Hindustani Music An Overview

Hindustani Music An Overview

Hindustani Music is an integral part of Indian Classical Music; Indian Music is a vast & diversified field in the heritage & culture of India.

 

Indian Classical Music is of 2 types:-

1.  Hindustani Music is the North Indian version of the classical form.

2.  Carnatic Music is the South Indian version of the classical form.

The basic difference between the 2 forms of Music is the Padathi (Style) majorly both forms of Music is almost the same. Hindustani style of Music is predominant in the Northern parts of India & on the other hand, the Carnatic is in South India.

In a broader perspective, the term Indian Music is used for Voice & Instruments. Voice or Vocal, is Singing wherein the human voice is used in presenting the Vocal form of Music and an instrument is used in presenting the Instrumental form of Music.

Some of the Instruments under Indian Classical Music are as follows:-

·        Tabla

·     Pakhawaj

·     Mridangam

·     Gatam

·      Bansuri

·     Sitar

·     Veena

·     Violin

And many more Instruments 

 However, our Topic is about Vocal, the following are Vocal music in Indian Classical form:-

• Hindustani Vocal
• Carnatic Vocal

Hindustani Vocal is a very ancient Indian form of Singing said to be in existing even before the time of the Ramayana & Mahabharata.

The ancient Indian Music started from the Dwani/Sound of the Omkar.
  Our emphasis is on the Hindustani Style of Singing vastly known as the Hindustani Vocal.

The Indian Classical Music is based on Swar/Swara (s) means Notes (Musical Notes). There are 12 Swars in Indian Music 7 Shud Swars /Sharp Notes & 5 Komal Swars/ Flat Notes.

To begin with we will discuss the 7 Shud Swars/Sharp Notes the 7 Shud Swar are:-

Shud Swar                              Komal Swar        Thevra Swar

1.  Sa – सा                               

2.  Re – रे                                  8.  Re - रे                           

3.  Ga – ग                                  9. Ga – ग                              

4.  ma – म                                                            12. Ma – म’

5.  Pa - प

6.  Dha – ध                                10. Dha - ध

7.    Ni – नि                                    11. Ni -   नि

 

There are 12 Swars / Notes in Indian Music in general & Hindustani Music in particular. The 12 notes are multiplied into 3 octaves and therefore the total notations are 36, we will learn how these 36 notes are spread over and placed. Not only that we will learn how the 36 Swars / Notes are used in the process of creating wonders in the world of Music.

Sl. No	Details	Nature	Character
1.	Swars/Notes	Shud Swars Sharp Notes	सा रे ग म प ध नि
2.	Swars/Notes	Komal Swar	रे ग ध नि
3.	Swar/Note	Thevra Swar	म’

 

 The above table represents the Nature & the Characteristics of the Swar/Notes

Saptak / Octave: 

There are 3 Saptaks / Octaves in music & they are the Mandra, the Madya, and the Taar Saptak & each Saptak have 12 notes as we discussed earlier. The Mandra is the lower octave, Madya is the middle octave and the Taar is a higher octave. 

Let us see through an illustration of the same as below.

How to start learning the subject of Vocal: -

The first & foremost important prerequisite for learning the vocal subject is one should know that he/she can sing no matter what you are singing be it folk, ghazal, filmy songs or a bhajan. Next come whether the song you are singing is in Sur & Taal if yes, the next important thing is do you have the Swar Gyan?  One can answer the entire question theoretically but one cannot experience the real feel of the Swar Gnyan without a Guru.

In the Next Post, we shall learn all about Sur, Taal & the Swar Gyan.