Classical music. The two main traditions of Indian classical music are Carnatic music, which is practised predominantly in the peninsular (southern) regions, and Hindustani music, which is found in the northern, eastern and central regions.

There are two major traditions of Indian classical music. They are Carnatic music, a style associated with South India, and Hindustani music, a style associated with North India.

The two dominant genres of Indian music are North Indian Hindustani classical music, and South Indian Carnatic classical music.

What are the two major geographic regions in India, and what are some differences between the classical music of these two regions? Northern hindustani with influences by middle east, music had 6 parent ragas and was closer to western music, veena was traditional and was replaced by sitar.

Indian classical music has two foundational elements, raga and tala. The raga, based on a varied repertoire of swara (notes including microtones), forms the fabric of a deeply intricate melodic structure, while the tala measures the time cycle.

Raga is defined as a large group of traditional melody patterns used by Hindu musicians. Any of a large number of traditional melody patterns with characteristic intervals, rhythms, and embellishments, used by Hindu musicians as source material for improvisation.

Raga , also spelled rag (in northern India) or ragam (in southern India), (from Sanskrit, meaning “colour” or “passion”), in the classical music of India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, a melodic framework for improvisation and composition.

Like scales in Western music, ragas help set the mood for a piece of music—but in much greater detail. Traditionally in Indian music, each raga was itself associated with a very specific emotion. In modern times, the ragas are often still associated with a particular time of day or season.

Sampurna (Complete) Ragas : Ragas that contain all 7 notes of the octave are called Sampurna Ragas. Shadav Ragas: Ragas that contain 6 notes of the octave in the scale are called Shadav Ragas. Aurav Ragas: Ragas that contain 5 notes of the octave in the scale are called Audav Ragas.

The 72 Melakarta ragas with the notes they take and the chakras they fall in are given below with links (adapted from Wikipedia)….

• Kanakangi. S R1 G1.
• Ratnangi. S R1 G1 M1 P D1 N2 Ṡ Kramasampurna (D1, N2)
• Ganamurti. S R1 G1 M1 P D1 N3 Ṡ Kramasampurna (D1, N3)
• Vanaspati.
• Manavati.
• Tanarupi.

Once Ustad Vilayat Khan saheb at the Sawai Gandharva Music Festival said before beginning his performance – “There are approximately about 4 lakh ragas in Hindustani classical music. Many of them are repetitious but have different names.”

Dhīraśankarābharaṇaṃ, commonly known as Śankarābharaṇaṃ, is a rāga in Carnatic music. It is the 29th Melakarta rāga in the 72 Melakarta rāga system of Carnatic music. Since this raga has many Gamakās (ornamentations), it is glorified as “Sarva Gamaka Maaṇika Rakti Rāgaṃ” in Telugu.

72 melakarta ragas

The third tip is to recognise a raga by its arohana and avarohana. This requires not only a knowledge of the arohana and avarohana of several ragas but also swara gnanam to decipher the arohana and avarohana from an alapana. This is not always easy as in an alapana some swaras may be skipped in some phrases.

seven swaras

R3 is called as R3, only if both R1 and R2 are absent in the ragam, else, it must be called as G2. N1 is called as N1, only when D1 is also present in the ragam; else, it must be called as D2. D3 is called as D3, only when both D1 and D2 are present in the ragam; else, it must be called as D2.