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RAGAS
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| Ragas
are sometimes defined as melody types. The raga system is a method
of organizing tunes based on certain natural principles. Tunes in
the same raga use the same (nominal) swaras in various combinations
and with practice, the listener can pick up the similarity. Each
raga has a swaroopam (a musical form or image) that is defined
by the swaras used, the gamakas given to these swaras, the sequence
in which the swaras occur etc. This definition is termed as the raga
lakshanam. (The magazine Sruthi usually contains a discussion
of ragalakshanam of one or two ragas in each issue). Raga
lakshanam usually contains the arohanam, avarohanam,
details of raga chaya swaras (the swaras which are chiefly
responsible for the characteristic melody of the raga), gamakas,
characteristic swara phrases and general usage notes. It is intended
more for the performer than for the listener. We shall
first define arohanam and avarohanam. Arohanam is the
sequence of swaras used in a raga in the ascending passages i.e. as
the pitch goes up. Avarohanam is the sequence of swaras to be used
in descent. The arohanam and avarohanam (or the scale) of
a raga provide only a skeletal outline upon which the rest of the
raga is formed. |
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