By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Sing selected raag using sargam syllables and sing along with a raag composition using traditional ornamentation and sargam syllables.
Transcribe a North Indian melody in raag Yaman.
Transcribe a Turkish melody in makam Rast.
North Indian Classical Raag
Raga Guide (selected attached pages) - Provides a review of raag notation, ornamentation, and a study of raag Megh
Listen to the recording of the performance by Vidyadhar Vyas with the notation on p. 117 of the Raga Guide above. Try to sing along.
Turkish Makam
Guide to Turkish Music Theory, § 1–3 - Review as needed
**Sing through the Yaman raag and the singing exercises with Shivanai Mirajkar.
**Sing through the makam Rast songs using scores from the anthology.
Go back to the Raga page in Demystifying Indian Classical Music that you read for Theory & Practice I. Sing through a few of the ragas on the page using sargam syllables (Sa, Pa, etc.) along with the audio recordings provided. Practice until you can sing without the recordings. Then, listen to the compositions, focusing on hearing the swara you just sang.
Handout: Guide to North Indian (Hindustani) Music Theory
Handout: Guide to Turkish Music Theory
Musical Meaning Across Cultures: What does phrase structure mean for hearing Indian and Turkish music? How do we know when a phrase ends in a raag performance? What about a makam performance?
Singing North Indian Raag: Sing through the raag assigned in the "Explore" section above. A selection of these raag are provided in the anthology (and as a PDF here). Use sargam syllables as you sing. After you sing each raag, listen to the selected raag performance on the website and try to sing back excerpts of the performance using sargam syllables.
Singing in Raag Megh: Review the transcription (see p. 117) and recording of Vidyadhar Vyas's performance of Raag Megh from the pre-class reading. Discuss the characteristics and sounds of the raag and the types of ornamentation that Vyas incorporates into his performance. Sing the ascending-descending raag and melodic outline on p. 116 of the reading, then listen to the recording of the performance on p. 117 again. Sing along with the recording using the syllables.
See the "Additional Resources" section of the anthology for more examples of compositions with recorded performances.
Transcription of Raag Yaman: See if you can transcribe the pitches only in the bandish (composition) in Raag Yaman, "Piya Ki Najariya Jadu Bhari." Begin by listening to the first phrase a few times. Then, go on to the second. Make a list of the pitches you hear without considering the rhythm. Is there extensive use of the vadi and samvadi? Can you identify any chalan?
Transcription of Makam Rast: Try your hand at transcribing "Rast Saz emaisi," by Tatyos Efendi. As with the Raag Yaman example, focus only on the pitches, and not on the rhythm. Are you able to hear any of the ajnas?
Sight Reading:
Rhythm: Continued work with subdivisions in simple time.
Melody: Continued work with skips/leaps between 7 and 2.
Critical Listening/Dictation: Raag & Maqam
Jazz & Maqam Fusion: Check out this NPR Field Recording of Amir ElSaffar's ensemble. ElSaffar is a composer, trumpeter, santur player, and vocalist whose music fuses jazz, Arabic music, and Iraqi maqam. Listen for the oud and the santur in the recording.