Some Unique Features of Indo-Pakistani Classical Music
By Dr Waheed Siddiqee
CA
A few unique features of Indo-Pakistani Classical Music are briefly presented below:
1. Richness in melody. Melodic richness is created by substantial use of micro-notes, called Shrutis, which are produced by gliding from one note to the other in a delicate, complicated, and artful manner.
2. The concept of Ragas. A Raga can be roughly translated as a Melodic Form. These Melodic Forms are primarily defined by a set of selected notes from the well known 12 notes, namely:
Sa, Re (flat), Re (sharp), Ga (flat), Ga (sharp), Ma (flat), Ma (sharp), Pa, Dha (flat), Dha (sharp), Ni (flat), Ni (sharp)
For example a melody can be composed using only the five notes Sa, Re, Ga, Pa, Dha. Only these selected notes are used to compose a melody spanning lower to higher octaves. This melodic form is referred to as Rag Bhopali. Another aspect of a raga is the primary stressed note and the secondary stressed note called Vadi and Samvadi notes. These stressed notes are used to give melodic and rhythmic stress in the composition of the melody. Furthermore, the selected notes can be different while descending from lower frequency to higher frequency notes (called Aarohi) and ascending from higher frequency notes to lower frequency notes (called Avorohi). For example, the Aarohi and Avorohi of Rag ShudhKalyan are: Aarohi: Sa, Re, Ga, Pa, Dha andAvorohi: Sa, Ni, Dha, Pa, Ma, Ga, Re.
Obviously, one can select many combinations of Aarohi and Avorohi using the 12 notes. But, not all possible combinations will be found to be pleasing to ears. As such only a few select combinations have become a part of classical music over hundreds of years and have withstood the test of time.
Selection of notes from 12 notes in composing a melody is like selecting a few colors and using only these colors in painting a picture. The stress note can be compared to using one color in a dominant way.
3. Use of human voice as an Instrument. No poems or words are used in classical singing. Just one or two simple phrases are sung using micro-notes (Shrutis) in creating melodic forms and variations. These compositions and variations are referred to as Khayal.
4. Complex rhythmic cycles and variations. The rhythmic cycles in Indo-Pakistani classical music can consists of several beat cycles. The most popular are 16, 12, and 10 beat cycles known as Teen Tal, Eek Tal, and Jhap Tal. Most of the melodic compositions use 16 beat cycles. Other beat cycles consist of 6, 7, 8, 14, and sometimes include half beats also. In all these rhythmic cycles the first beat is called The Sum or stress beat. The melodic composition comes back to this beat again and again after several variations in between. The specially designed drums are called Tabla. These are tuned to the pitches matching the voice of a singer or the first (Sa), fourth (Ma) or the fifth note (Pa) of an instrument. Tabla solo performances are also a special aspect of Indo-Pakistani classical music.
5. Jugal-Bandi. This can be roughly translated as a friendly interplay between two or more artists presenting a composition together. For example if a Sitar player, a Sarod Player, and a Tabla Player are presenting a composition together, then as one artist makes a complex variation, the other player responds with another variation complementing it, and the Tabla Player imitates the variation in his own way.
6. Constrained improvisation. There is frequent, on the spot, improvisation both in vocal and instrumental music. But unlike Jazz, these improvisations are done within the strict bounds of the Raga and Rhythmic patterns. The improvisations are not just random but consist of many hours of practice of a set of complicated variations.
As a concluding remark, one can say that the Indo-Pakistani classical music is rich in melody and rhythm whereas the Western classical music is rich in orchestration and vocal opera music.
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