Raga Basics

 There is a wealth of info about Indian Classical music (ICM) basics online so I will just share a bit for beginners like myself. 

The music of North India is referred to as Hindustani and Carnatic in the South.

Vocal music dominates both but some instruments tend to be in one or the other.

The drone instrument, tambura is in both. It provides the ground for the music to dance!

some Hindustani Instruments-

Tabla, sitar, sarod, rudra veena

Some Carnatic-

Saraswati veena, mridangam , ghatam , violin

The "Raga or "Ragam" is a melodic frame work used for improvisation and composition in both the North and the South. Unlike scales and modes in the music of the West the raga has rules (which are sometimes broken) pertaining to the way it is sung or played. There is a certain order the notes(swaras) are to be followed. If this is not done correctly then the mood or "Rasa" of the Raga is lost. 

Ragas differ from the North and South. Some exist in only one or the other while some exist in both but with different names. Lets examine this!

The Raga "Yaman" in Hindustani music is equivalent to the notes of the Lydian mode.

In Carnatic it is called Kalyani.

Here are both. North using sitar and South using veena.

Very different sounding but using the same notes.(The sitar is in D and the veena Eb so even more tricky to compare)

Marwa

 The raag Marwa is from the Hindustani tradition. It is a raag for sunset. Here is a beautiful rendition by Ustad Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar. The Dagar tradition(Gharana or Bani) of Dhrupad(an very old form of Indian music) goes back 20 generations.

M.J.Srinivasa Iyengar

 

M.J.Srinivasa Iyengar

M J S (as he was known) is a recent discovery of mine. I cannot find alot of information in English on him but do know he was a very respected vainika who , after a long life, passed in 2013. 

The more I listen to veena, just like sitar, I recognize the wonderful nuances in the approach of certain schools (bani) as well as individual style. This mans playing is heavenly to my ears.

In the next post I will discuss some basic info on Carnatic music and the veena in particular.

Bless.

A Sitar Giant

 About a year and a half ago I began what would end up being a radical immersion into Indian music. I had never spent much time with sitar music. To me it seemed such an obvious choice for guitarists looking to expand their listening tastes, or something haha. Also, I was never attracted to the sound of sitar early on. I was more drawn to instruments like the tanbour(Iran), guqin( China) and Oud (Arabic and Turkish).

Well, this changed after a sample of Ustad Vilayat Khan. An incredible musician and master sitarist.

I highly recommend some close attentive listening to him. Here he is playing the beautiful morning raag Bhairavi. Exquisite. 

Surbahar, the lions roar

 The surbahar is like a bass sitar in many ways. At first glance it looks like the same instrument but on closer inspection it is clear there are many differences. The main difference of course being the size.

I was unaware of this instrument until about a year ago. In reading about Ravi Shankar (probably the most well known Indian Classical musician in the world) I discovered Annapurna Devi. Shew was the daughter of Allaudin (Baba) Khan. Baba was not only her teacher but also Ravi Shankars. Her life is a fantastic story of dedication to the Divine in music. Her recordings are rare and were never done professionally.

I will share one of her recordings here. Try to get past the poor quality of the recording and let the music carrie you. She was truly a master and one can feel the divine flowing through her.

Vainikas!

 There are many Saraswathi veena players(Vainikas) that I have discovered but let me share a couple favourites. The styles of playing go to extremes it seems, from the most serious and improvisationally connected to completely light, fluffy and almost whimsical! There are also many players that seem to reside in a somewhat new agey type place. My preference is for the players who go deep in their improvisations and explorations of the ragam(Raga and ragam will be discussed later!)

                         Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer(1888-1958) is probably my favourite at present. I do not know enough about Carnatic music yet to comment technically but on a mind/heart level I am floored. 

Ranganayaki Rajagopalan (1932-2018) who was a student of  Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer  was another fantastic Vainika. 

This style is known as the Karaikudi Bani(bani meaning style or school of playing) 

 

 

 I have been obsessed with the Saraswati Veena for the last year now. I am also in love with Rudra veena. The former is played mostly in Carnatic music(South India) and the latter in Hindustani(North India).

The Goddess Saraswati is always depicted with a veena which symbolizes many things.

Saraswati Veena