Classical Music Of North India Flashcards
Different traditions of music
Classical (2000yrs)
Folk
Religious
Popular
Music is associated with
Hindu religions and often have special spiritual significance
Based on
A combination of raga(melodic form) tala(rhythmic form) and drone (sustained note)
Performed
By three people
Solo singer / solo instrumentalist
Drummer
Drone player
Instruments
Soft sounding and usually played I small areas
Melodic improvisation
Based on scales called ragas
Rhythmic improvisation
Based on cycles of beats called talas
what is raga
Series of notes (usually between 5-8 notes)
Which are combined to create a particular mood
Pattern
Particular ascending and descending pattern
Are associated with different times of the day season mood or special occasion
Notes of a raga scale
SA RI GA MA PA DHA NI
All the notes aren’t always used
Performances take place
Temples
Festivals
(Sometimes last all day and all night)
Raga performances are
Improvised but based on traditional tunes and rhythms
To learn raga
Students join a school of players called GHARANA
Each GHARANA has its own teacher or master
Each GHARANA has its own traditions and own methods on how to play
Raga is not notated
Students learn by listening to their teacher and then imitating what is played and memorizing it
What is tala
Is a repeating Rhythmic pattern usually played by the tabla (small drums)
The tabla player plays
A rhythm called a tala with a set of number beats (matras)
First beat of tala
Sam
Each tala is split into groups called vibhags
A vibhag is like a bar in western music and can have different numbers of beats in each vibhag
What is a drone
Is a continual or repeated note held throughout a passage of music
It is the sound usually heard first, starting on the tonic note SA
Traditionally played on a tambura
Summary
Music based around improvisation
Sitar plays the melody
Tala is a cycle of rhythmic beats
Raga: music is based on a group of notes (scale)
Tabla plays rhythmic improvisations
Traditional instruments used
Sitar
Tambura
Tabla
Sitar
Large log necked string instrument
Has between four to seven metal strings of which 4= melody
And other 2/3 = drone bass
Sitar plays melody
Tambura
4 metal strings
Used as more of a backing instrument
Part is often described as a drone which plays a simple repeated rhythmic pattern based on just two notes from the raga
Tabla
Pair of drums
Smaller right side drum is called a tabla
Larger lower sounding drum is called bays
Main rhythm is played on the tabla
