Raaga, Swara , Nirival in Carnatic Music

Carnatic music as a classical form is always thus required to be a culturally elevating medium. Carnatic music, whose foundations go back to Vedic times, began as a spiritual ritual of early Hinduism. Hindustani music and Carnatic music were one and the same, out of the Sama Veda tradition, until the Islamic invasions of North India in the late 12th and early 13th century. From the 13th century onwards, there was a divergence in the forms of Indian music - the Northern style being influenced by Persian/Arabic music. As with all Indian classical music, the two main components of Carnatic music are raga, a melodic pattern, and tala, a rhythmic pattern. Thus, it is a constant requirement of Carnatic music as a traditional form to be a medium that elevates culture. Early Hinduism used Carnatic music as part of its spiritual rites, and it has roots in Vedic times. Up until the Islamic conquests of North India in the late 12th and early 13th centuries, Hindustani and Carnatic music were one and the same, deriving from the Sama Veda heritage. The styles of Indian music began to diverge starting in the 13th century, with the Northern style being influenced by Persian and Arabic music. Raga, a melodic pattern, and tala, a rhythmic pattern, are the two primary elements of Carnatic music, as they are in all Indian classical music.

The Melakarta System is the most scientific system of creation and classification of ragas and forms the basis of the classical carnatic music system. It defines the rules to create the base ragas with 7 notes each using a combination of the 12 keys in an octave.

The Melakarta system uses a powerful scientific algorithm to create the fundamental 72 ragas of the carnatic music system. All other ragas in the carnatic music system are derived from one/more of these 72 ragas. The derived ragas are called janya ragas.

What Connection Does Classical Music's Use Of Ragas, Melakartha, And Thaat Make?

Raag/Raagam, which conceptually translates as that which colours the mind in Indian classical music, literally means "colouring, dyeing." Ragas/Ragas, which are specifically associated with Hindustani and Carnatic music, respectively, but are used interchangeably for the article's purposes, have a highly deep cultural and, in some cases, religious importance.

The seven fundamental swaras—Sa (Shadjam, the tonic swara), Ri (Rishabh), Ga (Gandhara), Ma (Madhyam), Pa (Panchama, the perfect fifth), Da (Dhaivata), and Ni—are the foundation of Indian classical music (Nishad). Sa and Pa are referred to as the "prakruthi swaras" because they maintain their consistency after creating the tonic (first note). The additional swaras, often referred to as Vikruthi swaras, are variations of the underlying swara that can emerge in various ways. There are 12 musical notes in total on a single string (S, r, R, g, G, m, M, P, d, D, n, N).

Melakartha, Thaat, and Ragas in Classical Music

Given specific restrictions, each note in carnatic now has three variations, with the exception of S, P, and M, which have two (i.e. R2 and G1, D2 and N1 are mutually exclusive). Thus, there are a total of 72 possible combinations you may create using the seven notes, of which 36 have M1 and 36 have M2. These 72 combinations make up the general phrase "Melakartha Ragas." Similar to, although somewhat in the opposite direction, each note of the 2 versions of 7 swaras (excluding S and P). Thus, there are 32 possible combinations in all. There are 10 ragas, also known as Thaats in Hindustani, out of these 32 raagms. Essentially, these ten thaats are created by altering the variation of just one note from the earlier sequences (S R G M P D n S S R G M P D n S). where lower case represents the "Komal" variety and capital letters represent the "Theevra '' variation.

Raags are fundamentally composed of a minimum of 5 notes, structured into an ascending (Arovanam) and a descending (Arovanam) sequence, from the underlying 7 (sapta) swaras (Avarohanam). The parent "Thaat" or "Melakartha" ragas/raagams are where the majority of ragas originate. There are a few.

Neraval : Carnatic Music Improvisation

One of the most unique aspects of carnatic music is neraval. Neraval is an improvisation within the tala of a song while revolving around a song segment, typically a line or two, from a composition set in a particular raga (melody) (rhythm). A competent neraval indicates an understanding of the three musical components of raga, tala, and sahitya (lyrics).

Think about the following scenario: you are driving your car on some winding roads. You run the risk of getting into an accident or at the very least receiving a penalty if you disregard the traffic laws. The raga, which is a methodical evolution of the melody's notes constrained by presentational norms, is at the centre of a neraval performance.

Imagine that you are now conversing with someone else as you are driving your car. So, just as you must follow the regulations of the road while driving, you must also follow the norms of language when communicating. Similarly, in neraval, in addition to being constrained by the melody, you are also constrained by the tala (beat).

The lyrics or the actual words become important if you were engaging in a poetry duel in your automobile rather than just a simple conversation. The lyrics, or sahitya, are the third restriction in neraval, and they are just as crucial as the melody and the tempo in terms of which ones you choose, how you divide them up, and where you place the line breaks.