Rag Desh (Steve Gorn and Benjy Wertheimer)

Question 1

Melody

Answer 1

• Played by Gorn on bansuri and Wertheimer on esraj
• Alap - improvise using notes of raga, slow and flowing
• Gat 1 - bansuri in unaccompanied, lyrical melody - embellished and improvised on original pattern
• Gat 2 - bansuri structured melody - elaborate, wide pitch, fast scales and slides

Question 2

Harmony

Answer 2

• Based on raga - scale/mode, ascends and descends but pitches and number of notes vary in each direction
• Rag Desh raga has more notes coming down, and one is flattened

Question 3

Tonality

Answer 3

*Tonal centre is note C

Question 4

Structure

Answer 4

• Alap - drone by tambura, bansuri explores raga notes
• Gat 1 - short flute solo into tabla. Rhythm words to notes mark the tal and indicate types and strengths of beats. Bansuri and tabla swap between improvising and accompanying, tihais at end
• Gat 2 - bansuri plays tans (fast improvised scale passages). Ends with tihai and drone

Question 5

Instrumentation/Timbre

Answer 5

• Bansuri (bamboo flute), esraj (bowed string), tambura, tabla
• Bansuri and esraj improv. in alap, bansuri and tabla in gats

Question 6

Texture

Answer 6

• Melody and accompaniment

* Thicker as melodies get more complicated and ektal gets fast and complicated

Question 7

Rhythm

Answer 7

• Begins free before tabla
• Repetitive cyclic rhythm pattern called tala on tabla
• Competition between instrument and drum to copy rhythmic ideas while keeping within tala cycle
• Rupak tal (7 beats), ektal (12 beats)

Question 8

Tempo

Answer 8

• Alap - slow and flowing
• Gat 1 - steady rhythm, improvised melody
• Gat 2 - much faster raga

Question 9

Mood

Answer 9

• Nighttime, rainy season

* Romance and devotion