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Flow | Mela practice – number patterns (3 counts)

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a = middle octave (madhya sthayi)‘sa = higher octave (tara sthayi) The above svara pattern may be sung, hummed or practiced silently with any svara variants: those you are already familiar with (e.g. raga Mayamalavagaula, mela 15, raga Dhirasankarabharanam, mela 29, raga Mecakalyani, mela 65) or any other you want to practice. Enjoy practicing by … Read more

Birdsong in Indian music: “A rich tapestry that intertwines music, poetry and nature”

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Read “How images of birds enliven Indian classical music” by Chitra Srikrishna (Scroll, 2 February 2025) along with images and YouTube contents:https://scroll.in/article/1077488/how-images-of-birds-enliven-indian-classical-music Bhakti poet Andal, Marathi mystic Dhyaneshwar and Tamil poet Subramania Bharati have all used birds as rich metaphorical devices. Both the Carnatic and Hindustani classical traditions are filled with the songs of birds. … Read more

There really is no such thing as a ‘learner’ raga

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Gouri Dange, The Hindu, 11 May 2019 | Read the full article here >> Every kind of music has a protocol for ‘beginners’ or ‘learners’. Students must practise paltay, alankaras, scales, études, tonalisation exercises, depending on the kind of music they pursue.  […] However, here’s the rub: for many learners, these ‘early’ ragas get translated … Read more

What’s the difference between Hindustani and Carnatic music?

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At first, this question seems easy to answer: just watch performers from either strand of Indian music and you’ll know Which is Which, merely going by the instruments in use, or how they dress and watching the body language involved: harmonium or sarangi vs. violin for melodic accompaniment for most vocal recitals, and tabla drums … Read more

Is there a “democratic” aspect to the melakarta scheme?

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While “democratic values” would seem an anachronism in the context of the hierarchical society wherein its inventor flourished, we are free to envisage new possibilities inherent in the melakarta scheme as such: The research in the field of pure musicology yields some interesting theoretical results, useful from technical and historical points of view. Venkatamakhi while … Read more