Structure in North Indian classical music

Hello, and welcome to today's lesson, which is entitled "Structure in North Indian Classical Music". My name is Mr. Norris, and today we're gonna be building on our knowledge of North Indian classical music by focusing on structure, looking at bringing together lots of the different concepts and ideas that we've already been exploring. So let's get into it. Our outcome for today's lesson is "I can describe the structure of a piece of North Indian classical music and have recreated some of its key parts." Our keywords. The first is alap. The introduction section to a piece of North Indian classical music is called alap. Gat. The second section, where the tabla joins in with the tala, is called gat. It has a more fixed melody. The third, jhala. The final section, where the tempo and energy builds, is called jhala. And then finally, virtuosic. Playing in a virtuosic style means to play in a way that shows off your technical and musical ability. So you might have come across that word before, but those first three are probably new, and we're gonna be learning about what they mean and how they all fit together today. First part of our lesson today is the structure of North Indian classical music. North Indian classical music has a typical structure that we can divide into three sections. Alap, gat, and jhala. In alap, as we have already explored, the tempo is very free. The section consists of a tanpura drone, with a sitar or other instrument improvising around the raga. So, so far, we've created that section where there's no tempo, where there's lots of exploration of the raga, on the sitar or whatever instrument is playing the melody. I'd like you to listen to this clip, and there are two questions here. Firstly, what improvisation techniques can you hear in this alap? And secondly, which typical techniques don't feature in this clip? So think about some of the ways we can improvise around a raga, and think about which ones you can hear and which you can't. So you can pause my video and have a listen. (no audio) Well let's see if you picked up on any of these, then. So the performer was using note bends. Remember, bending between notes and the use of glissandi is really common in this style of music. And ornamentation as well. Things like trills, things like what we call grace notes in western music. So well done if you picked up on either of those. One thing that was absent that we were exploring previously was the use of fast runs. So there weren't any fast runs up and down bits of the raga. Well done if you picked up on either of those. Gat is the second section. In gat, the tabla joins in playing the tala, giving a sense of pulse. The melody uses fixed phrases that are not made up on the spot, but there is still lots of improvisation going on around this. So although there might be fixed melodic ideas, there is still lots of improvisation, and that's a really key thing to understand about North Indian classical music, is improvisation is going on pretty much all the time in this style of music. So thinking about what we just said there, the differences in gat, where the tabla has joined in, playing the rhythmic tala. And that there are fixed melodic phrases. I'd like you to listen to this clip and try and work out how do we know that this is gat and not alap? You can pause my video and have a listen. (no audio) So well done then if you identified that this is gat because there's a clear tempo, there's a tabla playing the tala, and there are fixed melodic phrases. So those are three key differences. We've now got a sense of pulse. We've now got the use of percussion as well. And we've got some fixed melodic ideas that aren't just complete free improvisation like they might be in the alap. Well done if you identified one or more of those. That shows that you're starting to get your head around the difference between these two different sections. Jhala is the third and the final section. In jhala, the music builds to an exciting climax. The tabla and the sitar players play it in a more virtuosic style and show off their technical ability. So, so far we've had the alap, where it's very calm and where there's a free tempo and lots of exploration and introduction of the raga. We've had gat, where we've now got a fixed tempo, we've got some rhythm, and we've also got some fixed melodic ideas. And now we've got jhala, which is the climax where things build and the players start to play in a much more virtuosic style. In a second you're gonna pause my video and have a listen to this jhala. This is performed by the legendary sitar player, Ravi Shankar, who was one of the first really famous North Indian classical musicians in the western world. So he was one of the people who really helped to popularize North Indian classical music in the west. Both the sitar and the tabla are played in a virtuosic style. What effect does this create for the listener? So you can pause my video and have a think about that question. (no audio) So we might describe the effect as creating energy and excitement. So that's the effect of all this virtuosic, very fast playing in the jhala, is it creates a real buildup of excitement and increases the energy levels. Well done if you picked up on that. Let's check your understanding. Which order do the three sections come in? Is it alap, jhala, gat? Gat, alap, jhala? Gat, jhala, alap? Or alap, gat, and jhala? I'll give you a few seconds to work out the correct order. And the correct order here then is alap, gat, jhala. Well done if you got that order correct. Which section does not feature the tabla? Is it alap, gat, or jhala? I'll give you a few seconds to work that one out. (no audio) And the correct answer here then is alap. Remember, that's the section at the start, which features the drone played on the tanpura and then improvisation on the melodic instrument, usually sitar. Which section is most likely to feature virtuosic playing? That's playing that really shows off your technical ability, on both the tabla and the sitar. Is it alap, gat, or jhala? I'll give you a few seconds. And the correct answer here then is jhala. That's the section where both of those instruments might be playing virtuosically. That's why we have that big buildup and the big climax. For task A, you're gonna listen to the clips and complete this table. For each clip, I'd like you to identify which section do you think this is. Alap, gat, or jhala? And give one reason for your answer. So think about the features, the typical features of those sections, and give a justification in the second box for each clip. So you can pause my video now and give this your best shot. (no audio) Let's review this task, then. The first was gat, and we know that because the tabla is playing a tala and there's a steady tempo. So those could be some justifications. The second is the alap, and that's 'cause there's a free tempo. There's no tabla and no use of the tala, the rhythmic cycle. The melody sounds free and improvised. And then thirdly, the third section was jhala. And we know this because there's complex and virtuosic playing on both the tabla and the sitar. There's a fast tempo, and there's an exciting mood. So this feels like a jhala where we have this buildup of excitement and energy. Well done if you correctly identified those three sections, and well done if you managed to justify your answers as well. Understanding the difference between the three is really key to understanding the overall structure of the piece of North Indian classical music. Let's move on now to the second part of our lesson. And for this, we're looking at creating gat. We're going to create gat using either a DAW or live instruments. We're gonna watch a video now that shows us how we might do this. Here we go. Let's look at creating the gat for our composition. You can either do this using a DAW, as I am here, or you can do it on a live instrument. If you're doing it on a DAW, you're gonna need to use the drone backing track, and then you're gonna need to record in the teental as we looked at previously. If you're doing this on a live instrument, you'll need to be in a group of three, with one person playing the drone, a low E and low B, one person playing the teental on a drum, and then one person playing the melody on a suitable instrument. As before, ideally you want to use typical instruments in North Indian classical music, but if not, you just make do with the closest you can find. So here I've had to use a conga instead of a tabla, and I'm gonna have to use a guitar instead of a sitar for my melody. Let's just have a quick listen to what my drone and teental sound like together. And here when I recorded this teental in, I made sure that I did it with a metronome on, so that I made sure it'll last for 16 beats. That's four bars here. Let's have a quick listen. (North Indian classical music plays) (teacher sings along) And I've repeated it as well. (North Indian classical music plays) So that's my teental and my drone. And now I'm ready to have a go at writing a 16-beat melody that will fit with that. So I've chosen raga bhairav, that's the raga that I'm gonna be using. And what I'm gonna do here is I'm gonna improvise some different ideas and then write them in with my 16 beats so that I've written my melody down. So let's see if I can improvise a few ideas and see what I can come up with. (string instrument plays raga) I quite like that as the start. One, two, three, and four. So I'm gonna write that in. So I'm starting on E, F, G-sharp. A, and B. That's my first little section. (string instrument plays) I quite like that, actually, for the next bit. (string instrument plays) Coming back down. So I'm gonna have B, A, G-sharp. (string instrument plays) Two, three, and four. Five, six, seven. That's my melody so far. (string instrument plays) I could sort of carry on the sequence in the bar starting on beat nine. (string instrument plays) I quite like that, so I'm gonna do that. So I've got A, G-sharp. And then F. (string instrument plays) Oh, I like that finishing low. (string instrument plays) So that's gonna be starting on beat 13. E, D-sharp, C, D-sharp, E. Just add a D-sharp to that. Okay. So, my whole melody then, that I've written there. (string instrument plays) (string instrument continues playing) That's it. I've practiced it a bit to make sure I can play it properly. So once I've written it, if I'm playing it live, then I'm just gonna practice playing it with somebody playing the teental, somebody playing that E and B drone. But if I'm recording it in, then I'm ready to record it and I'm gonna make sure I'm doing this in time with the teental. So if I've written a 16-beat melody, as I have there, it should fit with the 16 beats of the teental, and finish at the same time that the teental finishes there. So I'm ready to record it in. Let's go. (North Indian style song plays) Here we go. (metronome counts in) (North Indian style song plays) I could quantize it if I wanted as well, but I'm quite happy with that. And then I can repeat it a few times. So now I've got my drone, my teental, and my melody. Let's have a quick listen to them together. (North Indian style song plays) (North Indian music continues) (North Indian music continues) (North Indian music continues) So that's my gat section done, and whether you're doing it on a DAW or live, follow those same principles. So write your 16-beat melody, practice playing it with your teental and your drone. Make sure you're sticking to the notes of the raga, and make sure you're playing it in time with the beats of the tala as well. So give it your best shot and see how you get on. Let's summarize those steps. To create gat, start by writing a 16-beat fixed melody using the notes of the raga, and make sure you're using the same one that you were using in your alap section. Use typical melodic techniques, such as sequence, stepwise movement, and repetitive motifs. Try and use typical instruments, such as sitar, tabla, and tanpura, wherever possible. And perform or record with teental and a drone. Let's check your understanding. Which of these is not included in gat? Tala, drone, fixed melody, or fully improvised melody. I'll give you a few seconds. And looking at the answer here then, is fully improvised melody. Remember, in this section, we have some fixed ideas in the melody as well as lots of improvisation. For task B, you're gonna create gat for your composition on a live instrument or DAW. If you're using the DAW, which uses the tanpura backing track, start by recording a teental on a tabla, if possible, or on another drum if you don't have access to tabla itself. Write or record a 16-beat melody using the notes of either raga bhairav or raga yaman. If you're using a live instrument in a group of three, 'cause we have three different layers of sound we need, compose a 16-beat melody using either the notes of raga bhairav or raga yaman as well. And when performing, include three things. Your drone, using the low E and B sustained, teental on a suitable drum, and the melody. So we should have those three layers of music. And here are some resources that you might choose to use. We've got the notes and the tab throughout raga yaman and raga bhairav. And then we've also got the sounds for teental as well. So those together with the drone will help you to recreate gat. You can pause my video and give it your best shot. Let's move on to the second part of this task. And for this, we're gonna be listening to an example of gat. What could be improved about it? Here we go. (North Indian classical music plays) (North Indian music continues) You can pause my video, just while you create your answer. Let's go through this then. Some things that could be improved are, it could be 16 beats long. At the moment it's much longer, and we want it 16 beats long so that it fits with the teental cycle. It could also vary the melody more. At the moment it's mostly the same pattern played over and over, whereas we could have some more variety within that 16 beat melody. Well done if you picked up on either of those. Now we're gonna move on to the third and final part of our lesson, which is creating jhala. The final section, jhala, is the climax of the piece of music. The changes from gat are, there's a faster tempo, so the tempo picks up. There's more virtuosic playing. So the performers take the opportunity to show off and play in a more exciting and virtuosic manner. And there's more improvisation as well. So whereas in gat, we have this fixed melody, in jhala, it's more free in terms of improvisation. Still using, however, the notes of the raga. We're gonna watch a video now that will show us how we might go about creating our own version of the jhala. Here we go. We're gonna create the jhala. And this is the last section where there's this really exciting buildup with lots of really virtuosic, exciting playing going on. If you're doing this on a DAW, what you're gonna do is you're gonna find the jhala backing track, and you're gonna start that at the end of your gat. So my gat has finished at bar 17. So that's where I'm gonna start my jhala, and that's my final section. I'm gonna make sure I've still got the tanpura drone playing throughout, 'cause we want that in the background all the way. And then I'm gonna be improvising on my melody instrument. In this case, I'm playing a guitar, using the raga, and I'm gonna try and and do it in as virtuosic a style as possible. So playing in a really exciting fashion, lots of fast notes, lots of exciting, crazy patterns on my instrument to make it as dramatic as possible. If you're doing this using live instruments, you're gonna do the same thing, but instead of the recorded tanpura drone, you're still gonna have somebody playing the drone using low E and low B and keeping those playing. You're still gonna have somebody playing the teental, but they'll need to speed it up, 'cause you want this bit to be fast and exciting, so speed the tempo up and make it faster. And then the person playing the melody instrument is gonna be improvising over the top as virtuosically as they possibly can. So I just recorded mine. I'm gonna play you it now. This is my jhala here. And what we need to listen out for as we're watching this is just look at some of the different patterns that I use. So I use lots of going up and down the raga. (string instrument plays raga) That sort of thing. I use quite a lot of patterns when I take two or three notes and just play them fast. (plays fast-paced melody) That sort of stuff. And I try as well to use some low notes. (plays lower melody) As well as some high ones as well. (plays higher melody) So I tried to make it as varied and as exciting and as sort of dramatic as possible. So have a listen to this, and then it's gonna be over to you to have a go at creating your jhala. Here we go. (jhala plays) (jhala continues) (jhala continues) (jhala continues) (jhala continues) So as you'll see there, you know, that's improvised, so there are some bits that work really well. Other bits that I think if I was to redo it I would maybe try and do slightly differently, but that's all part of improvising is sort of making mistakes and learning from them or finding things that work and maybe things that don't work so well, and that's absolutely fine. So be as free as you can with it. Make sure you're playing in time with the tala. That's really important, so this isn't like the alap section at the start where there's no tempo. You have to be playing in time with the beat. But try and make it as exciting, as virtuosic, as dramatic as you can for the final section of your piece. Give it your best shot. To create jhala, make the melody virtuosic by using fast notes and patterns, and try and create excitement and variety by using a wider range of notes. So try and really explore the whole sound world of that raga. Make sure your jhala starts after gat, in the sequence of the sections in your composition. And perform or record with teental at a faster tempo and a drone. If you're using the backing track, those are already in, but if you're recording them yourself or playing it live, then those you'll need to add them in yourself. Let's check your understanding. Which two would you be unlikely to hear in jhala? Slow, simple rhythms? Use of all notes from the raga? Use of only two or three notes? Or fast rhythms? So choose two which you are unlikely to hear. I'll give you a few seconds to do that. And the best two answers here then would be slow, simple rhythms, and use of only two or three notes. We are much more likely to hear the use of all the notes from across the range of the raga, and also fast rhythms, 'cause remember, it's virtuosic, it's exciting, it's energetic. Well done if you picked up on those two. Now it's time to create your jhala. If you're using a DAW, improvise the melody part using your chosen raga over the jhala backing track. If you're using a live instrument, so this would be as a group of three, 'cause remember, we have three layers of sound, just like in the gat, speed up the tabla part to a fast tempo, continue to play the drone, so that's using the notes E and B, and then improvise using your chosen raga in a virtuosic style. So there's three different things that we need going on. So you can pause my video now and give that your best shot. Good luck. Let's move on now to the final part of this task, and for this, we're gonna be listening to another example of a performer creating jhala. What other improvisation techniques could they use to make it even more exciting and virtuosic? So think about the improvisation techniques they've used so far, and what else could they use to make it even more exciting and virtuosic? I'll play it for you now. Here we go. (North Indian music plays) (North Indian music continues) (North Indian music continues) (North Indian music continues) (North Indian music continues) So just while you're finishing your answers, you can pause my video, and then when you're ready, un-pause it and we'll talk this one through. (no audio) Let's review this one then. So they could start by using a greater range of notes in other octaves. At the moment, it's mostly limited to the range of one octave, whereas remember, we wanna explore the whole range of our instrument. And they can also play some faster runs of notes, faster rhythms, remember, to help really create that exciting and energetic end to the piece. Well done if you picked up on either of those. Let's review today's lesson then. North Indian classical music has a typical structure consisting of alap, gat, and jhala. Alap is the introduction, with a free tempo and the sitar player improvising based on the notes of the raga. In gat, there is a clear pulse on the tabla, and a more structured melody on the sitar. And in jhala, it speeds up, and the performers play more complex music in a virtuosic style, and this builds to a frantic finale. So that brings us to the end of today's lesson. Thank you again for taking part. I hope you've managed to get really stuck into your compositions and started to put together all these different features that we've been exploring into a satisfying piece of composition. And I hope that you feel that you're starting to get to terms with some of the fundamental aspects of North Indian classical music, its sound world, it's structure, and the way that it's conceived of in a very different way to what we might be used to in western styles of music. So thank you very much for taking part, and I'll see you in another lesson.