Gamak

In Indian Classical music, Ragas have tremendous scope for endless variety of note patterns and methods of presentations. Gamaka are of great importance in Indian classical music and are the backbone of the raga development. Gamaka is most weighty ornament in Indian classical music and it is quite difficult to render it properly.

 'Gama' in Sanskrit means to move. Sharangdev has mentioned:

Swarasya Kampo Gamakah Shrothachinta Sukhaavaha.

Gamaka is considered as a special form of Kampan or oscillation of Swar, which has the ability to please the mind and give peace and happiness. 

Gamaka is an oscillation of a swar by moving from one note to another and back as per the rules of the raga. While singing a gamaka, the singer uses his full lung capacity to create the forceful oscillations of swar. The vocal cords smust be very flexible to produce such an oscillation.

The ancient texts however ascribe almost all forms of ornaments and possible embellishments to the term Gamaka. In the present times however, Gamaka has come to mean an emphatic, often guttural, oscillation or fluctuation in pitch between two notes.

For a more technical definition, Gamaka is defined as the oscillation of a swara beginning with its position, which then moves to secure the support of another shruthi of a neighboring note in such a way that it passes like a shadow over it. In vocal music, it is produced through force from the diaphragm, abdominal muscles and lungs to achieve that deep - throated guttural and resonating effect.

The process of gamaka: 

1. Firstly, its emerging from the preceding note

2. Secondly, its dwelling with the Shruthi range of the Main Swar

3. Thirdly, its phasing out into the following note and repeating the process from step one.

A successful presentation is said when it appears the notes are merged with the preceding and succeeding note. The main 10 Ragas in Hindustani Music have a different flavor in the Gamakas used while performing the raga in terms of intensity, tempo, range.

In Pt.Ratanjayankarji’s words, “The term ‘gamaka’ is used in modern Hindustani Music, in reference to a strong or explosive and at times, aspirated accent on a note. It is also applied to broad and forceful shaking of notes….The sound effect of gamaka is like the thundering of clouds. Gamakas would be most fitting in songs in Malharas, and Ragas like Hindol, Shankara, and Bahar etc…There are ‘gamak yukta tanas’ and passage  elaborated in khayal style too.”

In Hindustani Sangeet, Gamak is mainly used in dhrupad. Gamakas can be heard in many Vilambit Khayal compositions as a part of the Bandish itself or applied depending upon the Raga used. In Chota Khayal, Gamak is used in specific words or phrases evoking symbolism, especially in Malhar based compositions on words like Garaj, Umand, Ghumad etc to signify the sound of thundering clouds. Gamak Taan is also sung in Khayal.

Karnatik music still uses the word gamak and all forms of gamak as referred to in the ancient texts. Hindustani music still uses a variety of gamaks as mentioned in the ancient texts, but the meaning of the word has changed over time. In earlier days kampan used in swars was called gamak. But today, forceful oscillation of swars from the heart is known as gamak. There are various types of kampan used in Hindustani Sangeet which are not called gamak but have special names like – Kan, Murki, Khatka, Zamzam, Sont, Meend, Gitkari. 

There are many opinions on the number of Gamakas in history.

1. Sangeet Ratnaakar – 15

Kampit, Aandolit, Aahat, Plaavit, Ulhaasit, Spurit, Vibhinna, Balee, Humpit, Leen, Tirip, Mudrit, Kurula, Naamit, Mishrit

2. Sangeet Parijaat – 20

Chyukti, Sphurit, Anaahat, Shaant, Tirip, Gharshan, Avagharshan, Vikarshan, Svasthaan, Avagraha, Kartari, Punah Svastaan, Sphuta, Shanibhyaha, Sudaaloo, Humpita, Mudra

3. Sangeet Pancharatna – 6 

Sphurit, Kampit, Leena, Stimit, Aandolit, Aahat, Tribinna

4. Carnatic Gamaks

5. Gamaks used in current North Indian Instrumental Music (based on Oral Tradition)

Gamak is considered as indispensable in gayan and vaadan kriya, but all the forms of gamak need not be used in performance. Also not all musicians are capable of showing all the forms of Gamak.

1.  Andolita: A gamak or oscillation lasting the duration of one laghu matra. The fundamental activity here is to provide a swinging motion to the swar. In this gamak, the mool swar takes support of either or both the swar which is before and after it in a swinging like motion.

2. Leena: A gamak lasting the duration of one-half of a laghu matra, i.e., a drut matra. This gamak is like the meend 

3. Kampita: A gamak or oscillation lasting the duration of one-fourth of a laghu matra, i.e., an anudrut matra.  When the mool swar is oscillated with the help of a swar before or after in fast tempo, it is called kampit gamak. In the veena or Sitar, this gamak is created by moving from one swar to another using the fingers in quick tempo

4. Tiripa: A gamak or oscillation lasting the duration of one eighth of a laghu matra, i.e., an atidrut matra In this gamak, the swar is produced or sung very fast.

5. Sphurita: A gamak or oscillation lasting the duration of one-sixth of a laghu matra . There is no name for this length of time, although three laghu matras make up one pluta matra so that this gamak lasts one-eighteenth of a pluta matra, When a kampit swar is played in a fast manner such that the mool swar is shown prominently, it is called spurit gamak.

6. Bali: Also called vakravega owing to its varkra or roundabout movement. It occurs when each note in a non-linear melodic line of notes of equal time duration is executed with a gamak :S R G M P G M P D N P D N Ṡ, etc.

7. Tribhinna: Also called tristhana this gamak is one which starts from the mandra or lower saptak and spans all three saptaks, ending in the taara or higher saptak.

8. Kurula: Literally, kurula is a coil. Here, each note in a melodic line of notes of equal time duration is executed with a gamak, the structure of the line being such that it consists of small phrases, the ending of each being the beginning of the next, as if the phrases are tied to their successors by means of knots : S R G M P M G M P G M P D N D P D N etc., the repeated G M P being the kurula.

9. Ahata: This is the same as the Sanskrit kartari its apabhransha (i.e., derivative) krintan and occurs when notes are sung / played with gamak, the first being executed with force for a very short duration. Ahat means to strike on something.

10. Ullasita: In this form of gamak, every swar uses the previous swar as a sparsh swar giving an effect of a wave like pattern SaRe SaRe  ReMa ReMa MaPa MaPa. Just as like the expressions of cheerfulness, this gamak expresses gentleness and tenderness. There is no khatka, murki, jhatka in this gamaka, only mild shaking of the swar. In this gamak there is a sudden force or increase in volume together with an increase in pitch

11. Plavita: This is a slow aandolan or oscillation of a note without reference to the time.

12. Hunkara: This is a heavy gamak executed with the chin held close to the chest

13. Mudrita: Also called bandhakar gamak this is a gamak with the mouth kept closed, i.e., with the lips kept together. Some scholars say, when a swar is sung in the madhya saptak after singing a swar in the mandra saptak then its called mudrit gamak.

14. Namita: A difficult gamak established using the help of meend, this is one that descends from a high note to a note in the mandra saptak or the lowar octave.

15. Mishra: This is a mixture of the various gamaks stated above.

1. Aarohanam

Ascending gamaks, i.e., to ascend with a kampan on each note.

2. Avahoranam

Descending gamaks, i.e., to descend with a kampan on each note.

3. Aandolitam

One oscillation in one matra

4. Sphuritam

Two oscillations in one matra

5. Tripushcham

Three oscillations in one matra

6. Kampitam

Four oscillations in one matra

7. Aahatam

A gamak with a stepwise ascending passage comprising of gamaks of two notes each, the second note of each group being the first of the next, and the first note of each group except the first being emphasized : S R R G G M M P etc.

8. Pratyaahatam

This Gamak is the descent of Aahatam

9. Daalu

A gamak of notes patterned thus : SṠ SN SD SP SM

10. Moorchhanaa

Combination of aarohanam and varohanam : S R G M P D N Ṡ N D P M G R S, all in gamak

These are different kinds of gamak explained by means of stringed

instruments.

1. Sphurita Gamak: This is a gamak achieved by lowering the tension of the string by sliding it along the fret from a high note to the next lower note. Thus, to execute a gamak of this type on S, the string, already pulled to the R position on the S fret, would be released of its pulled tension in a quick movement : RS RS RS, etc.

2. Murki Gamak: Here, the string is pulled to a high note in a long glide and then released to its original tension through the intermediate notes in a short glide, care being taken to ensure that thelong and the short glides merge smoothly into a single pull-and-release glide : S ------- G G -- R -- S ---- the whole in one glide.

3. Gitkiri Gamak : Here, the string is pulled along the fret to achieve a gitkiri in one glide : Ṛ S N S, etc.

4. Gadgadita Gamak: This is a slow sfurita gamak [see (i) above], but not so slow as to be andolita where the next higher note is not quite reached. Thus, if S R S R S R isexecuted accurately and slowly in one glide, the gamak will be gadgadita gamak.

5. Masak Gamak: Here, the stopping finger pulls the string along the fret to the next higher note immediately on the plectrumstroke without the fret note sounding, and then at once ---- i.e. , in the same glide ---- descends to the fret note and ascends back to the next higher note. Thus, on the Ṇ fret , the gamak will be a quick glide sounding S Ṇ S, though the plectrum stroked the string before it was pulled to S.

6. Pratyagata Gamak: Here, the string is pulled along the fret to a note a third higher and the released to sound the note in between (the note a second higher than the initial or fret note) : on the Ṇ fret, this would be a quick glide sounding Ṇ R S.

7. Zamzama Gamak: This is a murki gamak [see (ii) above] without the long glide and with the short descending glide repeated over and over in a single gliding action : G R S G R S G R S in one glide along the S fret.

1. https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/169156

2. https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/27707