Rag Bhairav 1 Learning Objectives To revise our

Rag Bhairav 1

Learning Objectives • To revise our knowledge of Indian music from GCSE

Rag Desh – Anoushka Shankar • Means: what instruments do you hear? • Metre: describe the metre at the start. How does it change at 0’ 55”? • Harmony? • Melody: would you describe it as major, minor, modal, something else? Do you think it is improvised or fixed? Is it written down?

Indian Music • Closely linked to Hinduism (just like Western sacred music) • The god Shiva is associated with music and dance

Geography • Two main types: Hindustani (North) Carnatic (South) • Rag Desh and Rag Bhairav are from the Hindustani (northern) tradition

Oral tradition • Indian music is not written down; it is taught by listening and playing by ear

Raga • A raga is a piece of Indian music in several contrasting sections • The Western equivalent is a symphony • It can be any length. Some are quite short, others very long • Not to be confused with the rag…(!)

What is a rag? • A rag is similar to a scale or mode: • The melody of the raga is improvised using the notes of the rag

Rag • There are more than 200 different rags • Every rag creates a mood called a rasa • Rags are also associated with times of day and occasions • Examples of rasas include: Love Devotion Happiness Romance

Rag Bhairav • Here are the notes of Rag Bhairav: • The notes of the scale have names like sol-fah (do re mi, etc. ) – this is called sargam. • Rag Bhairav is intended for performance in the morning • Its rasas are serenity and peacefulness

Common Indian Instruments • Voice: the purest instrument. All instruments ranked by how closely they resemble it • Sitar • Sarangi • Sarod • Tampura • Tabla • Bansuri • Esraj • Pakhawaj • Shruti Box

Listen What instruments do you hear?

Other stringed instruments Esraj Sarangi

More stringed instruments Sarod Tampura

Two more instruments Bansuri Shruti Box

Dictionary time • Bansuri • Esraj • Sarangi • Sarod • Shruti box • Sitar • Sympathetic • Tampura strings

Elements of a raga • Melody Improvised on a rag (scale) Instruments: sitar, sarod, sarangi, voice, etc. • Drone Like a tonic pedal in Western music (sometimes both tonic and dominant) Instruments: tambura, shruti box, etc. • Rhythm Usually a repeating cyclic rhythm Instruments: tabla, pakhawaj, etc.

Tabla

Tala • The pattern played by the tabla • A cyclic pattern • Example: tintal is a very common tala: 1 Clap 2 3 4 5 6 Clap • Independent 7 8 9 10 11 12 Wav e rhythms which cut across the tala (causing syncopation) are called bols. 13 Clap 14 15 16

Dictionary Time • Tala • Tabla • Tintal • Pakhawaj • Syncopation • Bols

Raga Structure • There are four different types of movement in a raga: Alap Jhor Jhalla Gat or Bandish

Alap • A slow introduction to a raga • There is no sense of rhythm • It establishes the rag • There are no percussion instruments

Gat • 3 differences between Gat and Alap Gat Alap

Gat/Alap differences Alap Gat • Slow • Fast • No • Has sense of rhythm • No percussion • Improvised • Solo a tala • Uses tabla • Fixed composition • Dialogue between soloist and tabla