Sargam (music)

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Sargam refers to singing the notes, mostly commonly used in Indian music, instead of the words of a composition, with use of various ornamentations such as meend, gamak, kan and khatka, as part of a khyal performance. This is generally done in medium-tempo as a bridge between the alap and taan portions.

As an example, one could sing PmRSnSRRSRnSPnmPgmnnPmgmRSnS in raga Adana, given that raga's vadi-samvadi and the rules of the raga (see swara for explanation of the notes).

The musical octave is said to have evolved from the elaborate and elongated chants of Sama Veda, based on these basic swaras. Siksha is the subject that deals with phonetics and pronunciation. Naradiya Siksha elaborately discusses the nature of swaras, both Vedic chants and the octave.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melakarta</span> Set of 72 sampurna ragas in Carnatic music

Mēḷakartā is a collection of fundamental musical scales (ragas) in Carnatic music. Mēḷakartā ragas are parent ragas from which other ragas may be generated. A melakarta raga is sometimes referred as mela, karta or sampurna as well, though the latter term is inaccurate, as a sampurna raga need not be a melakarta.

<i>Shruti</i> (music) Term used in the music of India

The shruti or śruti is the smallest interval of pitch that the human ear can detect and a singer or musical instrument can produce. The concept is found in ancient and medieval Sanskrit texts such as the Natya Shastra, the Dattilam, the Brihaddeshi, and the Sangita Ratnakara. Chandogya Upanishad speaks of the division of the octave in 22 parts.

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Svara is a word that connotes simultaneously a breath, a vowel, the sound of a musical note corresponding to its name, and the successive steps of the octave or saptaka. More comprehensively, it is the ancient Indian concept about the complete dimension of musical pitch. Most of the time a svara is identified as both musical note and tone, but a tone is a precise substitute for sur, related to tunefulness. Traditionally, Indians have just seven svaras/notes with short names, e.g. saa, re/ri, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni which Indian musicians collectively designate as saptak or saptaka. It is one of the reasons why svara is considered a symbolic expression for the number seven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janya</span> Indian melodic mode derived from a raga in the Melakarta

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Sohini is a raga in Hindustani classical music in the Marwa thaat. Alternate transliterations include Sohani and Sohni. Like Bahar, it is a small raga, with not much space for elaboration. It emotes the feel of longing, of passive sensuousness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kafi (raga)</span>

Kafi is a raga in Hindustani classical music. It corresponds to Kharaharapriya in Carnatic music and Dorian mode in Western music

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Performances of Carnatic music</span>

Carnatic music is usually performed by a small ensemble of musicians, who sit on an elevated stage. This usually consists of at least; a principal performer, a melodic accompaniment, a rhythm accompaniment, and a drone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhairavi (Carnatic)</span> A Janya raga of Carnatic music

Bhairavi is a janya rāgam in Carnatic music. Though it is a sampoorna rāgam, it has two different dhaivathams in its scale making it a Bhashanga Ragam, and hence is not classified as a melakarta rāgam.

Hameer is a nocturnal Hindustani classical raga nominally placed in Kalyan thaat. All the (shuddha swaras along with (teevra madhyam are used in it. Generally, its vaadi swar is dhaivat and the samavaadi swar is gandhar. However, some exponents consider the vaadi swar to be pancham as Hameer is mainly sung in the upper half of an octave and is nocturnal. Pancham is not taken in the aaroh but is taken in avroh. Its jati is "Sampurn Sampurn". "Vadi Svar" is Dhaivat and Samvadi Swar is Gandhar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnatic raga</span> Melodic framework used in Carnatic music

Carnatic raga refers to ragas used in Carnatic music. It has several components - primordial sound (nāda), tonal system (swara), pitch (śruti), scale, ornaments (gamaka) and important tones.

Shankara is a raga in Hindustani classical music.

Durga is a raga in Hindustani Classical music. It shares some features with Shuddha Saveri of Carnatic music, but is significantly different from it in terms of the sancharas of the raga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gandhara (svara)</span> Third octave in Indian classical music

Gandhara is the 3rd svara from the seven svaras of Hindustani music and Carnatic music. Gandhara is the long form of the syllable ग. For simplicity in pronouncing while singing the syllable, Gandhara is pronounced as Ga.

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