The origins of Indian music go back far beyond history. Nada Brahma, which means "the language of God," is the philosophical premise that sound is a manifestation of the divine. When singing or playing, an Indian musician sets out to experience the infinite and to share his striving with the listener.

For two thousand years, the tradition of Raga Sangeet, on which India's present musical system is based, has been transmitted via oral tradition, without notation, usually from father to son in lineage known as gharanas. It is one of the most sophisticated, subtle, and complex musical systems in the world. Rag, tal and drone, loosely akin to melody, rhythm and a constant harmonizing background, are its basic elements.

Raga, literally "that which colors the mind," is a melodic idea which uses at least five notes of the octave, around which the musician, while obeying strict rules, has the freedom to improvise. The rules include limitations on the ascent and descent of the scale, the use of characteristic phrases, prescribed resting places, particular notes to be emphasized, compositional forms and traditional formats. Most rags are meant to be played only at certain times of the day or seasons of the year, and each rag has its own principle mood or rasa. Traditionally there are nine rasas: 1) shringara - divine or human love; 2) hasya - humor; 3) karuna - sadness or compassion; 4) raudra - anger or fury; 5) veera - heroism or majesty; 6) bhayanaka - fear; 7) vibhasta - disgust; 8) adbhuta - wonder or surprise; and 9) shanta - peace and tranquillity. Sometimes bhakti - devotion is spoken of as the tenth rasa, but, in actuality, bhakti is a combination of the third, eighth and ninth rasas and are very basis of rag, originating, as it did, in the singing of the Vedic chants. Within these strict guidelines, and depending on the creativity, imagination and mastery of the artist, a rag is improvised. It is said of both rag and tal that, given a great musician, even a single phrase can be improvised on indefinitely.

Tala or tal, literally "clap," refers to the rhythmic structure that underlines all Indian music. Most often it is provided by the drum, and in North Indian Classical music that drum is usually the tabla. However, much of the rhythmic structure can also be carried by a stringed instrument or the human voice or shown by a series of hand gestures, usually claps and waves, known as kriya. The tal may range from three to over a hundred beats per measure. Many of theses combinations of measures and beats are traditional and are collectively known as thekas. The most familiar and most often used of all tals is tintal. It has sixteen beats, grouped in four measures : 4+4+4+4. The bols (words) of its theka are: dha dhin dhin dha/dha dhin dhin dha/dha tin tin ta/ta dhin dhin dha. Within the framework of the fixed beats and measures of a tal, the tabla player can improvise to the same extent as the instrumental musician. The concluding part of many concerts is comprised of a section composed of various kinds of sangat (accompaniment). In the jawabi sangat, for instance, the tabla player echoes, in any tempo, a rhythmic phrase executed by the instrumentalist; in the sath sangat, the tabla player plays, almost simultaneously, the rhythmic patterns of the instrumentalist; in the larant sangat (which literally means "fighting"), there may be a highly spirited exchange. The jawab sawal (literally "question-and-answer") sath is, name implies, a dialogue between the instrumentalist and the drummer. In it the musicians, alternating one with the other, first play long passages, then shorter and shorter passages. Back and forth, they play until they join together for the climax, when both end on sam (pronounce sum). Brilliantly executed and exhilarating, the jawab sawal is very popular with audiences.

In the performance of a rag, drone refers most often, to the music of the tanpura. The tanpura's strings are plucked slowly but without establishing a beat or rhythmic patterns so that the harmonics or overtones are maintained as a constant presence. Although these overtones are essential to the music, there is no use of harmony in the Western sense in Indian music. The tanpura, tuned to the tonic and fifth, also serves the function of being the constant against which other instruments can be tuned.

Rag or Raga is also used as the collective term to includes the concepts of rag, tal and drone. A traditional rag performance begins with an alap, and may include jor and jhala (both of which are considered part of the alap) and concludes with a gat (pronounced gut).

Alap is the first section of a rag. In it, slowly and meticulously, the musician unfolds the rag with absolute clarity of note and pitch. In free meter, without drum accompaniment, the alap is also played without tal. It usually starts with lower pitches and moves towards the higher. Progressively, subtleties and intricacies of intonation, ornamentation and note values are introduced. Prominence is given to the vadi and the samvadi, the rag's ruling notes, and to rag's characteristic phrase known as, "the heart of the rag".

As it develops, the alap is usually marked by an increase in tonal range, expansion of motif, and the gradual inclusion of an underlying pulse. The alap enables the listener to enter the rag's mood or rasa. Given the refinement and subtlety of a master musician, it is said, a knowledgeable listener can sense which rag is being played from its very first note. Part of the alap is sometimes missed by concert goers unfamiliar with the structure of Indian music, for while they may continue to talk during what they think is "merely" the tuning of the instruments, what is actually taking place is the musician's invitation to the music. The musicians invoke the spirit of the rag, asking her to come and sit with them, to inspire them, to honor, by her presence, the devotion with which they play.

The alap may include a fast section called jor, which may, if used, gradually accelerate into an even faster section called jhala. Jor introduces rhythm, but not necessarily fixed meter, and jhala, which means "sparkling like a water fall," introduces patterns involving faster and faster rhythms. The alap is followed by a gat, which is the section of a rag played in tal and accompanied by the tabla. The gat is composed of one or more fixed compositions. They will be introduced, then elaborated upon with various combinations of vistars, tans, laris, and boltans to fully develop the melodic ideas, and tehai, chakradar, peskar, kaida, rela, to fully develop the rhythmic ideas that were introduced in the alap.

About the Instruments The sarode is a twenty-five string instrument which is plucked with a coconut shell plectrum held in the left hand. Its body is made of a single block of seasoned toon, teak or maghony. The fingerboard is a smooth fretless steel plate. The sarode's belly is covered with goat skin. The first of two deer horn bridges rests on the belly, and the second is on the neck before the main pegs. The strings, of different gauges, are of metal. Four strings carry the melody; three resonating jawari strings are tuned to the principal notes of the rag; three chikari strings, tuned to the tonic , are used for drone emphasis and rhythm; and the remaining fifteen strings, known as taraf and tuned to the notes of the rag in several octaves, provide sympathetic resonance. Beneath the fingerboard is a tumba, usually of brass, which is used for balance and to rest the instrument on when it is not being played.

The tabla is a set of two drums. The smaller, right hand drum, the dayan, usually called simply the tabla, is usually made of rosewood. Played with the fingers and palm of the right hand, it is usually tuned to the tonic. The larger, left hand, bass drum, the bayan is, today, usually made of metal. It is played with the fingers, palm and wrist of the left hand. Between the straps and the drum bodies are pieces of wood by which the tension can be altered to control the tuning. The fine tuning, often adjusted during a performance, is done by striking the braid or gajra, which forms the outer rim of the drum head, with a small hammer. The drum heads are covered with goat skin. On each is a round black spot called the gaab. Theses gaabs determine the drums' rich tonal resonance or color. All the sounds of the drum are represented in a vocabulary of syllables known as bols. Using theses bols, a tabla player is able to recite any composition that can be played. Sometimes theses syllables are spoken during vocal or dance performances. They are similar to but should not be mistaken for the bols of the theka, i.e. the rhythm patterns of the tal.

The tanpura is a four or five stringed instrument with a resonant gourd base and a long neck made of wood. Its strings are plucked with the sides of the fingertips. It is made in many sizes and has no frets. It has a special timbre characterized by a rich and complex harmonic spectrum. Much of the tanpura's unique and lasting sound is due to its bridge which has a flat bone surface on which the strings lie. Its javari, as the curve of this bridge is called, plus a length of thread carefully positioned under each string, gives the tanpura its sweet shimmering, slightly buzzing tone. The plucking of the strings, maintained throughout a performance, is not intended to coincide with the notes of the melody or the beat of the tabla.

Reproduced by kind permission of Sitar and vocal teacher, Amie Maciszewski Phd., leading light of Sangit 2000.
If you live in or near Austin and are interested in Indian Music, Sangit 2000 is a valuable resource for you as they have many events, not least of which are a series of Indian Music Concerts and Workshops throughout the year.
'Phone (512) 447-6025 for details.

Please note: Buckingham Music, Inc. stocks and sells a good selection of tutorial videos and books for those who wish to learn more about Indian Instruments and, particularly, playing them.