guide to understanding carnatic music notations

Tuning into Music

Guide to understandingMusic Notations

Copyright © 2013, MR, Tuning into Music.

Carnatic Music

Tuning into Music Copyright © 2013, MR, Tuning into Music.

Basic Exercises

• Composed in Rāga Māyāmālavagowla

• Set to Adi Tāla – a cycle of 8 counts

• Except Alankāra – which is set to 7 different tālas

• Each of the exercises composed of different patterns of notes

• One note occurs for one count of tāla in first speed

• Except Janta Varisay - each double note pair occurs for one count of tāla


Tāla notation

• Each cycle of tāla commences and ends with a double bar highlighted in colour

• Each count of tāla is separated by a single bar

• A beat of the tāla is denoted by a single bar highlighted in colour

• Laghu Jātis: Tishra, Chaturashra, Khanda, Mishra, Sankeerna denoted as: l3, l4, l5, l7, l9 respectively

• Dhrutha has two counts and is denoted as: O2

• Anudhrutha has one count and is denoted as:


Akshara & Akshara kāla

• Akshara: notes per count and Akshara kāla: duration of note

• Gati or rhythm of exercises is Chaturashra gati • Number of notes per count in Third Speed is Four • Each count of tāla is divided into 4 units of one-quarter

time-measure or Akshara kāla – denoted by comma “,” • In First Speed, one note occurs for one whole count of tāla

and is denoted by itself followed by comma “,” in each successive unit

• In Second Speed, one note occurs for half the duration of count of tāla and is denoted by itself followed by comma “,” in the next unit

• In Third Speed, one note occurs for a quarter of the duration of count of tāla and occupies one unit


An Analogy for Akshara & Akshara kāla• Imagine a house with more than one floor and many rooms

• Tāla Cycle: One floor Tāla Count: One room • Akshara: Notes per Count: number of persons in a room• Akshara kāla: Duration of Note: extent to which a person can

occupy a room • Four Aksharas in Third speed: 4 units per room • First speed: one akshara per count: one person per room• Second speed: two aksharas per count: two persons per room• Third speed: four aksharas per count: 4 persons in a room


Tri-kāla

• In Prathama kāla or First speed: ONE note occurs for ONE count of tāla – each note extends for One Whole duration of count (Whole note) – extends through all four units

• In Dvitiya kāla or Second speed: TWO notes occur for ONE count of tāla – each note occurs for One Half duration of count (Half note) – extends through two units

• In Tritiya kāla or Third speed: FOUR notes occur for ONE count of tāla – each note occurs for One Quarter duration of count (Quarter note) – one note per unit

• The tempo of the First speed must be set such that you can render notes comfortably in the Third speed; with practice this tempo can be increased reasonably


Octave notes & Other exercises

• Notes in Thāra Sthāyi or immediate higher octave range are denoted with a dot “.” above the note

• Notes in Mandra Sthāyi or immediate lower octave range are denoted with a dot “.” below the note

• Alankāra exercises are set to 7 different tālas or Sapta tāla with Laghu Jātis: Tishra, Chaturashra, Khanda and Mishra, denoted by l3, l4, l5, l7 respectively

• In Geetham, lyrics or Sahityam occurs for certain notes; for notes where there is no Sahityam it is denoted using dot(s) “.”

guide to understanding carnatic music notations

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