Members Terje Posted August 7, 2003 Members Posted August 7, 2003 The Indians use a system where they call the notes by function since they don't have fixed pitches at all. Every player tunes to his or her own voice so everybody has a different root note. Anyway, the notes are called the following: Sa, Re Gha, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni and then Sa again. Unless you raise or lower anyone of the notes it's our baisc major scale! They don't write much and the way they write isn't very good for complex rhtyms at all, or harmony for that matter. Harmony they don't use a lot and complex rhythms are taught by ear, just as the subtleties of how to use microtones. Anyway, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star would look like this: |Sa Sa Pa Pa|Dha Dha Pa - |Ma Ma Gha Gha|Re Re Sa - |Pa Pa Ma Ma|Gha Gha Re - |Pa Pa Ma Ma|Gha Gha Re - |Sa Sa Pa Pa|Dha Dha Pa - |Ma Ma Gha Gha|Re Re Sa - | So you see, there's a basic time value to every written note and if a note is longer it's just marked by an empty space. if a not is shorter it's written into the same space as the other note being played in the same beat.
Members MorePaul Posted August 7, 2003 Members Posted August 7, 2003 The complexity is surely mind boggling! I've seen some written notation, but I'm not sure how standard it is and I'm not sure how they (Indian musicains, sorry for the "they" sort of dehumanizing) resolve differences in North and South style music. I was tought to "finger count" music during concerts (where you use your thumb to mark the beat on the various jointed parts of your fingers), but my knowledge of that system is way limited. I have been lead to believe that Arabic music tends to use about half of its 24 tones as "passing" or "tansitional" tones while Indian music will exploit 24 tones more independantly. do you find this to be the case? I have very little exposure beyond enjoying the music.
Members Terje Posted August 7, 2003 Author Members Posted August 7, 2003 Originally posted by MorePaul The complexity is surely mind boggling!I've seen some written notation, but I'm not sure how standard it is and I'm not sure how they (Indian musicains, sorry for the "they" sort of dehumanizing) resolve differences in North and South style music. I think they use the same writing system all over. I've read some of the older texts on it, it's in sanskrit and not very clear, and they seem to be using the same system still. With one difference, at that time it was derivative (starting on different notes to get different scales) while nowit's parallell (stay with the same tonic, change the other pitches). I was tought to "finger count" music during concerts (where you use your thumb to mark the beat on the various jointed parts of your fingers), but my knowledge of that system is way limited. They have a totally different outlook on rhythm since they think in cycles. I'm not good with the names they have for different cycles but one common is ten beats divided 3-3-4. So it's two bars with 3 beats and then one bar with four beats. Try to drum that, with an accent on the first beat of every bar, it sounds pretty cool. I have been lead to believe that Arabic music tends to use about half of its 24 tones as "passing" or "tansitional" tones while Indian music will exploit 24 tones more independantly.do you find this to be the case? I'm not sure. They do have names for the quarter tones. But just like us they call it "raised" or "lowered" (just like we do with sharp and flat). I have very little exposure beyond enjoying the music. Check out U Srinivas, cool electric mandolin player.
Members lazaraga Posted August 7, 2003 Members Posted August 7, 2003 Originally posted by Terje The Indians use a system where they call the notes by function since they don't have fixed pitches at all. Every player tunes to his or her own voice so everybody has a different root note. Anyway, the notes are called the following: Sa, Re Gha, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni and then Sa again. Unless you raise or lower anyone of the notes it's our baisc major scale! it's called sargam. just like our moveable solfeggio in function. peace
Members MorePaul Posted August 7, 2003 Members Posted August 7, 2003 I try to catch Zakir Heussein when he comes through -- he kind of showed how to "finger count" -- it's a neat device if you don't know the syllables. I'm familiar with a few tala, but most of the Indian music I've been exposed to has been northern which is somewhat less systematic.
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