. According to Pandit Bhatkhande's listing, there are ten th�ts.1. Bilawal - all seven notes in there pure forms, that are arranged in sequence. The tar shadja is included in the eighth position. In Carnatic music, this th�t is known as the melakarta Shankarabharaman.

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni S�a

2. Kalyan - all seven notes in their pure form, and a tivra madhyam. Sa Re Ga M� Pa Dha Ni S�a

3. Khamaj - Nishad in its komal form, the others in their pure forms. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni S�a

4. Bhairav - Rishab and dhaivat as komal notes. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni S�a

5. Purvi - Rishab and dhaivat as komal notes and the madhyam as tivra. Sa Re Ga M Pa Dha Ni S�a

6. Marwa - Rishab in its komal form and a tivra madhyam. Sa Re Ga M� Pa Dha Ni S�a

7. Bhairavi - Shadja, pancham and madhyam in their shuddha forms, and the others in their komal forms. This is the melakarta Hanumantodi of Carnatic music. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni S�a

8. Asavari - with gandhara, dhaivat and nishad in their komal forms. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni S�a

9. Kafi - gandhara and nishad as komal swaras, all the rest in their pure forms. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni S�a

10. Todi - Rishab, gandhara and dhaivat as komal notes, and madhyam as tivra. Sa Re Ga M Pa Dha Ni S�a

See also: Swara & Raga

The term Raga refers to both the musical melody and the abstract personification of the spirit of a raga. The two must and do merge so as to allow the individual characteristics of a raga to emerge through the notes.

Certain technicalities impart to the raga form its complex harmony. Four kinds of melodic movements (varna) are recognized: Sthayi (stable): the continuous holding of one note; Aroha: ascending notes, from Sa to Ni; Avaroha: descending notes, from Ni to Sa; Sanchari: the meandering of the notes.

Pandit Bhatkhande ruled certain qualifying features for a raga: For one, a raga needs to be composed of at least five notes, one of which needs necessarily be Shadja (Sa. Either pancham or madhyam must also be present. Further, the ascending scale (aroha) or the descending scale (avaroha) cannot carry both the sharp/pure and altered forms of the same note; however, different forms of a note can be present on different scales within a raga.

Ranade reiterated this by insisting that Sa be the tonic (or sonant) for all ragas and the latter must use the full range of an octave and be aesthetically pleasing. Also, that madhyam or pancham be one of the other notes.

In practical terms however, the dominant note or sonant (vadi) can vary and the consonant (samavadi) is always the fifth note from the vadi. The consonant works to complement the vadi. Other notes, insignificant, are known as anuvadi, and those that do not belong to the raga or have been positioned in violation of rules, maybe for purposes of contrast, are known as vivadi. The process of shifting the sonant and therefore the consonant to create new melodies is known as murchhana. The key lies in maintaining the sonant - consonant ratio.

The names of ragas are determined by a host of factors. Many are named after the deities associated with their origin, for instance Kedar, Shankara, Bhairav, Duraga, and Saraswati. Tribal names abound because their melodies have provided the basis for ragas like Asavari, Ahiri, and Gurjari. Ragas like the Malwa, Jaunpuri, Pahari are so named because of the association with the melodies of those places. Composers often lend their names to ragas such as Miyan-ki-Malhar (named after Tansen, the great musician of the Mughal emperor Akbar's court), and Miyan-ki-Todi (named after Vilaskhani Todi). Some raga names reflect their mixed origins - Bhupali-Todi, Ahir-Bhairav.

Whatever the reasons for their nomenclature, a famous and intrinsic part of ragas is the mood they seek to express and evoke. The skills and dedication required may lead to an unusual experience as well, as in the case of raga Dipak. This raga is believed capable of lighting up lamps and of setting the singer aflame! Legend has it that Gopala Naik, a renowned musician, immersed himself in water before commencing on the raga, but nonetheless could not save himself from being consumed by fire. Tansen was more fortunate during his rendition of the raga because his wife began singing raga Malhar (to bring down the rains).

Ragas in PracticeThe ragas have their seasons and times of day as well. Summer is regarded as the corresponding season for raga Dipak, Monsoon for raga Megh, Autumn for raga Bhairav, Winter for raga Malkauns, and the Spring for raga Hindol. In Carnatic music, however, there is no such connection of season or time, although some ragas are considered appropriate to certain hours.

The correct time of day and night for a few ragas:

6-9 a.m.

Ragas of Bilawal th�t, such as Alahya Bilawal, Shuddh Bilawal, Devgiri Bilawal, Shukla Bilawal, Kukubh Bilawal; Gunakali and Sarpada;

Ragas of Bhairav th�t, such as Ahir-Bhairav; Ramkali, Jogiya Bhairav-Bahar;

Ragas of Bhairavi th�t, such as Bhairavi, Bhupali-Todi, Bilaskhani Todi;

Ragas of Kalyan th�t, such as Hindol;

9 a.m. - 12 noon.

Ragas of Todi th�t, such as Gurjari Todi, Miyan-ki-Todi; Asavari th�t: ragas such as Asavari, Komal Re Asavari, Sindh Bhairavi;

Ragas of Kafi th�t, such as Sugharai, Sur Malhar;

Ragas of Bilawal th�t, such as Deshkar.

Noon - 3 p.m.

Ragas of Kafi th�t, such as Bridabani Sarang, Shuddh Sarang, Bhimpalasi, Pilu;

Ragas of Kalyan th�t, such as Gaud-Sarang.

3 - 6 p.m.

Ragas of Purvi th�t, such as Purvi, Purya-Dhanashri, Shri, Triveni;

Ragas of Marwa th�t, such as Marwa, Purya;

Ragas of Todi th�t, such as Multani; of Kafi th�t, such as Pat-Manjari.

6-9 p.m.

Ragas of Kalyan th�t, such as Yaman, Bhupali, Hamir, Shuddh Kalyan, Chhay-Nata;

Ragas of Bilawal th�t, such as Hansadhwani.

9 p.m. - midnight.

Ragas of Bilawal th�t, such as Shankara, Durga, Nand, Maluha Kedar, Bihag and its forms;

Ragas of Khamaj th�t, such as Khamaj, Jaijaiwanti, Regeshwari, Bhainna Shadja, Gara;

Ragas of Kafi th�t, such as Kafi, Malhar and its forms, Bageshwari.

Midnight - a.m.

Ragas of Kafi th�t, such as Bahar, Nayaki Kanada;

Ragas of Asavari th�t, such as Darbari Kanada, Shahana Kanada;

Ragas of Bhairavi th�t, such as Malkauns.

3-6 a.m.

Ragas of Purvi th�t, such as Basant, Paraj;

Ragas of Marwa th�t, such as Sohoni, Lalit;

Ragas of Bhairav th�t, such as Kalingda.

Those ragas that are meant to be played at sunset or sunrise are called Sandhiprakash. There are others that can be played at any and all times, for instance ragas Mand (regarded also as an evening raga), Sindhura, and Dhani.

These stipulations of time are governed by the notes and their pitch. Pandit Bhatkhande held that ragas performed at night or at sunset should contain the tivra madhyam (M�), whereas daytime ragas must not contain the tivra madhyam. Ragas which emphasize the lower pitch are to be performed during the evening or early night; ragas emphasizing the higher pitch are appropriate for late night and early morning. Undoubtedly, there are exceptions to these stringent guidelines.

The word sruti refers to both the philosophical context of 'that which is revealed through the oral tradition i.e. the Upanishads and other great texts and also 'sound that is heard without reverberation'. There are believed to be twenty-two srutis in an octave, a sruti being a micro-tone (smaller than a semi-tone).

At the heart of classical music are the seven notes (swaras) comprising the Saptak: Shadja (Sa) with four srutis, Rishab (Re or Ri) with three srutis, Gandhar (Ga), with two srutis, Madhyam (Ma) with four srutis, Pancham (Pa) with four srutis, Dhaivat (Dha) with three srutis, and Nishad (Ni) with two srutis. The eighth note is known as the tar shadja - it repeats the sound of the first note at a different octave, and is denoted by S�a. This system applies to the other notes as well. These are the shuddha (pure) notes.

According to the Sangita Ratnakar, the pitch of the seven notes resembles the calls of certain birds and animals. Sa resembles the peafowl's cry; Re (or Ri), the cataka bird's cry; Ga, the goat's sound; Ma, the kraunka bird's call; Pa, the woodpecker's call; Dha resembles the call of a frog in love, and Ni, the sound made by an elephant when it is hit with the mahaut's (elephant handler/driver) hook.

Vikrit (altered) notes are interpolations: softer versions of some pure notes that, on a musical key, would be placed in the space between them. Sa and pa are known as achal (fixed) notes; i.e. they do not have vikrit forms.

Shuddha swaras (pure notes) Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Vikrit swaras (altered notes) Re Ga M� Dha Ni Achal swaras (fixed notes) Sa Pa

The altered forms (Vikrit swara) of Rishab, Gandhara, Dhaivat and Nishad are known as komal swaras (soft/flat notes) to distinguish them from the pure form that is known also as the tivra (sharp) form. An exception is the pure form of Madhyam - it is not known as tivra because the pure form itself can move from its position on the scale.

The note Sa corresponds to the C of western music, and is regarded as the tonic (there may well be another note as tonic, but Sa is usually so). Other notes are considered in light of their relationship with it. Ma and pa are seen as being perfectly compatible with it, while Dha and Ga are much less compatible with Sa. Re, Ni, Dha and M� are least compatible with it.

Cool Raaga, Indian Hindustani classical music, raagas , tutorialsMusic is general and Indian classical and popular music in particular.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Hindustani Shastriya Sangeet (Classical music) basic theory

Like most other art forms, it is very difficult to give an all encompassing definition of Hindustani Shastriya Sangeet also known as (North) Indian classical music. The south Indian classical music is known as Carnatic Shastriya Sangeet. I am not going to delve into the histroy of the classical music. Rather I will try to write about the musical style and grammar associated with this genre.

Now some basic theory about the Hindustani classical. If you are aware about this, you can skip this section.

Musical Scale in Hindustani classical

The smallest interval of tuning system in the hindustani classical is the Sruti. There are 22 srutis per saptak (octave). However in practice Hindustani classical mainly uses 12 swaras (notes) grouped in every Saptak (octave). Seven of these are known as Shuddha (pure) and five of them are called as Vikrit (sharp/flat) making a total of 12 notes per saptak.Those familiar with western music will immediately recognise this as being similar to the solfège.

The seven shuddha (pure) notes are:

Sa Shadja

Re Rishabh

Ga Gandhar

Ma Madhyam

Pa Pancham

Dha Dhaivat

Ni Nishad

The vikrit notes are

Komal Re (flat)

Komal Ga (flat)

Tivra Ma (sharp)

Komal Dha (flat)

Komal Ni (flat)

Thus in total, we have the following 12 notes per saptak.

Sa Shadja

Komal Re (flat)

Re Rishabh

Komal Ga (flat)

Ga Gandhar

Ma Madhyam

Tivra Ma (sharp)

Pa Pancham

Komal Dha (flat)

Dha Dhaivat

Komal Ni (flat)

Ni Nishad

It is important to note that unlike western music, Hindustani music is not based on equal tempered scale.In simple terms, it means that the pitch(frequency) of the first note Sa is not fixed (hence the rest of the notes also), nor is the difference between the notes completely fixed. However, now with the percolation of western instruments like Piano and harmonium people tend to use fixed scales more often. This point is of great importance to the all the classical vocalists because depending on your natural vocal range you can choose to sing the classical compositions in different scales. This is perfectly acceptable in Hindustani. But the same cannot be said of the popular music which are composed in western fixed scale.

Indian classical music is normally played in 3 registers, Mandhra saptak, Madhyam Saptak and Taar Saptak, lowest to highest.

Notes of Mandhra saptak have a dot symbol placed below them.

Taar spatak notes have a dot above them.

Komal swaras have a small horizontal line placed below them

Tivra swaras have a small vertical line placed above them.

Thaat

Thaat is the basic method of classification of various raags which was created by Pt. Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande. It is akin to the musical mode that is used in western music. Pt. Bhatkhande created this system based on the mela system used in the Carnatic music.

There are ten generally accepted thaats, these are:

Bilawal: S R G m P D N S'

Khamaj: S R G m P D n S'

Kafi: S R g m P D n S'

Asavari: S R g m P d n S'

Bhairavi: S r g m P d n S'

Bhairav: S r G m P d N S'

Kalyan: S R G M P D N S'

Marwa: S r G M P D N S'

Poorvi: S r G M P d N S'

Todi: S r g M P d N S'

Taal

Taal is the word used to denote the rhythmic pattern used in the any composition. For example, Teen Taal refers to the 16 beat cycle used commonly in Hindustani music.

Raag

A raag (raag) is a set of five or more swaras that are combined according to certain rules to create a melody of aesthetic value. Every raag has a vadi,samvadi and varjit swara.

Vadi swara is the most prominent note of a raag. It is often said that the vadi swara is the note used maximum number of times in a raag. However, this is not entirely true nor is there any strict rule for the same.

Samvadi swara is next in prominence and is in harmony with the vadi.

Varjit swaras are the notes that must NEVER be used in a raag. However, varjit swaras can sometimes be used in a raag by clever manipulations. This requires practice and strong understanding of the raag.

Aaroha refers to the ascending order of the notes in a raag.Avaroha refers to the descending order of the notes in a raag.

To clarify the concepts stated above lets take an example of raag Yaman.

Raag : YamanThaat : KalyanVadi : GaSamvadi : NiVarjit : Shuddha Ma

| .Aaroha : S R G M P D N S

. |Aaroha : S N D P M G R S

Note : The dot "." above a note denotes the Taar spatak. The line "|" above the note denotes a tivra (sharp) note.

The rules for creating the ragas are summarised below.

The raag belongs to a scale in a "thaat" or "mela".

There should be at least 5 swaras (notes) in a raag.

A raag has both ascending and descending (aroha and avaroha) order of notes.

A raag must have the tonic note. In other words it must have "Sa".

A raag must have at least one note from Pa and Ma

A raga should have both "vadi" and "samvadi" notes.

A raga should be aesthetically pleasing.

The tivra and komal swaras, should not come in succession in a raag.

There are a few ragas, which are exception to the 2nd rule; yet, they are quite popular and well accepted as classical ragas.

Like all art forms, rules and strict logic cannot be applied to raags. Raags are not strictly bound by these rules only. There may be raags with the same notes and their ascending or descending order; yet, they will sound distinctly different from one another. This happens because different raags have different styles, mood, vadi, samvadi associated with them.

In classical music performance, these rules are followed strictly. In semi classical, light, devotional and other forms of Indian music, even if the tune of a song is composed in a raga, the rules are not strictly followed.

There are hundreds of ragas and each is categorised under one of the thaats explained before. Each raag is thought to create a specific mood and supposed to be sung in a specific time of the day. Some raags like Malhar and Vasant are considered appropriate for a specific season rainy and spring respectively.Some raags and their corresponding thaats are as below:

Kafi Thaat : Dhanashree, Dhani, Bhimpalasi, Pilu, Shahana, Megh Malhar, Shuddha Sarang, Bageshwari etc.Kalyan Thaat : Yaman, Bhupali, Hindol, Kedar, Kamod, etc.

JaatiSimply speaking Jaati of a raag refers to the number of swaras contained in it's aarohan and avrohan.The raag jaatis are as follows :

Samporna-Sampoorna : 7 in aarohan - 7 notes in avarohan. example Yaman

Sampoorna-Shadav : 7 in aarohan - 6 notes in avarohan

Sampoorna-Auduv : 7 in aarohan - 5 notes in avarohan

Shadav-Sampoorna : 6 in aarohan - 7 notes in avarohan

Shadav-Shadav : 6 in aarohan - 6 notes in avarohan

Shadav-Auduv : 6 in aarohan - 5 notes in avarohan

Auduv-Sampoorna : 5 in aarohan - 7 notes in avarohan. Ex, Baagesree

Auduv-Shadav : 5 in aarohan - 6 notes in avarohan

Auduv-Auduv : 5 in aarohan - 5 notes in avarohan, example Bhupali

This completes our discussion of basic theory of Hindustani classical music. By no means is this discussion complete or encyclopedic. However, for a serious student of music this provides a small platform to start the journey of musical ocean.

Hari Om Tat Sat

Posted by Yalamber at 8:37 AM 7 comments Saturday, August 9, 2008Hindustani Raag's time

Raaga Thaat Performance Time/SeasonKafi Kafi Any TimeMand Bilawal Any TimeDhani Kafi Any TimePiloo Kafi Any TimeBhairavi Bhairavi Any TimeGaud Malhar Kafi MonsoonMiyan Malhar Kafi MonsoonDeshkar Bilawal MorningGunkri Bhairav MorningAhir Bhairav Bhairav MorningAsavari Asavari MorningBhankar Bhairav MorningBairagi Bhairav Bhairav MorningBasant Mukhari Bhairavi MorningBasant Poorvi MorningBhoopali Todi Bhairavi MorningBhatiyar Bhairav MorningBilawal Bilawal MorningBilaskhani Todi Bhairavi MorningBhairav Bhairav MorningDesi Asavari MorningSohni Marwa MorningGurjari Todi Todi MorningNat Bhairav Bhairav MorningKalingada Bhairav MorningLalit Poorvi MorningJogiya Bhairav MorningJaunpuri Asavari MorningHindol Kalyan MorningTodi Todi MorningVibhas Bhairav MorningVrindavani Sarang Kafi AfternoonShuddh Sarang Kalyan AfternoonPoorvi Poorvi AfternoonPatdeep Kafi AfternoonMadhyamad Sarang Kafi AfternoonMadhuvanti Todi AfternoonBhimpalasi Kafi AfternoonGaud Saarang Kalyan AfternoonMultani Todi AfternoonBhoopali Kalyan EveningKamod Kalyan EveningDesh Khamaj EveningYaman Kalyan Kalyan EveningHansdhwani Bilawal EveningKhamaj Khamaj EveningSham Kalyan Kalyan EveningYaman Kalyan EveningTilang Khamaj EveningShuddh Kalyan Kalyan EveningShankara Bilawal EveningMaru Bihag Kalyan EveningPuriya Dhanashri Poorvi EveningPuriya Marwa EveningPahadi Bilawal Evening

Jana Sammohini - EveningMarwa Marwa EveningShree Poorvi EveningBahar Kafi NightTilak Kamod Khamaj NightBageshriKafi NightCharukeshi - NightMalhar Kafi NightRaageshri Khamaj NightNand Kalyan NightMalkauns Pancham Bhairavi NightMalkauns Bhairavi NightBhinna Shadja Khamaj NightShivranjani Kafi NightMalgunji Kafi NightJhinjhotiKhamaj NightKirwani NightChandani Kedar Kalyan NightChandrakauns NightKedar Kalyan NightChhayanat Kalyan NightDarbari Asavari NightKalavati Khamaj NightAdana Asavari NightDurga Bilawal NightJaijaiwanti Khamaj NightGorakh Kalyan Khamaj NightHamir Kalyan NightBihag Kalyan NightPosted by Yalamber at 9:23 AM 1 comments Thursday, February 1, 2007Common Urdu words in hindi songs

All of us who have heard Hindi songs must have at some point of time wondered what the meaning of Urdu words are. This is just a compilation of some of the common words by me. I hope you will find it interesting.

http://www.apronus.com/music/flashpiano.htm

Practice what you learn in class every week at home, preferably for 15 to 30 minutes every day. Start the class with solo renditions by students of either complete or partial songs that

they are comfortable with. Review lesson 11, practicing raag Shuddha Saarang thoroughly. We now learn another new concept. All raags may be categorized as being either

in Pancham or Madhyam shruthi.o All raags we have learnt so far are in Pancham shruthi, since their notations had

the P, along with the other 2 foundational notes, S and S' (sort of like 3 legs of a stool to keep it stable).

o Malkauns is the first raag that we will learn in the Madhyam shruthi, where there is no P. Instead, we use the Shuddha M.

o When we use the taanpura (stringed or electronic) or the harmonium to provide the background drone to our singing, we replace the P with the M.

Raag Malkauns.o It is in Bhairavi thaat.o It is a midnight raag. Of course, we can only learn it in our regularly scheduled

class time.

o Its notes are straight-forward, 5 up and 5 down. Thus, it is an Audav-Audav (5/5) raag.

o In the scale we sing in normally, it is easy to play this raag on the keyboard or harmonium - only white keys.

o Apart from the shuddha M, its other notes are all komal.o (Aaroha) S g M d n S'o (Avaroha) S' n d M g Soo (Pakad) SgMM ggMd gMg n,gS

We will now start learning the song Mai Gulam Mai Gulam, a composition by Saint Kabir Das - more in the next lesson.

Dasanjali Lesson 13

Practice what you learn in class every week at home, preferably for 15 to 30 minutes every day. Review all the concepts we have learnt in lesson 12 and earlier.

o Aaroha, Avaroha and Pakad of a raag.o Thaat - what is it and how many are there?o Timings of raags.o Foundational notes - Pancham (S P S') vs Madhyam (S M) Shruthi.

Raag Malkauns.o Review all its details, again from lesson 12.o Practice its Aaroha, Avaroha, Pakad and Aalaap - 13.5 minutes.o (Aaroha) S g M d n S'o (Avaroha) S' n d M g Soo (Pakad) SgMM ggMd gMg n,gSo Learn the song Mai Gulam Mai Gulam, a composition by Saint Kabir Das in

Raag Malkauns and Taal Dadra (6 beats) - 18 minutes.o (Asthayi)o Mai Gulam Mai Gulam Mai Gulam Terao Rama Dhani Raja Dhani Thoo Saheb Mera ... Maio (Anthara)o Roopa Nahin Ranga Nahin Varna Nahin Chaayaao Nirakar Niranjana Niraguna Raghu Raayaa ... Maio (Sanchari)o Ek Roti De Langoti Dwaar Tera Paauno Kaam Krodha Chandkar Hari Guna Main Gaauno Meherban Meherban Meher Karo Merio Das Kabir Charan Tade Nazar Dekhana De ... Mai

 Comments: Most compositions in Indian classical music (Hindusthani and Carnatic) will have the composer's name in one of the last few lines of the song, as you can see in the above song. Here, Saint Kabir implores upon Lord Rama to accept him as his devoted slave. He describes the formless, colorless nature of the God in poetic prose. He asks God for just one bread and a piece of cloth to cover himself, after which he would gladly give up everything to continually sing the praise of God holding onto his divine feet.

Learn a short bhajan Gajanana Hey Shubhanana - 5 minutes. Gajanana Hey Shubhanana Gowri Manohara Priyanandana Pashupathi Thanaya Gajanana

Parama Niranjana Shubhanana

Harmonium GuideOriginally a reed organ with Western origin, the harmonium has been a very integral part of Indian music. Except for instrumental and South Indian music, virtually every genre will have a spot for the harmonium, due to its simple and versatile nature. This guide discuss the introductory theory of North Indian music, musical scales, practice exercises, and fourteen Gaudiya Vaisnava bhajans and kirtans to practice and make good use of all the theory and skills taught in this course.UNIT ONE: INTRODUCTION TO THE HARMONIUMChapter 01: History of the HarmoniumUnlike the instruments that have been previous taught or examined in the music of India, the harmonium is one of the most frequently used instrument that has no Indian origin. The harmonium was actually a European organ that was used in churches during the medieval time frame. The look of the harmonium then was almost similar to a piano. There is was a huge number of keys, a chair to sit down, and a foot pump for the air. This way, the musician could play the harmonium with both hands. European music requires this, it is mostly harmonic through the use of chords. A chord is when three or more notes are played simultaneously.

When the British came to India in the 18th century, they brought their harmoniums also. Although the foot pedal was still retained, the hand pumped version was introduced. When the harmonium came across to North Indian musicians, they immediately favored this instrument for few reasons. When the hand pumped version came out, it did not require foot pedals. For an Indian musician, it was discipline and practice to sit on the floor. Thus, this format of a floor organ worked well. Secondly, the harmonium was able to go with the flow of the voice pretty well. Thirdly, it was much easier to learn than sarangi. Sarangi is a bowed instrument which was used to accompany vocalists. However, it was very difficult to play. Even though one hand was required to pump air, it was not a problem, because Indian music does not have chords. Since Indian music is primarily melodic, only hand was needed to pump and one hand was needed to play the melody.

Despite its European origin, the instrument has found its use really well in an Indian musical setting. With the exception of South Indian music, the harmonium has been used in almost all genres of music in India.

The harmonium is not strictly limited to Indian styles. Western forms, in terms of chord changes, are currently integrated into the North Indian forms of music. Chord progressions introduce a different form of modality. Chord progressions, however, will not be found in North Indian classical or semi classical.

BELLOWS- the bellows is a series of metal tongues which allow the air flow. The bellows must be pumped by hand allow air to flow into the harmonium to produce sounds. The left and right ends of the bellows usually has a metal bar or latch. These latches are on both sides to assist right and left handed players at their comfort. More about left and right handed positions in the next chapter.

KEYBOARD- This is the most important and unique feature of a harmonium. The keyboard allows one to play melodies. Each key, when played, produces a unique sound. The structure and format of the keyboard resembles a piano. The function and theory will be discussed in great detail in the second unit.

MAIN STOPS- Main stops are the bigger knobs on the harmonium. The purpose of the main stops is to direct air flow. Selecting a certain number of stops in a certain order can affect how the sound comes out. If no stops are pulled out, then no sounds will be produced, regardless of the amount of air being pumped into the harmonium. There are a few things that your harmonium might not have. Stops are one of them. If you do not have stops, don’t panic. You will still get sound, but the whole harmonium will be having a uniform sound.

DRONE STOPS (not shown) – The function of these stops are to produce a constant sound of a single note. Again, not all harmoniums will have this feature.

COUPLER (not shown) – Some harmoniums have this special feature of the coupler. Whenever a key is played, the same key one octave lower will be played. This will allow a richer sound. If the coupler knob is pulled out, then the coupling feature will be disabled.

SCALE CHANGER (not shown) – Some harmoniums will have a scale changer which will change the pitch and positioning of the keys. The scale changer, although a nice tool, often causes problems for the harmonium.

Even though you may not know anything about how to exactly play the harmonium, do practice getting some sort of sound by opening the bellows, pumping it with one hand, and get some sort of sound by pressing the keys from the keyboard. If you have stops, use the main stops and see how selecting stops can affect the air flow as well as the sounds. Experiment the changes when the coupler feature is active or disabled. If you have a scale changer, however, do not experiment with that. Many newcomers to the harmonium do not know how to work with changing the scale and the chance of breaking it is really good. It is very useful to know how to operate the harmonium, before you learn anything to play it.

Chapter 02: Correct Postures

There is not much needed to be said about postures. It’s all about good judgment. If you sit in a proper posture, you will probably be able to play for hours without a backache. There are many scenarios where postures will change. Before we discuss postures, let us consider the fact that not everyone has the same hand orientation. Some harmonium players are right handed and some are left handed.

The simple trick is that the stronger hand plays the keys on the keyboard while the wear hand goes to pump the bellows. A right handed person will plays the keys using the right hand and pump the bellows with the left hand. Likewise, the left handed person will do everything vice versa.

TABLESIf you are playing your harmonium on a table, it all depends on whether you will be sitting or standing. If you are standing, you won’t have to worry about standing straight. If you are sitting and with the highest point of the harmonium reaching your stomach line, then it is suggested that you stand or get a higher seat. Playing a harmonium too high will be a great strain to you hand and even your ability to play nicely.

GROUNDThe ground will be the most common place you will play your harmonium. It depends on two real roles the harmonium player could assume. The first role is that the harmonium player will be singing while playing. If that is the case, the harmonium should be as close to you as possible in a comfortable position. In that case, you could place the harmonium directly in front of you and play and sing. I, personally, do not like this idea because for people who have short hands, it will be somewhat difficult to reach all the way for the bellows, play the keys, and sing with a bent back. Singers should sing with a straight back to get the maximum accuracy. This is the reason why singers tend to keep the harmonium to their side with the hand of least strength. A right handed person who wishes to try this posture will place the harmonium to his or her left side. The distance from the right hand to the harmonium is shorter than the left hand to the harmonium. Imagine a right handed person taking a harmonium to the right side. It would be quite painful, if not impossible, to play the keys. This way, the diaphragm is free from any obstacle and the back is remained straight to produce maximum strength in voice as well as accuracy in playing the harmonium.

If you are not singing, but playing the harmonium to accompany someone, then you may place it in front of or off to the side. Either way will be acceptable, since the harmonium is playing, not your voice. Whichever of the two ways is comfortable for you, use that.

Chapter 03: Maintenance and Care

Unlike the traditional Indian instruments in India, the harmonium is not as delicate as the tabla, sitar, sarangi, sarod, etc. Remember that the harmonium is not an Indian instrument by origin. However, regardless of the instruments race or origin, we must treat it with respect and care. There are not too many points in discussing the maintenance or care of the instrument. However, these points are very important to keep in mind.

DON’T TAKE IN MORE THAN YOU CAN PLAY

When little kids see adults or harmonium players pumping the bellows constantly, they indeed get excited and they pump the bellows to their hearts desires without touching the keyboard. Keep one point in mind; you are not a little kid! Don’t ever pump the bellows if you are not playing anything. Pumping excessive air into the harmonium is comparable to inhaling excessive air into your lungs and not breathing out. You will feel uncomfortable and feel like you will explode inside. That’s what happens to the harmonium, in fact. If too much air enters in without being released properly, the harmonium’s internal air chamber will explode. Then, whatever air that comes in will go out immediately without having any note produced if the keyboard is being used. The proper way to go about is use enough air as you need, while playing the keyboard. This is very crucial. Keep in mind that if you play this properly, the keyboard serves as an exhaling agent. Once a key is pressed with enough air, air will blow out of the front.

BLOW OUT ALL THE AIRWhenever you are done with using the harmonium, force all of the air out. The way to do this is to lock the bellows using a side lock and play three or more notes of the keyboard simultaneously. This way, air will be forced out faster. If you leave air inside the harmonium, that air could damage the internal features of the harmonium and its rich sound could diminish and even force notes to sound out of tune. This is very easy to forget this very important step!

STOP! CLOSE YOUR STOPS!With harmoniums having this feature, it is also very easy to forget to close stops and lock bellows before pushing the harmonium inside. The stop knobs and bellows can break if locks are not pushed in fully, or if the bellows are not locked.

DOUBLE CHECK SECURITY BEFORE TAKE OFF!Most harmoniums have a removable top lid. Once the lid has to be placed it, it is very easy to do this incorrectly, and while thinking it is done correctly, lift it up and part of the harmonium starts to fall out and damage is done. The sure way to check if your harmonium is secure is to make sure the top locks are locked, the behind has nothing showing inside, and while locked, attempt to lift the top lid off. If you cannot lift the top lid, you will know that your harmonium is safe for take off.

RAIN OR SHINE IS NEVER FINE!Never put your harmonium in direct sunlight. Sunlight has enough energy to make the air bellows weak or destroy the wooden finish.

Likewise, do not have any contact with water. Water can make the harmonium sound ripped, if not disable the ability to produce sound. This can be compared to water in lungs. Whenever there is water in your lungs, you will feel very uncomfortable and you will cough a lot.

The sure sign for safety is to keep your harmonium in a carrying case or bag and leave it in a room not humid.

These tips will help you keep your harmonium clean, safe, and have a longer lifespan.

Chapter 04: Review

Here are just a few points to keep track of.

- Harmonium was introduced in India around the 19th century.- It was integrated into Indian music, as it was very easy to play and could go along with the voice pretty well.- It is used in almost all systems of Indian music, except South Indian music.- Here is a diagram of the harmonium. Remember that air is pumped in through the bellows. The keyboard is hit to produce sounds. The main stops control the air traffic. The drone stops allow one note to be played without using the keyboard.- Some harmoniums have a coupler which allows the same note one octave lower to be played simultaneously with the note that has been hit.- Scale changer is a feature to transpose or change the scale. The scale changer is not recommended.- You pump the air in with your weaker hand and play the keys with your stronger hand.- If you are a lead singer, you may put your harmonium on the side of your body with the weaker hand and play. If you are not a lead singer, you may play the harmonium directly in front of you.- Remember the safety tips from Chapter 3. Do not overpump air into the harmonium, remove all the air when finished, push in all open stops and lock bellows, double check for security and sturdiness, and never put the harmonium in a humid, hot, or a wet place.

UNIT TWO: BUILDING BLOCKS OF INDIAN

Chapter 05: The Keys of the Harmonium

We discussed the structure of the harmonium in Chapter 2. The most essential part of the harmonium is a keyboard. Without the keyboard no melodies could be played. A harmonium without a keyboard is called a sruti-peti, or a “sound box.” One note is played just by pumping a sruti-peti.

Figure 5.1Look at Figure 5.1. This is a keyboard. Every harmonium has a different number of keys. The number of keys on the keyboard describes the range of the harmonium. A pitch-distance relationship can also be found. Press any key from the far right end of the harmonium. Compare that sound to any key on the far left side. You will see that the right side produced a higher pitch while the left side produced a lower pitch.

A keyboard, in actuality, is a repeating series of a certain number of keys. This pattern repeats continuously. Let’s take a closer look.

Figure 5.2Figure 5.2 shows us the fundamental unit. There are seven white keys and five black keys. In addition, there is a special organization of these keys. There are two black keys between the first three white keys. From the fourth white key to the seventh key, there are three black keys. This order continues over and over again. This theory will be explain in detail in the next few chapters.

Take a moment and find the starting key of the unit. From here, press every key in order. Keep in mind that it is WHITE-BLACK-WHITE-BLACK-WHITE-WHITE, etc… This is the general order.

Once you reached the seventh key, the “eighth” key is actually the first key in a new pattern. The first key in the second pattern is eight keys higher than the first key in the first pattern. The pattern of seven notes is called a scale. Once the seventh key is completed of the first scale, then the first key starts a new second scale.

If one were to chose the fourth white key, and go one full scale higher, then one will reach the fourth white key in the next scale. The unit of measure of a full scale with eight notes is called an octave. In Western music, the octave is used because they consider the first key of a new scale to also be the last key of the old scale. In Indian music, however, the seventh key is considered to be the last and the first key is considered the start of a new scale. Since we have seven notes, not eight, our “octave” is properly called a “saptak.” Here is Figure 5.3 a visual demonstration of the concept of octaves and saptaks.

Figure 5.3Obviously, we won’t change saptaks every moment. We will go within the saptak, at times go below the saptak, or sometimes go above, or even do both! To describe the distance, we speak in terms of “steps.” The simplest form of a step is a “half step.” A half step is the shortest distance between two notes. For instance, the first white key and the first black key have a distance of one half-step. Be very careful! The distances from the third white to the fourth white, as well as the seventh white to the new first white, are examples of half steps too. There are no black keys between those two examples. Do not assume that a half step means distance between the white key and its nearest black key or vice versa!

Two half steps are known as a whole step. For instance, the first white and the second white are one whole-step apart. Recall from the two exceptions shown above. Look at figure 5.4 to explain the concept of steps.

Figure 5.4 (small sector of the fundamental unit)Recall how we previously stated that as we go to the right of the keyboard, the pitches will be high. Conversely, on the left side of the keyboard, the pitches will be lower. There are three terms that refer to the relative location of the scale.

The normal pitches and the main scale is known as the madhya saptak. The octave above the madhya saptak is known as the tar saptak. The octave below the madhya saptak is known as the mandara saptak. Figure 5.5 shows a keyboard’s ranges of these three types of saptaks.

Figure 5.5These facts are really nice to know, especially when communicating to other musicians musically. However, these facts alone will not help you define any pitches or keys or melodies. In order to put some sort of meaning to the notes and keys, we must know the names of the notes and sounds of the scale. The next chapter will go into the introduction of Indian music.

Chapter 06: Sargam: The Indian Solfege

According to the Srimad Bhagavatam, Lord Brahma, by the order of Lord Krsna, created the material planet. He also created the first sound wave. The sound wave is the mantra “om.” Om is the single syllable that is used to address to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Meditation and recitations took place with three swars or notes. This ancient tritonal system expanded by Brahma’s creation to seven notes which replicate the seven sounds of the nature. The seven sounds of nature are sadaja, rsabha, gandhara, madhyama, pancama, dhaivata and nisada. These notes are commonly called sa, r, ga, ma, pa, dha and ni. “Sadaja” or “sa” is the most important

note because from sa, the other notes can be formed. In fact, sadaja is the Sanskrit word for “origin of the six.” The six notes describe the distance from the main sa.

These notes are indeed defined by nature. Sa describes the sound of the peacock, r describes the sound of a bull. The goats sound is described by ga, and the dove is shown by ma. Pa has the sound of a cuckoo. Dha has the sound of the horse and ni has the sound of the elephant.

Music has always used these seven swars. These seven swars are called the saptak or seven notes. It is also called a sargam. The sargam or saptak has been used by voice, but also in string instruments, and wind instruments. Recall from the previous chapter how we dealt with fundamental unit that repeats throughout the harmonium. That fundamental unit consists of seven keys that are white. These seven white keys represent the sargam in order. Keep in mind that the harmonium was designed to keep the natural notes on white keys.

Did you notice that between some notes, there are some hidden tones. Technically, between every two consecutive notes, there are infinite numbers of semitones. However, within the sargam, there are five semitones between the natural notes that are very distinct. These notes are between sa and re, re and ga, ma and pa, pa and dha, and dha and ni. The note between sa and re is called komal re. The note between re and ga is known as komal ga. The note between pa and dha is called komal dha, and the the note between dha and ni is called komal ni. The note between ma and pa, however, is called tivra ma. Komal means “flat” and tivra means “sharp.” The reason why ma is allowed to be sharpened is a very complicated reason which can be found in a details classical musical book.

These five altered notes are known as vikrta swars. These five vikrta swars are represented by the black keys. The seven white natural notes are known as suddha swars. The notes are in the following order:

Sa, komal re, re, komal ga, ga, ma, tivra ma, pa, komal dha, dha, komal ni, ni.

A faster way to write these notes is very simple. All suddha notes except ma are capitalized. For example, suddha ga is written with a capital G. In the case of suddha ma, that is written as an undercase m. Tivra ma is written with a capital M. Sa and pa are always capitalized.

The entire sargam is written as the following:S r R g G m M P d D n N Play this in ascending and descending order.

This is assumed to be in the madhya-saptak. If we were to expand to the tar-saptak, we use an apostrophe after the note. Similarly, the mandra-saptak notes have an apostrophe before the note.

Here is a keyboarded diagram of all we have learned so far in this guide. This is containing the suddha swars, vikrta swars, the repeating keyboard sequence, the three ranges of saptaks and how to write the swars.

Let’s look at an example sargam.

Raga Sri:Ascending: S r M P N S’ r’ S’Descending: r’ N d P M P d M P r G r S ‘N S

This raga will be taught later on. However, do play this on the harmonium. Look at the keys on Figure 6.3 to help you. A very useful hint to play these notes is not to play the keys with the index fingers alone. Use the index, thumb, and middle fingers to help you play. Do get familiar on how to play the natural notes without looking. Try these exercises.

SS R SS R G R SS R G m G R SS R G m P m G R SS R G m P D P m G R S‘N S R G m P D P m G R ‘N S

‘N ‘D ‘ P ‘D ‘P ‘M ‘P‘P ‘N S G R G S

Practice these exercises very frequently to get used to know the locations of the sargam.

Even though we learned notes, the notes without a proper link or order are without meaning. The next two chapters will deal with very important concepts of developing melodies.

Chapter 07: Thāt: The Indian Modal Form

A modal form is nothing more than a scale. However, the scale we discussed in the previous chapters was defining a scale as a range. In addition, we were talking about straight natural scales. In fact, the natural scale in itself is a modal form.

However, not every scale will be pure natural. We will have some sharpening or flattening of notes. We will work with ten particular scales. These scales or modal forms are called thāts. The ten thāts have seven notes each. The ten thāts along with their swara sets, also known as swarasthanas, are shown below.

AsavariS R g m P d n S’

Bilaval: (the major scale that we worked with)S R G m P D N S’

Bhairava:S r G m P d N S’

Bhairavi: (komala thāt)S r g m P d n S’

Kalyana: (tivra thāt)S R G M P D N S’

Khammaja:S R G m P D n S’

Purvi:S r G M P d N S’

Marwa:S r G M P D N S’

Todi:S r g M P d N S’

These ten thāts have been developed by a 1910s musicologist, Visnu Narayana Bhatkhande. Even though these ten thāts have some shortcomings to them; they are an excellent way to study developing melodies. Of course, initially it will be quite difficult to determine whether the note you wish to chose is going to be a ga or a “re.” It will take a while to first adopt to an ear to determine what each that sounds like. Once you chose the right thāt, it will be a while to adopt a sense of which notes to select when you accompany a singer. First, play each of these ten thāts while reciting the name of each thāt and singing the swars along. Practice three rounds of each thāt.

Just for your information, Bhairavi is known as the komal thāt, because all of the notes are the flattest as they can be. S and P can never be flat as they are fixed notes. But, re, ga, dha, and ni are all flat, as that as the flattest as they could be. Between ma and tivra ma, ma is flatter than the two, so ma is used. Likewise, Kalyana Thāt is known as the tivra thāt, because every note is the highest value possible. Re, Ga, Dha, and Ni are all suddha as they are the highest of their notes. Again, between Tivra ma, and

Let’s assume that you have had some experience with these thāts. Let’s pick two songs from the Asavari Thāt. The two songs are “Antara Mandire Jago Jago” and a mahamantra tune. Notice that even though the melodies are entirely different, the same set of notes of the Asavari thāt is used.

Asavari Thāt: S R g m P d n S’

S n S R R R g m R SAn ta ra mandire jago-- ja-go

R S S n d n R Smadhava krsna gopala

m m P P n d d n S’ S’ n R’ S’ S’nava aruna sama jago hrdoye mama

P n P m m P m g g m R R Ssundara giridhari la-a-a-a-l

Here is a Hare Krsna melody

Ha re kr - sna hare krsnaS R g – R – S – n d n P

Krsna kr - sna hare ha – re-----P P S – S- R – S R g – g m g R S

Since they did not deviate from the scale of S R g m P d n S’, it is of the Asavari Thāt. Of course, when someone is singing, you will have to think, “Which of the ten thāts sound the closest to the melody I am hearing?” Once you develop that kind of mentality, accompanying an artist will become very easy. For now, practice the ten thāts in such a way that you will not forget them. Practice playing the ten thāts correctly with their correct names. Once you master this, you may move onto the next chapter.

Chapter 08: Review

A great deal of very important information dealing with the basics of Indian music was discussed here. Let’s take the opportunity to review them.

The keyboard of the harmonium has a set of three fundamental units of keys.

This structure of any keyboarded instrument has this fundamental unit repeating over and over again. In harmonium, it usually has three repeating patterns.

We discussed a little later that a fundamental unit is a scale, which consists of seven notes. Once eight notes (7 notes + starting note of the next fundamental unit) are completed, it is known to have completed one octave in Western music, or a saptak (seven notes) in Indian music.

In understanding the relationships between any two notes, we talk about half steps and whole steps. The half step is one-key difference from the first note. A whole step is a two key difference. The half-step is the smallest unit of measure in describing distance between two notes. Look at this diagram and recall from Chapter 5 that half-step does not always mean from a white to black (or vice versa). Likewise, whole-step does not imply a white-to-white (or vice-versa) relationship. The red bracket is the half-step, while the blue is the whole-step.

Then, the discussion of the seven notes were described, the notes were sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, and ni. They can be abbreviated as S, R, G, m, P, D, and N. They are known as suddha swars and can be represented by white keys. The semi-tones between some suddha swars, are known as vikrta swars, and are known as komal re, komal ga, tivra ma, komal dha, and komal ni. They are abbreviated as r, g, M, d, and n

Lastly, here are the ten thats Visnu Narayana Bhatkhande developed.

AsavariS R g m P d n S’

Bilaval: (the major scale that we worked with)S R G m P D N S’

Bhairava:S r G m P d N S’

Bhairavi:S r g m P d n S’

Kalyana:S R G M P D N S’

Khammaja:S R G m P D n S’

Purvi:S r G M P d N S’

Marwa:S r G M P D N S’

Todi:S r g M P d N S’

Unless you have developed full knowledge of the material, do not move onto the next unit. The next unit will develop on more theoretical applications which cannot be understood easily without understanding this material first

UNIT THREE: DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNIQUE

Chapter 09: Alankars of the Ten ThātsBefore songs, ragas, and musical pieces are examined, it is very important to get the fingers truly used to the harmonium. Since ten different musical scales, known as thāts, were introduced in Lesson 7, these can be used as examples to begin practice. Every musical instrument will practice exercises in note progression which is known as alankāra. Alankāras are usually mathematically composed. Here is an example of an alankāra practice set for the Bilaval Thāt.

Aroha: S-R-G R-G-m G-m-P m-P-D P-D-N D-N-S’ N-S’-R’ S’-R’-G’ R’-G’-m’ G’-m’-P’Avaroha: P’-m’-G’ m’-G’-R’ G’-R’-S’ R’-S’-N S’-N-D N-D-P D-P-m P-m-G m-G-R G-R-SThis previous example uses three notes per segment. An example of a segment in the above alankara is S-R-G.

Here is a four note per segment of Bilavala Thāt.

Aroha: S-R-G-m R-G-m-P G-m-P-D m-P-D-N P-D-N-S’ D-N-S’-R’ N-S’-R’-G’ S’-R’-G’-m’ R’-G’-m’-P’Avaroha: P’-m’-G’-R’ m’-G’-R’-S’ G’-R’-S’-N R’-S’-N-D S’-N-D-P N-D-P-m D-P-m-G P-m-G-R m-G-R-S

Do you see the pattern? This is a four-note per segment alankara. The first note of the second segment is the second note of the first segment. Thus, the first note of the second segment is “R”. The third segment starts off with “G” and so on. Usually, three and four note segments are good ideas for alankar practice.

Practice the alankars shown on this page.Practice alankars for Kafi thāt. (3 note)Aroha: S-R-g R-g-m g-m-P m-P-D P-D-n D-n-S’ n-S’-R’ S’-R’-g’ R’-g’-m’ g’-m’-P’Avaroha: P’-m’-g’ m’-g’-R’ g’-R’-S’ R’-S’-n S’-n-D n-D-P D-P-m P-m-g m-g-R g-R-S

Practice alankars for Kalyana thāt (3 note)Aroha: S-R-G R-G-M G-M-P M-P-D P-D-N D-N-S’ N-S’-R’ S’-R’-G’ R’-G’-M’ G’-M’-P’Avaroha: P’-M’-G’ M’-G’-R’ G’-R’-S’ R’-S’-N S’-N-D N-D-P D-P-M P-M-G M-G-R G-R-S

Practice alankars for Purvi thāt (4 note)Aroha: S-r-G-M r-G-M-P G-M-P-d M-P-d-N P-d-N-S’ d-N-S’-r’ N-S’-r’-G’ S’-r’-G’-M’ r’-G’-M’-P’Avaroha: P’-M’-G’-r’ M’-G’-r’-S’ G’-r’-S’-N r’-S’-N-d S’-N-d-P N-d-P-M d-P-M-G P-M-G-r M-G-r-S

Practice alankars for Bhairava thāt (4 note)Aroha: S-r-G-m r-G-m-P G-m-P-d m-P-d-N P-d-N-S’ d-N-S’-r’ N-S’-r’-G’ S’-r’-G’-m’ r’-G’-m’-P’Avaroha: P’-m’-G’-r’ m’-G’-r’-S’ G’-r’-S’-N r’-S’-N-d S’-N-d-P N-d-P-m d-P-m-G P-m-G-r m-G-r-S

Practice alankars for Bhairavi thāt (4 note)Aroha: S-r-g-m r-g-m-P g-m-P-d m-P-d-n P-d-n-S’ d-n-S’-r’ n-S’-r’-g’ S’-r’-g’-m’ r’-g’-m’-P’Avaroha: P’-m’-g’-r’ m’-g’-r’-S’ g’-r’-S’-n r’-S’-n-d S’-n-d-P n-d-P-m d-P-m-g P-m-g-r m-g-r-S

Practice alankars for Marwa thāt (3 note)Aroha: S-r-G r-G-M G-M-P M-P-D P-D-N D-N-S’ N-S’-r’ S’-r’-G’ r’-G’-M’ G’-M’-P’Avaroha: P’-M’-G’ M’-G’-r’ G’-r’-S’ r’-S’-N S’-N-D N-D-P D-P-M P-M-G M-G-r G-r-S

Practice alankars for Todi thāt (4 note)Aroha: S-r-G-M r-G-M-P G-M-P-d M-P-d-N P-d-N-S’ d-N-S’-r’ N-S’-r’-G’ S’-r’-G’-M’ r’-G’-M’-P’Avaroha: P’-M’-G’-r’ M’-G’-r’-S’ G’-r’-S’-N r’-S’-N-d S’-N-d-P N-d-P-M d-P-M-G P-M-G-r M-G-r-S

Practice alankars for Asavari thāt. (3 note)Aroha: S-R-g R-g-m g-m-P m-P-d P-d-n d-n-S’ n-S’-R’ S’-R’-g’ R’-g’-m’ g’-m’-P’Avaroha: P’-m’-g’ m’-g’-R’ g’-R’-S’ R’-S’-n S’-n-d n-d-P d-P-m P-m-g m-g-R g-R-S

Practice alankars for Khamaja thāt. (3 note)Aroha: S-R-G R-G-m G-m-P m-P-D P-D-n D-n-S’ n-S’-R’ S’-R’-G’ R’-G’-m’ G’-m’-P’Avaroha: P’-m’-G’ m’-G’-R’ G’-R’-S’ R’-S’-n S’-n-D n-D-P D-P-m P-m-G m-G-R G-R-S

Chapter 10: Tala: The Indian Rhythmic Cycle

“… Welcome to the second cluster of this journey in the world of tabla. This is perhaps one of the most common and most interesting sections. In the previous unit, we talked about the alphabet and sounds of tabla. The fundamental bols and sounds very important for tabla will be used together to make rhythms and many interesting elements.

In Indian music, generally, there are three elements. The elements are the melody, drone, and the rhythm. The melody is provided by an instrument of the sushir vadya (blown air), tantri vadya (plucked stringed instruments) and vitat vadya (bowed instruments). These three instruments have the ability to play Indian melodious modes known as ragas. A simple definition of raga provided here can never do full justice to define what a raga really is.

The second element is the drone. The drone is a simple note held constantly. The function of the drone is to help provide a constant pitch. This helps vocalists find their tonic. Drones are found in instrumental music either by a drone instrument or in the melody instrument itself. The tanpura and sruti box are the most commonly used instruments to act as drones.

The final element is the rhythm. The proper word for rhythm is tala. This comes from the Hindi word, “tali” meaning “clap.” This provides the time when the raga is played. Tabla is a tala episode. Pakhawaj, mridanga, khol, and dholak are other instruments used to keep tala.

Western music tends to describe rhythm in measures. For instance, every measure in a song can have four beats. In Indian music, we describe rhythm as cycles. A piece can be in a rhythm of sixteen cycles. Let us examine the elements of the tala.

The tala can be viewed best as a unit circle read clockwise. The beginning of the circle indicates the start of the cycle. Each cycle has beats. The Indian word for beat is matra. A cycle has a fixed number of matras. The first matra indicating the start of the cycle is known as the sam. By convention, the sam is represented by an “X.” The circle is thus divided by measures called the vibhag. The Western concept holds each measure bearing an equal number of beats. Vibhags, on the other hand, may or may not hold equal numbers of matras.

Notice at matra 1, the “X” representing the sam is indicated there. Since there are sixteen matras, and four vibhags, we can assume that each vibhag has four matras. 1+4=5. Matra 5 starts the second vibhag. 5+4=9 Matra 9 starts the third vibhag. 9+4=13. Matra 13 begins the final vibhag. After matra 16, the cycle repeats. One completed cycle is known as an avartan.

When we discuss the vibhag nature of this tala, we say, “This tala is divided 4-4-4-4.” This set of numbers is called a vibhag division or tala division. This means the first vibhag is four matras, the second is four matras, the third is four matras, and the fourth is four matras. If you add each of the

matras up, you should end up with the total number of matras in the cycle. In this case, 4+4+4+4=16 matras. Other possible divisions could be 6-4-2-4. This is also four vibhags, but the first vibhag has six matras, second having four, third having two, and fourth having only four matras. Add 6, 4, 2, and 4 together and you also get sixteen. This means that the divisions occur at sam, matra 7, matra 11, and matra 13. Therefore, just because it has four vibhags with sixteen matras does not imply four matras in each vibhag.

On Figure 10.1, there are numbers 2, 0, 3, and “X.” These are accent numbers. Generally, the sam is the matra with the highest accent. This is thus, indicated with an “X.” The number 2 and numbers after 2 represent stress or accents. These are called accent numbers. The accent number 2 and accent number 3 do not represent weight or the amount of stress. The accent numbers simply represent position. Shown on Figure 10.1, accent number 2 is placed on matra 5. This denotes matra 5 having an accent. Similarly, accent number 3 is placed on matra 13. This means that matra 13 has an accent. If a matra contains a zero, this denotes that the matra has no accent. In this case, matra 9 has no accent.

When describing talas, a clapping, waving convention is used. The sam and accent numbers receive claps. Therefore, the sam and accent numbers are known as talis. When reciting the tala, the matra with tali is given with a clap of hands. The zero number has no accent. It is considered an empty weighted matra. The matras with zero number are known as khalis. Khalis receive a wave of hands. This is the most accepted approach to describing talas, more than the unit circle shown on Figure 10.1. To use the clap-wave approach for the following tala, you recite and act the following words:

“CLAP 2, 3, 4, CLAP, 2, 3, 4, WAVE, 2, 3, 4, CLAP, 2, 3, 4”

When you actually recite the tala using claps and waves, and then play the actual tala on tabla, it is very amazing to see how similar the clap-wave notation and the actual tabla sounds. When describing talas in the future, the clap-wave method will be described along with the tala.

Some artists, to emphasize the number of bols, will count based on accumulating matras. For instance.

“CLAP 2, 3, 4, CLAP 6, 7, 8, WAVE 10, 11, 12, CLAP 14, 15, 16”.

This works too. Either way serves the purpose of keeping accents, vibhags, and matras per vibhag in tact.

CLASSIFICATION OF TALASBy the number of matras in a tala, a general assumption of the flow can usually be made. In Indian music, we discuss the classification of tala length, by considering its multiples. Usually, this classification allows many substitute talas for the same composition. The classification of the tala is called its jati. Jati literally comes from the Hindi word meaning “caste.”

Tisra jati means that the tala has a cycle with a multiple of three matras. Catastra jati means that the tala has a cycle with a multiple of four matras. Khanda jati indicates a multiple of five matras. Misra jati indicates a multiple of seven, and a rare jati, sankirna, indicate a multiple of nine. A tala with nine matras, even though it is a multiple of three, has a higher priority with nine. Usually, a number with multiple choices for jatis would opt for a higher jati. The only exception is twelve matra talas. Prime number talas are named to the nearest jati. For instance, an eleven matra tala is classified as a khanda jati, since ten, a multiple of five, is the closest. The tala used in Figure 10.1 is catastra jati.

Be sure to understand these concepts very well. These will be used very extensively in our development of building tala knowledge. …”

Chapter 11: Reading Indian Music

We have discussed a basis of melody in Chapter 7 through the That. We recently learned about the basis of rhythm in Chapter 10. This chapter will attempt to unite these two elements together.

Traditionally, Indian music was always taught orally by master to student. The student had their instrument with them the whole time practicing whatever material the teacher has taught them. There was no concept of a notebook or taking notes or reading any textbook or guide. Of course, this gurukula system is starting to be phased out and replaced with traditional school or tutor like classes for these instruments in India. To aid in the education process, notation was created. There are many forms of notation, but the one presented here is the Bhatkhande notation.

There are four important lines shown here. The first line with red numbers represents the tala signs. These signs were described in the previous chapter. The sam is marked with the X, the subsequent accents, or talis, are denoted by their number in order, and the khali, the deaccented mark, is represented by a 0, as shown on matra 5 above.

The second line is the matra numbers. They describe only the positions within the cycle described. The third line is the line with melody using the sargam. These are the notes that you actually play on the harmonium or any melodic instrument for that matter. Finally, the last line assumes that you are singing a song and gives the words to the song. This song is jaya radhe jaya krsna. Notice in matra 4, two interesting things happen. The matra is divided into two sections. This is because two different attacks of notes will take place evenly. You can view each section as 4A and 4B. The lyric shows the changes in notes from the word “radhe.” Its first syllable started on matra 2 and the second syllable started on matra 3. However, the second syllable went into matra 4 with some note changes. The “e” lyrics imply that you hold that vowel until the start of matra 5.

Given that you have not any real experience at playing harmonium or any musical instrument, it will be quite likely that keeping time will become difficult. The best bet is to read the sargam and then play it while singing the lyrics shown in equal time. Go really slow if you have to. There is no rush; slowly you will develop speed in singing while playing the respective notes.

The lyrics are from a Hindi bhajan used in a Golden Avatar tape released in 1981 called “Prabhupada Krpa.” The lyrics read “kirtan karke tihara man yeh pavan ho gaya.” Read this out loud and try to play this piece note by note. Notice in line 2, matra 3, we start introducing half-beats.

Pay attention to the lyrics line. Matra 5 on line 1 has an “S” for a lyric. The “S” in the lyrics line indicates silence. Silence implies that no word is uttered from the mouth, although the harmonium will play something. In this case, matra 5 is playing Re on the keyboard, but nothing will be sung at that matra.

Study these two mini-songs. We will learn more songs throughout the guide, but be sure you know how to read music in this form. This will help us throughout, when we learn new songs and new ragas with new talas.

Chapter 12: Introductory Practice

There are other theories of Indian music which are yet to be discussed. However, before getting to that point, it is important to get familiar with harmonium playing with some songs. Therefore, the first portion of practice will allow one to get familiar with songs that use the basics that were previously mentioned.

The first song that is the easiest is the Hare Krsna mahamantra.The words are “hare krsna, hare krsna, krsna krsna, hare hare; hare rama, hare rama, rama rama, hare hare.’This song starts at matra 7. Matras 7 and 8 carry the syllables “ha” and “re.” One may ask, “Why does the song begin at matra 7 instead of the sam?” To answer this question requires some knowledge of talas. Matras 7 and 8 are known as upbeats, because they don’t start at the beginning of the cycle. Matra 7 will be a very important matra as far as our words and beginning of melody is concerned. With this common tune of the Hare Krsna mahamantra, it is not uncommon to use an eight beat cycle. In relation to the continuously played eight beat cycle, the first syllable falls on matra 7. Everything else falls in place.

While it is important to get the correct swars, it is just as important to consider the duration of each swar. In Line 2, say “kri-i-shna-a-a-a-ha-re.” One must really voice out the syllables, even if they are vowels. Line 3 is very similar, “kri-i-shna-a-a-a-kri-shna.” Line 4 is the same as Line 2. Line 5 is said, “ha-a-re-e-e-e-ha-re.” Once one can say the words in correct timing and meter, then apply the swars.

Notice that the last line’s matras 7 and 8 are italicized. The italicized swars and lyrics indicate that they are part of the next stanza that will either repeat the musical form or use another musical form. For example, Figure 12.1 presents the tune for the “hare krsna” component of the mahamantra. When one sings the “hare rama” part, the same tune will be used as the “hare krsna” part. Thus, to indicate the “hare rama” component that will follow the “hare krsna” part, the “hare” syllables and swars are italicized. After completion of “hare hare” from the “hare rama” portion, then matra 7 will begin with “hare” from the “hare krsna’ part.

nama om visnu-pādāya krsna-presthāya bhū-taleśrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine

namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vānī-pracārinenirviśesa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tārine

(jaya) śrī-krsna-caitanya prabhu nityānandaśrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda

hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare harehare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare

Chapter 13: Song Practice (I)

The last chapter discussed the mahamatra which involved only one form associated with it. With that one form, one could repeat the chant over and over again. In terms of music, this is the simplest scenario. The truth is that songs will have more than one form associated with it. In some cases, a song will contain a melody for the refrain, and a melody for the verses. Sometimes, the verses will have two melodies which will alternate themselves. A great number of combinations can exist when examining how songs are composed.

When discussing harmonium or any melodic musical instrument, it is important to be able to break the verses down into distinct melodic patterns. The principal melody that acts as a refrain is known as the asthayi or sthayi. Any subsequent musical patterns that follow the asthayi are known as antarā (lit. “verse”). Please keep in mind that asthayi describes the melodic, musical form, not the actual lyrics. For example, the song in this practice is the Gurvastakam. The song contains eight verses, which 1, 3, 5, and 7 uses the same principal melody. Thus, verses 1, 3, 5, and 7 are known as verses contains the asthayi, although lyrically, they are not refrains. In the same manner, verses 2, 4, 6, and 8 are verses that that contain the same melody (a sub-tune of the asthayi). Therefore, they are known as the antara melodies, even though lyrically, there are eight verses.

The song in this lesson is a Sanskrit astakam, or a set of eight verses. The format, as mentioned in the last paragraph, is that 1-3-5-and-7 contain asthayi melody and verses 2, 4, 6, and 8 bear the antara melody.Did one notice any striking resemblance with the antara and the asthayi. The last two lines sounded very similar. It is not uncommon to have the antara retain various properties of the asthayi, although very different melodic forms are acceptable with antara. Sometimes, antara portions will have a rhythmic change from the asthayi.

After completing the asthayi and the antara, what is next? This particular song is an example where the asthayi and the antara alternate.

It is common to sing only the first eight verses only, although occasionally the ninth verse is sung in the antara form.

The following is the lyrics colored out. The red indicates that the asthayi is used, while the orange indicates that the antara is used.

(1)samsāra-dāvānala-līdha-loka-trānāya kārunya-ghanāghanatvamprāptasya kalyāna-gunārnavasyavande guroh śrī-caranāravindam

(2)mahāprabhoh kīrtana-nrtya-gīta-vāditra-mādyan-manaso rasenaromāñca -kampāśru-tarańga-bhājovande guroh śrī-caranāravindam

(3)śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śrńgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādauyuktasya bhaktāmś ca niyuñjato 'pivande guroh śrī-caranāravindam

(4)catur-vidha-śrī-bhagavat-prasāda-svādv-anna-trptān hari-bhakta-sańghānkrtvaiva trptim bhajatah sadaivavande guroh śrī-caranāravindam

(5)śrī-rādhikā-mādhavayor apāra-mādhurya-līlā guna-rūpa-nāmnāmprati-ksanāsvādana-lolupasyavande guroh śrī-caranāravindam

(6)nikuñja-yūno rati-keli-siddhyaiyā yālibhir yuktir apeksanīyātatrāti-dāksyād ati-vallabhasyavande guroh śrī-caranāravindam

(7)sāksād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrairuktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhihkintu prabhor yah priya eva tasyavande guroh śrī-caranāravindam

(8)yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādoyasyāprasādān na gatih kuto 'pidhyāyan stuvams tasya yaśas tri-sandhyamvande guroh śrī-caranāravindam

(9)śrīmad-guror astakam etad uccairbrāhme muhūrte pathati prayatnātyas tena vrndāvana-nātha sāksātsevaiva labhyā jusano’nta eva

Throughout the song practice portions of the website, this colored notation will be used. Generally, asthayis will be shown in red, while the other antaras are colored other colors.

HOW TO PRACTICE SONGS

The best way to study a new song is to take each line and say it out loud in terms of rhythm. Do not try to sing it yet.

Therefore, you would say out loud:

(PAUSE) sam sā ra dā ā vā ā ā nala lī dha lo o ka a

The PAUSE in the beginning indicates that the first beat is actually a pause. Therefore, after the rhythmic instrument, be it a mridanga, tabla, or kartal, makes it first correct strike, then one begins playing or singing.

The breakdown breaks the line down into its matras. For example, “nala” contains two syllables in its lyrics, but it fits in one matra. Likewise, many of the long vowels would take up two matras, like the syallable “dā” in “dāvā” two up two matras. In this manner, break each line down into its rhythmic components and then fill the swars in. It is the best practice to tackle most songs.

The next lessons will not give much commentary, but provide only practice for fingering and experience for songs.

Chapter 14: Song Practice (II)

After learning the Gurvastakam, it is only appropriate to learn the Nrsimha prayers. While there are variations as to which song is defined as the Nrsimha prayers, this song is the song that begins with the first words “Namaste Narasimhaya.” There is one asthayi and one antara form. The asthayi is repeated for the first two verses. The antara consumed the third verse.

Sometimes, the asthayi or antara might be quite lengthy. Therefore, in this presentation, it may split up, as the antara is split up into two parts.

LYRICS:(1)namas te narasimhāyaprahlādāhlāda-dāyinehiranyakaśipor vaksah-śilā-tańka-nakhālaye

(2)ito nrsimhah parato nrsimhoyato yato yāmi tato nrsimhahbahir nrsimho hrdaye nrsimhonrsimham ādim śaranam prapadye

(3)tava kara-kamala-vare nakham adbhuta-śrńgamdalita-hiranyakaśipu-tanu-bhrńgamkeśava dhrta-narahari-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare

UNIT FOUR: CHORDS AND ACCOMPANIMENT

Chapter 15: Murchana and Accompaniment

From the world of practice in the last five chapters, a nice break is needed in order to discuss more accompaniment theory. Everything discussed up to this point existed only in the perfect world.

The actual keys have specific pitches. Pitch is a qualitative measure of how high or low it sounds. Quantitatively, pitch is a description of frequency which is measured in Hertz. In Western music, the pitches are represented by letters of the alphabet, from A to G.The pitches or frequencies of all of the other notes are based on the fact that sound frequency of A equals to 440.0 Hertz. This is the Western system of tones. Maybe Indian musicians, unfortunately, equate C, D, E, F, G, A, and B as the “Western version of S, R, G, m, P, D, and N” respectively. This is not the case at all.

Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, and ti are the Western equivalents of the sa, re, ga and ma system. Both “do re mi” and “sa re ga” are examples of solfeges.

INTRODUCTION TO CHANGING KEYS

WESTERN TONE WESTERN SARGAM INDIAN SARGAM

C Do S

D Re R

E Mi G

F Fa m

G So P

A La D

B Ti N

This is true when your Sa = C. When you will be accompanying another singer, they might not always be singing using the Sa being equal to C. Just as people are different, so are their natural ranges and singing pitches. Someone could have their Sa being equal to the pitch of D. What will happen then? Figure 18.1 will have absolutely no use to you at all. What will you do?

There are twelve keys amongst scales. It would be difficult to write out every single raga with each of the twelve key changes. The simplest way to convert between keys is by understanding the concept of the whole step and half step. If you don’t remember from Chapter 5, half step is the distance from a key and its next consecutive key. The whole step is the distance from a key and two keys after it. Using the suddha scale, we will examine the step differences.

Notice from the G to m and N to S’ change, there was a half-step difference. Remember this and we will use this application to do our shift in Sa.

Before we move on, let us examine the Western system of tones. We only looked at the white keys. The black keys, which correspond to vikrta swars in Indian music, have special names. The nomenclature is a bit difficult, but # after a note, means a sharp, while a b after a note means its flat. Unlike Indian music where each vikrta swar has its own name, each vikrta swar in Western music has two names: a sharp name (#) and a flat name (b).

MURCHANA AND SUDHA RAGAS

When Indian musical theorists studied scales, experimentation of changing the Sa with respect to any of the other six notes of the sargam have been done before. The movement of the Sa upon any

of the notes is known as the murchana. If one takes the Bilawal Thāt of all suddha notes, one can clearly see how six other scales are hidden.

TRANSPOSE SCALE TRANSPOSED NAME OF NEW SCALE

S S R G m P D N S’ Bilawal

S moves to R S R g m P D n S KafiS moves to G S r g m P d n S’ BhairaviS moves to m S R G M P D N S’ KalyanaS moves to P S R G m P D n KhamajaS moves to D S R g m P d S AsavariS moves to N S r g m M d n S' Non-existant

Notice how we moved the Sa upon each of the other six notes of the sargam. By doing that, we created six other musical scales which introduced vikrta swars. The way these were introduced is through the exact same process we did when we found the Bhairavi Thāt for Sa being equal to E. In that, we noticed it is all white keys. This should now be no surprise that we expect the white key scale of E (given that Sa = C) will have the Bhairavi Thāt. This is not only true for Bhairavi Thāt. There are others which are white key scales. In fact, there are seven; given that Sa equals each of the seven white keys.

1) Identify the raga or thātIf you can identify what is being sung, then you are a quarter way there. Knowing what is being played will help you map out your half-steps, whole-steps, as well as the actual keys which will be played after you find the Sa.

2) Identify the SaOnce you know what is being played, then find the Sa. If you are performing in public, then you should collaborate with the main musician and see what key everything is being played in. If you have a scale-changing harmonium, change your scale to that key. If you don’t, then find that corresponding key on the harmonium in advance and keep that as your focal point. If your Sa will be changing from song to song, then keep that in mind as well. Don’t worry, as this is Indian music; traditionally classical Indian music does not believe in changing Sa in the middle of a particular song. If the song started in Sa being equal to F, then the song will end in Sa being equal to F. Of course, raga change and grace-notes may be used here and there but remember to keep your Sa focused.

If you are playing for a crowd with no advanced planning, then while the singer is singing, softly pump some air in the harmonium and test some likely notes. Whichever sounds the most compatible is most likely the Sa. Once you feel confident that the note is your Sa, play Sa to confirm that your choice is correct.

3) Map out the rest of the notes slowlyThis requires some thought as you will have to meditate on the raga being performed and the keys which will correspond to it. Remember to think of half-steps and whole-steps to decipher where your notes will fall. For example, Raga Malkauns has a five swar set of S, g, m, d, and n. The distance from S to g is three-half steps. The distance from S to ma is five half-steps. Keep thinking like this, but do so quickly, because it would be pretty embarrassing to have the song be over by the time you finally get the gist of the melody on the new Sa.

UNIT FOUR: PRACTICE

Chapter 16: Song Practice

After taking a brief break from learning new songs, we continue learning more bhajans and kirtans. Just as the last unit had bhajans and aratis in the morning, this will focus on common bhajans sung by Gaudiya Vaisnavas. The first in the selection is the Gaura Arati, the ceremony glorifying Lord Caitanya. There is one asthayi and two antaras. Antara 2, as in the Gurvastakam (Chapter 13), alternates with the asthayi, some may reverse the order. In addition, a few will sing everything with Antara 2. Antara 3 is used for the refrains featured below. Other Gaudiya Vaisnava groups have more alankaras (refrains in the middle of the song) so the others may have different tunes.

LYRICS:(1)(kiba) jaya jaya gorācānder āratiko śobhājāhnavī-tata-vane jaga-mana-lobhājaga-jana-mana-lobhā(Refrain 1)(gaurāńger ārotik śobhā jaga-janer-mana-lobhā)

(2)dakhine nitāicānd, bāme gadādharanikate advaita, śrīnivāsa chatra-dhara

(3)bosiyāche gorācānd ratna-simhāsaneārati koren brahmā-ādi deva-gane

(4)narahari-ādi kori' cāmara dhulāyasañjaya-mukunda-bāsu-ghos-ādi gāya

(5)śańkha bāje ghantā bāje bāje karatālamadhura mrdańga bāje parama rasāla(Refrain 2)(śankha bāje ghantā bāje madhur madhur madhur bāje)

(6)bahu-koti candra jini' vadana ujjvalagala-deśe bana-mālā kore jhalamala

(7)śiva-śuka-nārada preme gada-gadabhakativinoda dekhe gorāra sampada

Chapter 17: Song Practice

A common bhajan sung is Bhaja Hu Re Mana. Structurally, it is a very simple song based off a sixteen matra cycle known as tintal (though many mridanga players tend to play a slow eight matra Prabhupada tala). Though the easiest way is to repeat the asthayi and Antara 1 over and over again, the approach taken here is a refined approach to distinctly give it a new verse form.

(1)bhajahū re mana śrī-nanda-nandanaabhaya-caranāravinda redurlabha mānava-janama sat-sańgetaroho e bhava-sindhu re

(2)śīta ātapa bāta barisanae dina jāminī jāgi rebiphale sevinu krpana durajanacapala sukha-laba lāgi' re

(3)e dhana, yaubana, putra, parijanaithe ki āche paratīti rekamala-dala-jala, jīvana talamalabhajahū hari-pada nīti re

(4)śravana, kīrtana, smarana, vandana,pāda-sevana, dāsya repūjana, sakhī-jana, ātma-nivedanagovinda-dāsa-abhilāsa re

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