Basic Concepts of Hindustani Classical Music

“To play a wrong note is insignificant; To play without passion is inexcusable.” - Ludwig Van Beethoven. Like Beethoven rightly stated, any music without passion is but noise and is inexcusable. Indian classical music is defined by the passion and the ability to move people into feeling the intended emotions. Both Carnatic and Hindustani music have this inherent quality. To learn Indian classical music is to bring out that passion and harness it to a skill.

Most basic lessons will give you an idea of what defines Hindustani music. When you learn Hindustani classical music lessons, the first step will be to ensure you understand the basic concepts that form the foundation of Hindustani music. Some of the fundamental aspects of Hindustani music are listed as follows.

1. Patti — In Hindustani music, Patti is the scale in which the performer sings or plays a song. This is like the Western concept of scales, i.e., C, D, E, F, G, A, B and their corresponding ‘sharp’ scales.

2. Swar — the notes using which a song is rendered. Although Western music also has notes (Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti) the Indian musical notes are slightly different. There are four types of Swars in Hindustani music: Achala, Vikrut, Komal and Teevra. These are touched upon in the basic lessons taught to all students.

3. Saptaks — octaves in Hindustani music, within which notes are sung or played. Hindustani music uses three octaves to render notes.

4. Raags — In Hindustani music, Raags form the basis upon which the whole concept of the music is based. Both Hindustani and Carnatic music use Raags, some of which often cross over from one style to the other. While the word Raag is derived from a Sanskrit word, which means ‘to bring delight’, Raags are not only for this purpose. They are also capable of evoking emotions like anger, sorrow, love, passion, and devotion. These are focused on when each Raag is taught to a student.

5. Alaap — An Alaap is the rendition of a Raag, emphasizing on the prominent features of that Raag. Alaaps are rendered in a slow tempo, and convey every essence of a Raag. The word Alaap means conversation, indicating that a conversation happens between the musician and the Raag.

6. Taan — Using different combinations of the Swars of a Raag, in a fast tempo, a Taan is rendered by the musician. This is usually something the musician improvises with, and is a tribute to their talent, practice, and their overall training.

7. Ras — the mood of the Raag and the essence of its being. The Ras is heightened by the time of the day and year that the Raag is rendered, as well as the emotion of the Raag. In Hindustani music, there are fewer rules than Carnatic music. However, that being said, it is believed that some Raags have an exemplary influence over natural conditions like the weather. Therefore, some Raags like the ones under the Malhar category, are only sung during a specific season. The Malhar Raags are sung mainly during the Monsoon season.

8. There are plenty of basic concepts that a student is introduced to like Thaat, Alankars, the name and origin of Raags, among others. These are gradually introduced to students as they progress in their lessons.

Hindustani music can be learnt by anyone who is willing to go the distance and put in the hard work. You can learn Indian classical music online, by which you save time taken to travel to and from a class. There are endless tutorials and teachers to choose from on ipassio.com, where you can be assured that you receive only the best lessons from the top achievers in their own field. The one-on-one time that you get on ipassio.com also ensures that you have the perfect balance between understanding and applying the skills you are trained on.