RAG DESH (SCALE) - Learn It!!! the STRUCTURE

Area of Study 4 Indian Raga! LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of the lesson you will be able to: Understand the structure of an Indian Raga Explain the key features in the music Understand the rough analysis of the different Ragas INDIAN RAGA What you need to know about Indian Raga: RAGA – traditional Indian piece ¡ It is learnt via the oral tradition ¡ A raga is in 4 sections – Alap, Jhor, Jhalla, Gat/ Bandish ¡ There are 3 layers – Drone (played by Tambura), Rag – (melody played by Sitar) and the Tala – (rhythm played by Tabla) RAG DESH (SCALE) - learn it!!! THE STRUCTURE Section Tempo Metre/ Rhythm Musical features Alap Slow/ Medative Free time soloist ‘explores’ notes - improvise sets mood accompanied by a drone Jhor Steady/ Medium Sense of regular pulse is improvised music set becomes rhythmic music is elaborated & tempo increases Jhalla Fast/ Lively Fast pulse with exciting high point in the piece and complex rhythms virtuoso display, using advanced playing techniques Gat/ Bandish Moderate/ Fast Tabla introduces the fixed composition (Gat = rhythmic cycle ‘tala’ introduced instrumental; musical dialogue between instrumentalist Bandish = and drummer vocal) flourished improvisation happens on a prepared melodic line THE THREE LAYERS The rag: ¡ This is the set of pitches on which the music is improvised. ¡ It is a cross between a melody and a scale – however the pitches often differ in each direction. ¡ The notes in a rag vary – some have 5 notes like a pentatonic scale whilst others have 7 or 8 notes. ¡ There are over 200 different rags! Each one has a different mood or RASA. The drone: ¡ The drone is a replacement for a real sense of harmony like Western Music. ¡ The notes are usually the Tonic and Dominant (I – V) of a chosen Rag. ¡ It keeps a sense of tuning/ intonation as a reference point for the melodic parts. ¡ The sustained sound of this adds texture to the piece.re to the whole piece The tala (rhythm): ¡ The tabla (drums) play rhythms based on repeated rhythmic cycles called tala. ¡ The rhythm patterns (bols) are independent of the beat and can be inventive – creating syncopation. ¡ They must however start and end precisely on the first beat of the cycle (called Sam). Rag Desh This is the rainy season/Monsoon raga, played at night. ¡ Primary moods (rasa) are devotion, longing & romance. Rag Desh by Anoushka Shankar ¡ It is made up of an ALAP and two different GATS ¡ You can hear the different techniques Shankar uses in the alap: ¢ Strums ¢ Plucks ¢ Bends notes ¡ The first gat uses 10-beat tala (Jhaptal), at a medium tempo: madhyalaya. ¡ The second Gat uses the 16-beat (Tintal), at a faster tempo: drut. Rag Desh by Anoushka Shankar ¡ The melody (rag) is performed on sitar in this piece. ¡ It is made up of an ALAP and two different GATS ¡ You can hear the different techniques Shankar uses in the alap: ¢ Strums ¢ Plucks ¢ Bends notes ¡ The first gat uses 10-beat tala (Jhaptal), at a medium tempo: madhyalaya. ¡ The second Gat uses the 16-beat (Tintal), at a faster tempo: drut. Rag Desh by Chiranji Lal Tanwar ¡ Use of voice to sing the Raga. ¡ There is an ALAP and BANDISH section ¡ Alap: ¢ The sitar improvises using note of the raga over a tamura drone, joined by a sarangi ¢ The singer uses a lot of vibrato ¢ The tal used is the 8 beat Keherwa Tal ¡ Bandish (Bhajan): ¢ Fixed composition ¢ Vocals are more elaborate ¢ Tempo increases, music becomes fast and exciting Rag Desh by Steve Gorn & Benjy Wertheimer ¡ Rag is improvised using the esraj (bowed string instrument) and the bansuri (flute). ¡ More traditional raga structure - There is an ALAP and two GATS ¡ Alap: ¢ Improvise using the notes of the Rag Desh ¢ Drone from Tambura Drone ¢ The section is slow and flowing - no specific pulse ¡ Gat 1: ¢ Steady rhythm ¢ Faster than the Alap ¡ Gat 2: ¢ A lot faster ¢ The Tabla plays fast complicated rhythms ¢ Melody more structured Exam type questions… 1. All three pieces start with an alap section. Name three characteristics of this opening section of a raga. 2. What is the ‘fixed composition’ and where is it to be found in the raga? 3. Name two other sections of a full raga performance. 4. What are the most important similarities/ differences between the 3 versions of this rag? .

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