Tag Archives: basic theory

Kaida Teen Taal

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Here is another Kaida in Teen Taal.
This is a famous Punjab Gharana Kaida.
Every Player of Punjab gharana plays a version of this Kaida. This particular version is Ustad Alla Rakha’s.
I have written 5 simple Paltas below the Kaida. Try these and make some of your own.

Ustad Zakir Hussain
Kaida

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
X       2      
DhaTir kat tuk tirkat DhiNa gina Dhage Tina Kina
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
0       3      
TaTir kat tuk tirkat Dhina Gina Dhage Gina Gina

Paltas: Play each palta multiple times, eventually preparing them x1, x2 and x4

Each paltas has been stretched to two lines:
1.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
X       2      
DhaTir kat tuk tirkat DhiNa DhaTir kat tuk tirkat DhiNa
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
0       3      
TaTir kat tuk tirkat TiNa Gina Dhage Gina Gina

2

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
X       2      
DhaTir kat tuk tirkat DhiNa tirkat DhiNa tirkat DhiNa
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
0       3      
TaTir kat tuk tirkat TiNa tirkat DhiNa tirkat DhiNa

3.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
X       2      
Dha – tirkat tiktuk tirkat DhiNa tirkat DhiNa Gina
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
0       3      
Ta – tirkat tiktuk tirkat DhiNa tirkat DhiNa Gina

4.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
X       2      
DhaTir kat tuk tirkat DhaTir kat tuk tirkat Kina Kina
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
0       3      
TaTir kat tuk tirkat DhaTir kat tuk tirkat Gina Gina

5.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
X       2      
DhaTir katDha tirkat Dhina tirkat Dhatir katDha kina
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
0       3      
TaTir katTa tirkat Dhina tirkat Dhatir katDha Gina

There are many combination boles in this kaida. Here are the first 8 beats separated and written in half time:

Dha – Te Re, Ke Te Ti Ke, Te Re Ke Ti, Dhin – Na -, Ge – Na -, Dha – Ge -, Tin – Na -, Ke – Na -,

Make five more Paltas by altering and mixing the phrases and practice them on your palm. Memorize the boles before practicing on Tabla.

sangtar.com > Music Theory > Rhythm Practice

Tabla Taals and Kaidas

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When a Tabla Taal is performed, it is revealed through Kaidas. Kaidas are group of ‘boles’ (Tabla Sounds) arranged according to the strict rules of its parent Taal. As the Raags are born from Thaats, the Kaidas are born from Taals. Kaidas follow the taal section (khali-Bhari etc) structure.

Every Kaids may have three parts:

1. First the main boles of Kaida are payed: As an example, here is a simple Kaida in Teen Taal:

X 2 0 3
Dha Dha Ti Te Dha Dha Tu Na Ta Ta Ti Te Dha Dha Tu Na

2. Secondly, Paltas are played. A palta are created by mixing the original Kaida boles. The integrity of the main phrase must stay intact. As an example, here are 2 Platas of the above Kaida:
1.

X 2 0 3
Dha Dha Ti Te Ti Te Ti Te Dha Dha Ti Te Dha Dha Tu Na
Ta Ta Ti Te Ti Te Ti Te Dha Dha Ti Te Dha Dha Tu Na

2.

X 2 0 3
Dha Dha Ti Te – Dha Ti Te Dha Dha Ti Te Dha Dha Tu Na
Ta Ta Ti Te – Ta Ti Te Dha Dha Ti Te Dha Dha Tu Na

3. In the end, a phrase is extracted from a Palta and played at x4 or x8 the ‘Thah’ speed (4 times or 8 times the original tempo). This is called a ‘Rela.’ Relas are not played for each Kaida, but a Kaida without Paltas is incomplete, especially in solo performances. Here is an example of a Rela for the same Kaida. Follow the Khali Taali signs to read the full taal written in multiple lines:

X
dha – tir kat dha – tir kat dha – – – dha – tir kat dha – tir kat dha – – –
2
ta – tir kat ta – tir kat ta – – – dha – tir kat dha – tir kat dha – – –
0
dha – tir kat dha – tir kat dha – – – dha – tir kat dha – tir kat dha – – –
3
ta – tir kat ta – tir kat ta – – – dha – tir kat dha – tir kat dha – – –

In this Rela, only the bolded sections have (alternatively) lighter boles, all other beats stay the same in every section.

Read this Kaida a few times and memorize the boles. Now (along with the theory posts) I will post 10 Tabla taals in this manner. Each taal will be posted in multiple posts.
Find Teen Taal’s original boles here. Find how to play these sounds here. Revising this post (How to Learn, Read and Play Taals) may also be useful.

sangtar.com > Music Theory > Rhythm Practice

Tanpura

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Tanpura is always an accompanying instrument. It is not able to create any tone variations. Tanpura’s main purpose is to keep the performer in tune. It has four strings. The overall shape of Tanpura somewhat matches the shape of sitar, although the squash (Toomba) is a little bigger in the male Tanpura. Tanpuras come in many different sizes.
Tanpura

Tuning Tanpura:
Tanpura’s first three strings are steel strings and the fourth is a brass string. Only exceptions to this are the big Tanpuras. Then even the first string is a brass string. However, generally you can achieve any tuning with the steel strings.

a. First string: This string is tuned to the fifth (Pa) of the lower octave.
b. Second and third string: Just as sitar’s paired strings, these are also called ‘Jodi ke tar’. These are tuned to the keynote from the middle octave (Sa).
c. Fourth string: This is the fattest string of all and it is tuned to the keynote (Sa) of the lower octave.

Exceptions: As you see above that a Tanpura is tuned to the keynote and the fifth (first and fifth or ‘Sa’ and ‘Pa’). It creates a drone of fifths. The problem emerges when the Composition (Raag) you are about to perform does not have fifth. As we know that lots of Raags are Chhadav (hexatonic) or audav (pentatonic). If the fifth is Verjit (forbidden in ascending and descending) in a Raag then the first string is tuned to the fourth (Ma). Although ‘Ma’ and ‘Pa’ (fourth and fifth) cannot be completely absent from a Raag at the same time, some times one is missing and the other is a very weak in the given Raag. In those conditions the first string is tuned to the third (‘Ga’). If a Raag has a very inharmonic scale, the tuning of Tanpura has to be creative. As an example, When performing Marva Raag, the first string is normally tuned to the Shudh Ni (major senventh). The other three strings are never a problem because they are tuned to the keynote (‘Sa’) and a ‘Sa’ is never excluded from any Raag.

holding Tanpura upright - Pushkar Lele - www.pushkarlele.com

In professional situations, some performers use two Tanpuras. One is tuned to 1-4 and the other one is tuned to 1-5. With this tuning, every other note has a direct relation (minor or major 3rd) to Tanpura’s drones.

Playing Tanpura:
The middle finger plays the first string and the index finger plays the rest. Strings are played one after another. The speed of playing does not depend on the tempo of the song. Playing all four strings once, completes one loop of Tanpura’s continuously varying tone. Singers usually play Tanpura by themselves and the instrumentalists use an accompanist.

Twang:
Tanpura has a distinguish tone. This tone is achieved by setting the threads on the bridge. While a string is ringing, the thread is moved under the string to get the exact position where the string is touching the bridge. When the thread goes to that position the ring will get louder and you will hear a twang in the tone. How much of the twang you desire is matter of personal taste. The amount of twang can be adjusted by moving the thread.

sangtar.com > Music Theory > Musical Instruments

Sitar

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Amir Khusro (1253-1325), a Sufi mystic and a spiritual disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya contributed a lot to northern Indian music. He was a famous poet and musicologist. He had a deep understanding of both Indian and Persian music styles. Although he used some Persian terms to describe Indian music in his writings, he only played and composed in Indian music.

His main contributions to Indian music are said to be defining the Indian style of Qawwali, invention of Tabla and invention of Sitar. Although these claims are not right. We will discuss his real contributions to Indian music in another post.

The actual Sitar was invented by another great musician named Khusro Khan. Khusro Khan was a royal musician and younger borther of the great vocalist Sadarang in the court of Mughal Emperor Jahandarshah (1664-1713). A historian Dargagh Kuli Khan writes that Khusro khan played a ‘strange thing’. So at that time the Sitar wasn’t even named yet. There were three strings on Khusro Khan’s sitar. The word ‘seh’ meaning ‘three’ comes from Persian and ‘tar’ means ‘a string.’ The Indian Sitar has evolved over time. Nowadays it has seven main strings.

Khusro’s ‘sehtar’ had two brass strings and one steel string. It had 14 frets. The brass strings were tune to the keynote and the fifth (Sa and Pa) and the steel string was tuned to the fourth (Ma). Its head was made from a big dried half squash. The strings were played with index finger of right hand with a finger pick. There were no rules how to hold it, although it was supposed to be played in a sitting position.

Eventually the descendants of Khusro Khan made the new version of Sitar. They first put six strings on it and then eventually added another one. Even today the greatest Sitar players of our time are from that family. They are known as ‘Seni Family’.

Tuning Sitar: Nowadays sitar has seven strings. The names and the tuning order of these strings are like this:
1. First String: This is a steel string. It is also called ‘Baj ka Tar’ or the playing string. It is tuned to the fourth (lower ‘Ma’) of lower octave. Melody of sitar is played on this string.
George Harrison
2. Second and Third string: These are brass strings and are called ‘Jodi ke tar’ (paired strings). These are tuned to the keynote (lower ‘Sa’).
3. Fourth string: This is a steel string and it’s tuned to the fifth (lower ‘Pa’).
4. Fifth String: This is a brass string and its gauge is double than the paired strings (second and third). This is tuned to the fifth (double lower ‘Pa’) of second lower octave. It is called ‘Lurge ka Tar’.
5. Sixth string: It is a steel string and is tuned to the fourth (Ma) of middle octave. It is called ‘chikari ka tar’.
6. Seventh String: This is also a steel string. It is the thinnest of all strings. Some people tune it to the upper keynote (upper Sa) and some tune it to the fifth (Pa) from the middle octave. This is also called ‘chikari ka tar’ or ‘papaea ka Tar’

To tune a Sitar, first a keynote is created by another instrument (a Harmonium, a tuner or a tuning fork etc.) or if it’s a solo performance the player can tune the sitar by itself. Here are the steps:
1. Jodi ke Tar (the paired strings) are first tuned to the given note or by themselves to the lower keynote.
2. The first string is tuned to the lower octave’s Fourth (Ma).
3. Then the fourth string is tuned to the lower octave’s Fifth (Pa).
4. Next the fifth (fattest) string is tuned one octave lower to the fourth string (very low fifth, or ati-mander Pa).
5. The sixth string is tuned exactly one octave higher to the paired strings (second and third) to the middle (Sa).
6. Finally the seventh string is tuned one octave higher to the sixth string. As mentioned earlier, some people tune it to the fifth rather than the eighth.

Above tuning order is important to create a just intonation scale. That is something I have totally ignored in the basic theory. We will discuss the position of notes in different scales in the advance theory.

Sitar also has secondary strings or the sympathetic strings. Normally these are not played directly. These strings are tuned to all the notes used in the composition to be played. We will discuss the exact tuning order of these strings in the advance theory. When a note is played on a primary string the sympathetic strings vibrate by themselves. Almost all original Indian stringed instruments have sympathetic strings. These strings add a special ring or sustain to every note.

Pandit Ravi Shankar 1967

Moveable and unmovable frets: If you have seen a sitar, you may have noticed that some sitars’ frets can be adjusted and some are fixed. The sitars with moving frets have 17 frets. In these sitars the Vikrat (moved or flat and sharps) notes are adjusted by moving the frets to the appropriate position.
In the fixed fret style, there are 19 frets. They are positioned with semitone differences and cannot be moved. Some fixed style sitars have 22 or 24 frets too. It depends on the designers’ and players’ choices.

Sounds of Sitar: The sitar has two basic sounds ‘Da’ and ‘Ra’. ‘Da’ is when a string is plucked towards the player and ‘Ra’ is when a string is plucked away from the player. The notation of sitar is written in these two ‘boles’ or sounds under the appropriate notes.
Such as:
sitar notation
If there are two notes and only one pluck, as the first and second pluck in the given example, the second note is a slurred note. On sitar, pulling the string creates the slurred notes. The beauty of playing sitar is in its unique slur style. Pandit Ravi Shankar is the most famous sitar player of our time.

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Introduction to Indian Musical Instruments

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Indian musical instruments are divided into four categories:

1. ‘Tut’ Instruments
2. ‘Sushir’ Instruments
3. ‘Avnudh’ Instruments &
4. ‘Ghan’ Instruments
Sarod

These categories also exist in Western Music.
1. ‘Tut’ Instruments: The ‘stringed instruments’ are known as ‘Tut’ Instruments’. These instruments use one or more strings to create sound. These are further divided into two sub-categories:

a. Plucked instruments: such as Sitar, Veena, Srode, Taanpura, Guitar etc.
b. Bowed instruments: such as Sarangi, Esraj, Violin etc.

2. ‘Sushir’ Instruments: These are the ‘wind instruments’. Such as Flute, shehnai, Been, Clarinet, saxophone etc.
3. ‘Avnudh’ Instruments: These are the instruments that have heads made from animal skin. Such as Tabla, Dhole, Pkhavaj, Dejambe etc. Mostly these are rhythmic instruments.
4. ‘Ghan’ Instruments: These are the instruments that create a note (musical sound) by hitting something with hammer or stick. You may call them tuned percussions too. Such as Jal trung, Munjeera, Kartaal, Vibraphone etc.

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29. 35 Principles of Northern Indian Music

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Northern Indian Music has its own identity. This identity is preserved by its principles which serve as guides and borderlines for this style of music. Here we will go over these 35 principles in a comprehensive order. Actually there are 40 Principles, five have been removed as in my opinon , those offered no additional information. These principles will sum up almost everything that you have read so far.

1. Northern Indian music is based on ‘Bilaval’ (same as standard major scale). The notes of Bilaval Thaat are considered natural notes. Altering the natural state of notes in this Thaat makes all the other Thaats.
2. The melody section of northern Indian music is based on the Raag system. A Raag must contain minimum of ‘five’ to maximum of ‘seven’ (all) notes from an octave.
3. This way we can divide Raags into three categories:

a. Sumpooran (7 notes)
b. Chhadav (6 notes)
c. Audav (5 notes)

4. Nine (9) sub-categories are created by combining the main three categoriesas as described in this post and this post.
5. ‘Sa’ (first note or the keynote) cannot be excluded from any Raag.
6. ‘Ma’ (fourth) and ‘Pa’ (fifth) cannot be excluded from a Raag at the same time. If one is absent the other one must be present.
7. Every Raag must come from a Thaat and must have a ‘Vadi’ (dominant or the king) note, a ‘Sumvadi’ (sub-dominant) note, performing time, ‘Aroh –Avroh’ (ascending-descending) and pleasantness.
Dagar Suptak
8. ‘Vadi’ and ‘Sumvadi’ notes are always on fourth or fifth place from each other. If the Vadi note is in the lower half of an octave (Poorvang), then the Sumvadi note must be in the upper half (Utrang).
9. The ‘Poorvang-Vadi’ (dominant note in the lower half) Raags show their characteristics in their ascending and ‘Utrang-Vadi’ (dominant note in the upper half) Raags show their characteristics in their descending.
10. Poorvang-Vadi or Utrang-Vadi Raags can be created from any Thaat. These Raags are also described as ‘Poorav Raags’ and ‘Utter Raags’ for short.
11. By Swapping the ‘Vadi’ and the ‘Sumvadi’ notes of any Raag, a new Raag can be created. This will also change a Raag’s performing time by 12 hours. That is because the ‘Poorvang-Vadi Raags’ are sung from noon to midnight and ‘Utrang-Vadi Raags’ are sung from midnight to noon.
12. ‘Sa’, ‘Ma’ and ‘Pa’ (first, fourth and fifth) are considered present in both ‘Poorvang’ (lower half) and ‘Utrang’ (upper half) (see this post for more details). If a Raag can be performed at any time, then one of these notes must be its ‘Vadi’ note.
13. Every Raag has a main note (Vadi Svara). Normally it is not the keynote, but it is the most dominant note in the composition and a Raag can be categorized based on its ‘Vadi’ note.
14. Every Raag has a ‘Vivadi suwar’ (the enemy note). It can be used if the use doesn’t break the flow of a Raag.
15. Raags are divided into three categories based on the ‘Time Theory’.

a. Raags with Komal ‘Re’, ‘Dha’ (flat 2nd and 6th): These Raags are also called ‘Sandhi-prakash (twilight) Raags’ and are sung in the dusk and dawn hours. ‘Re’ and ‘Dha’ are always used in the morning ‘Sandhi-prakash Raags’ and ‘Ga’ and ‘Ni’ (3rd and 7th) are always used in the evening ‘Sandhi-prakash Raags’ regardless of their Jati (category) i.e. Sumpooran, Chhadav or Audav (hepta, hexa or hepta-tonic).
b. Raags with Shudh (natural) ‘Re’, and ‘Dha’ (2nd and 6th).
c. Raags with Komal ‘Ga’, ‘Ni’ (3rd and 7th flat).

16. Raags with Komal ‘Re’ and ‘Dha’ (second and sixth flat) are best for peaceful and sadness subject matters. Raags with Natural ‘Re’ and ‘Dha’ are used for eroticism and humorous subject matter and the Raags with Komal ‘Ga’ and ‘Ni’ (flat 3rd and 7th) are used for heroic and fearful subjects.
17. ‘N (lower)SR(komal)G’, this phrase quickly shows that a Raag is from ‘Sandhi-prakash’ (twilight) time category.
18. The fourth note of an octave (Ma), is considered a very important note. It is the only note, which can go sharp (Tivar) in Northern Indian music, and it defines a Raags time by day (Shudh or natural ‘Ma’) and night (Tivar or sharp ‘Ma’).
19. Tivar ‘Ma’ (sharp fourth) stays totally absent from the daytime Raags.
20. The Raags with Komal Ga, and Ni (flat 3rd and 7th) are performed in the noon or the mid-night.
21. After the Sandhi-prakash (twilight) Raags, the Raags with Shudh (natural) ‘Re’, ‘Ma’, ‘Dha’ and ‘Ni’ are performed.
22. ‘Sa’, ‘Ma’ and ‘Pa’ play a very important role in the Raags which are performed between 1-4 a.m. and p.m. These notes start to get stronger in the afternoon and after midnight Raags.
Lotus in KATHAKALI
23. Raags Sound the best at their appropriate time (nowadays this rule is often ignored on stages and recordings).
24. A Komal ‘Ni’ (flat 7th) is seldom used in a Raag if the fourth is sharp (Tivar Ma).
25. The Raags, which have both ‘Ms’ (sharp and natural fourth), do sound a little bit similar to each other. Mostly their ascendings are different but the ‘Antras’ (verses) sound very alike. Special attention should be paid to keep these Raags pure.
26. A Svara cannot be used in a row in its both conditions. For example if a Raag uses both ‘Ga’ (Komal and Shudh or 3rd natural and flat), both of these notes cannot be used in a row as ‘R-G(komal)-G-M’ (if ‘Sa’ is on ‘C’ then this means that you cannot go D-bE-E-F).
27. The Raags with both ‘Ma’ (natural and sharp fourth) which are performed between 7-10 p.m., follow this rule: Natural ‘Ma’ is used both ways (ascending and descending) but the sharp ‘Ma’ is only used in the ascending.
28. Another rule for the Raags between 7-10 p.m. is that ‘Ni’ (seventh) is mostly ‘Vakar’ in the ascending and ‘Ga’ is ‘Vakar’ in the descending. The ‘Ni’ (7th) is often a very weak note in these Raags. The word ‘Vakar’ simply means that the note is not used in a row. If you skip a note going up and then come back to it from the next note, that is called being ‘Vakar’ in the Ascending. For example, ‘E’ is ‘Vakar’ in ascending in this example:

C-D-F-E-G
And E is ‘Vakar’ in descending in this example:
G-F-D-E-C

29. Northern Indian music gives more importance to Raag (melody) rather than Taal (rhythm).
30. Raags with serious nature mostly stay in the lower octave and ‘Sa’, ‘Ma’ and ‘Pa’ play a very big role in these Raags. Usually one of these notes is Vadi in these Raags. That also means that if one of these notes is the Vadi note, that Raag probably is serious in nature.
31. A ‘Parmail-Parveshak Raag’ is performed to change Thaats. ‘Parmail-Parveshak Raags’ belong to more than one category and they make the change from one category to the other a gradual one.
32. The Shudh ‘Ni’ (natural seventh) is often used in the ascending in the Raags with Komal ‘Ni’ (seventh flat).
33. Notes in every Raag are used according to their strength in that Raag. Every note has More, equal or less power than others. The weak notes are not used much or they are used in certain phrases only. A weak note does not necessarily mean that it is Verjit (forbidden) in that Raag.
34. Raags, which are sung around noon, ‘Re’ or ‘Dha’ are not used in their ascending and if they are, they are very weak. But the Raags performed right on noon have very strong ‘Re’ and ‘Dha’ in them.
35. The seven notes used in the northern music are:

a. Chhadaj (shadaj)
b. Rishav
c. Gandhar
d. Madhyam
e. Puncham
f. Dhaivat
g. Nishad
These notes are shortened for singing and writing purposes. When singing or writing, these notes are pronounced (in short) as follows:
a. Chhadaj is pronounced ‘Sa’ and is written as ‘S’
b. Rishav is pronounced ‘Re’ and is written as ‘R’
c. Gandhar is pronounced ‘Ga’ and is written as ‘G’
d. Madhyam is pronounced ‘Ma’ and is written as ‘M’
e. Puncham is pronounced ‘Pa’ and is written as ‘P’
f. Dhaivat is pronounced ‘Dha’ and is written as ‘D’
g. Nishad is pronounced ‘Ni’ and is written as ‘N’

Once again the seven notes are
Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni
And on this site are written as above or as:
‘S, R, G, M, P, D, N.’

So wherever you see a letter representing a note, pronounce it as it is supposed to be rather than saying that letter’s name. This will make your learning process easier and you will get familiar with sounds and look of Indian music. Also, if a note is under lined that means it is Komal (flat) and if ‘M’ (Ma or fourth) has a standing line on it, that means it is Tivar (Sharp). Refer to ‘The Indian Notation System‘ post for more information on this subject.

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28. Properties of a Raag – Part II

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In my last post, we talked about the basic properties of a Raag. A new Raag is created by defining a specific flow of notes. That flow of notes should not match (exactly) with any other Raag. When the flow is defined, some notes become more dominant than others and an order of notes is established. This order of notes divides all the notes in a Raag into five categories. We have seen these words in the definitions’ post, but we will go through them again:

Sarasvati

1. Vadi Svara
2. Sumvadi Svara
3. Anuvadi Svaras
4. Vivadi Svara &
5. Verjit Svara

1. Vadi Svara: The most dominant note in a Raag is called Vadi Svara. It is used again and again in phrases which make the Raag’s personality statement.
2. Samvadi Svara: It is a helper to the Vadi Svara. It is the second most important note in any Raag. It is mostly on the fourth or fifth place (up or down) from the Vadi Note.
3. Anuvadi Svaras: All the other notes, which are used in a Raag, are called Anuvadi Svaras.
4. Vivadi Svara: This is a Raag breaker note. If you use it, generally speaking the Raag will be broken. The term ‘breaking a Raag’ is used when any or some of the defined rules for a Raag are broken. But never mistake a Vivadi note as a Verjit (forbidden or omitted) note. Sometimes there are more than one Verjit notes in a Raag, but there is only one Vivadi Note. Some really expert singers and player do use the Vivadi note in their performance. In general, it is better to stay away from a Vivadi note.
5. Verjit Svara: These notes are not used in the Raag. They do not exist in the Aroh and the Avroh (ascending-descending) of a Raag. But in rare conditions some Verjit (forbidden) notes can be used as a passing note or a grace note.

The old music scriptures state that the ‘Vadi Svara’ is like a king. The ‘Sumvadi’ note is his Minister and ‘Anuvadi’ notes are the servants to serve the king and the minister. A ‘Vivadi’ note is said to be an enemy and the ‘Verjit’ notes are the foreigners. Keep this formula in your mind, you will never be confused over this matter again.

Further, in the scriptures all Raags are divided into three categories:
1. Shudh (pure): The Raag, which cannot be mistaken for any other Raag, and is created purely from unique notes, is a Shudh Raag. These kinds of Raags don’t break easily even if some of the defined rules of the Raag are broken.
2. Chhyalug: (shadowed): When a Raag is created by mixing two Raags, that is a Chhyalug Raag. Term ‘Chhyalug’ is also used when while performing one Raag, a performer knowingly mixes another Raag’s flow into it. The new Raag comes under the real one’s shadow. The word ‘Salunk’ also means the same thing.
3. Sankeeran (Mixed): When mixing more than two Raags creates a new Raag, that is a Sankeeran Raag. These kinds of Raags are very difficult to keep unbroken, as with a little mistake or oversight, it can become (sound like) one of its parent Raags.

Asharya Raag: (Primary Raag)
This a special category of elite Raags. In northern Indian music, every Thaat is named after a main Raag from that Thaat. And the Raag, which shares its name with its parent Thaat, is called the ‘Asharya Raag’. Every Raag from any one Thaat does show a little bit of shadows of its ‘Asharya Raag’. In popular music, where a Raag is hardly considered when composing or performing, to learn the note structure of a composition, the ‘Asharya Raag’ is normally noted on the top of the composition. That doesn’t mean that the given composition is in that particular Raag, What that means is that composition is in that Thaat and the improvising can be done in that Raag or around it. All Asharya Raags (Total 10, one in every Thaat) are the first Raag in every Thaat. As always there are exceptions. Jhinjhoti is the Asharya Raag of Khamaj Thaat. Although the Khamaj Raag is the most famous Raag from Khamaj Thaat, but it is not a Sampooran/Sampooran raag. So Jhinjhoti take the crown.

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27. Properties of A Raag

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The Raag is the most illusive and the most important concept of Northern Indian Music. In essence a Raag is a set of predefined rules to build a melodic composition. In general, the following are the basic rules or characteristics of a Raag. These rules are described in a logical order:

  1. A Raag must belong to one of the 10 Thaats of Northern Indian Music.
  2. A Raag must have an ascending (aroh) and a descending (Avroh).Ustad Abdul Latif Khan
  3. Every Raag’s Aroh and Avroh (ascending and Descending) must not contain less than five or more than 7 notes. This rule defines the Jati of a Raag. Read more about Jaties here.
  4. A Raag’s notes must sound pleasant to the ear. Although this rule may sound very vague, but it is always mentioned in the set of rules. The reason being that theoretically there are so many Raags possible in a Thaat, but all those set of notes do not sound great together.
  5. A Raag must have a Vadi and Samvadi note.
  6. A Raag’s Vikrat notes and the Vivadi note must be defined.
  7. A Raag must have a main phrase (Pakad).
  8. A Raag’s flow must be defined and it should be unique. This rule defines how the notes are used according to a Raag’s Aroh/Avroh and Jati. Two Raags may have the same notes, the same ascending, the same descending and the same jati, if they have different Vadi and Samvadi notes, then the Pakad and flow of notes will change. Thus making them two unique Raags.Once all the above rules are defined the following rules automatically come into effect:
  9. According to the Time Theory of Indian Raags, Every Raag has a Time slot of at least 3 hours.
  10. There are many similar Raags that share some of their properties. When performing a particular Raag, knowing the other related Raags is very important.

These are the basics. Although we are only talking about the ‘basic Theory of Northern Indian music’, but I feel I must write a little more about the Raag concept. This is the heart of Indian music. So I will dedicate even my next post to the properties of a Raag.

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26. More About Time Theory

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Parmail-Parveshak Raags:
A ‘Parmail-Parveshak’ Raag contains qualities from more than one category discussed in the last post. If you keep performing the Raags on their given time, you will see that there is no sudden change in notes. The ‘Parmail –Parveshak’ Raags make the gradual change form one time slot to the other. For example, when it is time to go from Shudh ‘Re-Dha’ Raags to Komal ‘Ga-Ni’ Raags, Raag ‘Jai-Jai Vanti (name) fits right in there. It has Shudh ‘Re’ and ‘Dha’ and Komal ‘Ga’ is introduced along with the Shudh ‘Ga’. So gradually, the change is made from the second category to the third.

‘Poorvang-Vadi’ and ‘Utrang-Vadi’ Raags:
Once we are done with the basic theory, we shall discuss Poorvang and Utrang (upper and lower tetrachords) in detail. Here I am only discussing these in their capacity to affect a Raag’s time slot. This theory goes parallel with the above categorization. In this theory an octave is divided into two overlapping (only for determining the time of a Raag?) parts.

(If the keynote is ‘C’):

026_poorvaang-utraang.gif
The first group is called ‘Poorvang’ (lower half)
The second group is called ‘Utrang’ (upper half)

We already know that the ‘Vadi’ note is the king note of any Raag. If a Raag’s Vadi note is from the lower half of the octave, that Raag is called a ‘Poorvang-Vadi’ Raag. If the Vadi Note is from the upper half of the octave, the Raag is called an ‘Utrang-Vadi’ Raag.

The Poorvang-Vadi Raags are performed from noon to midnight. And the Utrang-Vadi Raags are performed from midnight to noon. 026-hari.jpg
Once you know the Vadi note of a Raag, which is very important to know if you want to know a Raag, you already know which half of the day it goes to. It is also true that a Raag’s Vadi and Samvadi suwars reside in the opposite halves of an octave. So switching a Raag’s Vadi and Samvadi notes will in fact, change a Raag’s time by 12 hours. Normally, ‘Poorvang’ and ‘Utrang’ are not overlapped. That is a very widely accepted concept and makes a lot of sense when explaining the advance Thaat system. But here, when a Raag has ‘Pa’ Vadi and is considered a Poorvang-Vadi Raag, we run into problems. There is no other solution but to overlap Poorvang and Utrang. When divided this way, both parts share three notes (S, M, P). And whenever one of these notes is the Vadi note of the Raag in question, do not rely on ‘Poorvang-Utrang’ theory and check it otherwise. There are many Raags, which have a ‘Ma’ Vadi and are performed in the morning and with ‘Pa’ Vadi performed in the evening. So once again ‘Sa, Ma or Pa, if any one of these notes is Vadi, check the Raag for its ‘Komal’ (flats) and ‘Shudh’ (natural) notes, check the flow of the Raag. If Raag seems to stay in the upper half regardless of its Vadi note, then it is an ‘Utrang’ type (upper half) Raag and will fit into midnight to noon time slot or vice versa. The confusion has been created by continuous change in the popular style of Raags.

Wheel of Time:
As I mentioned earlier, the time theory divides a day into 8 pehars, morning and evening Raags overlapping two pehars. Here is an illustration showing how the day is divided. If needed, we will later see how the Raags fit on this wheel.
Wheel of Time

Conclusion:
Many new performers do not pay intention to the time theory at all. Their argument is that nowadays Raags are not always performed live. If the performer wants to record an evening Raag, and the only available studio time is in the morning, he has to do it. And who knows at what time a listener is going to hear the recorded material. An evening classical TV or radio show cannot limit itself to Raags only available in that time slot. So slowly, the time theory is fading out. However, it is good idea to learn about a Raag’s time slot because it adds so much to its personality.

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25. Time Theory of Raags

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The Time theory of Raags is an ancient theory. Every Raag has a three-hour time slot in the day. One slot is called a “Pehar”. There are 8 Pehars in a 24 hour day. A Raag performed in its time slot has the most effect on the listener and the performer. Through the ages though, many Raags have been modified, and their allotted time slots do not match with their flow of notes. This incompatibility has created a lot of confusion about this theory. However, if a student knows the basics of the Time Theory, the proper alterations can be made.
Pandit Ravi ShankarAt first look, the time theory of Raags alludes many. It seems random, there are formulas however. It is directly connected to the notes used in a Raag. Every Note, when used with certain other notes, has a different effect. That creates certain moods. Based on that, we can divide Raags into three categories:

1. Raags with ‘Komal’ ‘Re’ and ‘Dha’ (second and sixth flat)
2. Raags with ‘Shudh’ ‘Re’ and ‘Dha’ (second and sixth natural)
3. Raags with ‘Komal’ ‘Ga’ and ‘Ni’ (third and seventh flat)

1. Raags with Komal ‘R’ and ‘D’ (second and sixth flat)
These Raags are called ‘Sandhi-prakash’ (dawn/dusk or twilight) Raags. As the name suggests, these Raags are sung in the early morning and early evening. ‘Ma’ (the fourth) note plays a very big role to separate the morning Raags from the evening Raags. In the morning Raags, ‘Ma’ is usually natural and in the evening Raags it is usually sharp. Another thing to remember about these Raags is that the third note (‘Ga’) is always natural. If ‘Ga’ is flat, then the Raags will go in the third category. Importance of Komal ‘Dha’ (sixth) is not as high as Komal ‘Re’. If ‘Re’ is Komal and ‘Dha’ is natural, the Raag will still come under this category. But if it is the other way around, then it will go to the second category.

2. Raags with ‘Shudh’ ‘Re’ and ‘Dha’ (second and sixth natural)
These Raags are sung right after the ‘Sandhi-Prakash (twilight) Raags. So their time slot is around 7-10 a.m. and p.m. Again these Raags must have a Shudh ‘Ga’ (third natural), otherwise they will go under the next category. ‘Ma’ (fourth) plays a big role in these Raags too. The same rule applies here, the ‘a.m.’ Raags have natural ‘Ma’ and the ‘p.m.’ Raags have Tivar ‘Ma’ (fourth sharp).

3. Raags with Komal ‘Ga’ and ‘Ni’ (third and seventh flat)
These Raags have the next time slot in both day and night. In these Raags, the position ‘Re’ or ‘Dha’ does not matter. However, these Raags must have Komal ‘Ga’ (third flat). Importance of komal ‘Ni’ (the seventh) is not as high as the position of the ‘Ga’ (third).

The above categorization is very useful to memorize a Raag’s appropriate time. As I stated earlier, this division is not perfect though. Indian music theory is over 5000 years old. Along the way it has acquired its fair share of exemptions. There are a few other things, which may or may not overrule the above categorization. Raag ‘Yaman’ (name) is an evening Raag. Nevertheless, it is always the first Raag in a performance, regardless of the time of the day. Similarly, no matter it is day or night, Raag ‘Bhairavi’ (name) is the last Raag performed. A few other Raags occupy bigger than a 3-hour time slots and a few are only sung during a special season. Read more about this in the next post.

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