1. Area of Study 4
Indian Raga!

2. 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 Raga’s

3. INDIAN RAGA What you need to know about Indian Raga :
RAGA – Indian scale/melody
It is learnt through Oral Tradition
A raga is in 4 sections – Alap, Jhor, Jhalla, Gat/ Bandish
There are 3 elements – Drone (played by Tambura), Raga – (melody played by Sitar) and the Tala – (rhythm played by Tabla)

4. RAGA SCALE - learn it!!!

5. THE PROGRESSION… Alap Jhor Jhalla Gat/ Bandish 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 set
improvised music becomes rhythmic
music is elaborated & tempo increases
Jhalla
Fast/ Lively
Fast pulse with exciting and complex rhythms
high point in the piece
virtuoso display, using advanced playing techniques
Gat/ Bandish
Moderate/ Fast
Tabla introduces the rhythmic cycle ‘tala’
fixed composition introduced
musical dialogue between instrumentalist and drummer
flourished improvisation happens on a prepared melodic line

6. THE THREE ELEMENTS The Melody: The Drone: Rhythm:
This is the set melody on which the music is improvised
It is a cross between pitch 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!
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 sound adds texture to the whole piece
Rhythm:
The Tabla drums gives 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)

7. Analysis of the Rag Desh
Rag Desh: The Rainy Season Raga, played at night
Gives the feeling of romance and devotion
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 beats tala - Jhaptal, at a medium tempo: madhyalaya
The second Gat uses 16 beat tintal tala, faster tempo: drut

8. 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:
Fixed composition
Vocals are more elaborate
Tempo increases, music becomes fast and exciting

9. Rag Desh by Steve Gorn & Benjy Wertheimer
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

10. Exam type questions…
All three pieces start with an alap section. Name three characteristics of this opening section of a raga
What is the ‘fixed composition’ and where is it to be found in the raga?
Name two other sections of a full raga performance
Describe two features of the rhythm in all three versions