Many times I came across observing several musicians try hard to harmonize the Indian Ragas while exploring the other type of music, get their super enthusiastic bubble poked by classically trained, learned musicians around them. Even though seeing them get discouraged and disappointed saddened me inner sense, their stubborn enthusiastic will to not to give up on their ideologies on harmonizing the Indian Ragas made me smile big. That very reason kindled my sixth sense to think about writing this article of what solution could possibly be offered to those musicians to get them understand 'why' and 'why not' and Dos and Don't s of Harmonizing Classical Ragas.
The world music systems can be classified as either Harmonic System or Melodic System. Indian music (both Carnatic from Southern India and Hindustani from the Northern India) belongs to the Melodic System. In a Melodic System, each individual note follows another with a regular sequence of pitch, rhythm, and tempo but in the Harmonic System, music progresses by group of notes, called chords. The permutations and combinations of notes are of in uniform patterns. In Indian music, each Swara or note is linked to another note. Rarely does a note is sung or played as a single isolated note (e.g. staccato in Western music).
Now here comes the reason why there is a very limited scope for a Raga to be harmonized. There is nothing negative about fusing more than one type of music, as it might sure bring gorgeous colors, glitters, and flavors to the project. As a matter of fact it would offer completely a different perspective and listening experience to the modern listeners' musical experience. But on the other hand there is also a very high possibility that everything can also go wrong, when a Indian Raga is involved in a harmonization. It not only may lose its scientific purity and aesthetic clarity and everything else that come along with it such as mood, essence, sensitivity and lot more. There also is a possibility for a structural damage of the raga, that might lead to a destruction of its purpose and value and aesthetics.
When a particular Swara of a given Raga is moved to a different position within the same Raga, in order to get them harmonized, it may go through a 'Model Shift' to its tone that can completely transform the Raga into a totally different Raga or mixture of Ragas or 'NO' Raga at all. This process is called 'Model Shift of Tonic' or 'Graha Bedham'. The 'Model Shift of Tonic' or 'Graha Bedham' in Carnatic Classical music system is a whole big high level musical ordeal. Its nothing but a special technique of shifting the tonic Swara to another Swara in which a new Raga can be created from the original Raga. In this process changing of its Swaras' positions occurs within the scientific boundaries of any selected Raga. This process or term cannot be confused with the term harmonization as Graha Bedham still follows all the rules of the Melodic System and not Hormonic System. When time permits I sure will share my thought in elaborating the 'Graha Bedham' in detail in my up coming future blogs.
But to bring this blog to a conclusion, I believe that, this above mentioned rules might be the very reason for why a highly trained and learned Indian Classical Musician would hesitate to harmonize the Indian Ragas in any given fusion music projects.
Below is the map of the Indian Swaras and its Western Equivalent:
The world music systems can be classified as either Harmonic System or Melodic System. Indian music (both Carnatic from Southern India and Hindustani from the Northern India) belongs to the Melodic System. In a Melodic System, each individual note follows another with a regular sequence of pitch, rhythm, and tempo but in the Harmonic System, music progresses by group of notes, called chords. The permutations and combinations of notes are of in uniform patterns. In Indian music, each Swara or note is linked to another note. Rarely does a note is sung or played as a single isolated note (e.g. staccato in Western music).
Now here comes the reason why there is a very limited scope for a Raga to be harmonized. There is nothing negative about fusing more than one type of music, as it might sure bring gorgeous colors, glitters, and flavors to the project. As a matter of fact it would offer completely a different perspective and listening experience to the modern listeners' musical experience. But on the other hand there is also a very high possibility that everything can also go wrong, when a Indian Raga is involved in a harmonization. It not only may lose its scientific purity and aesthetic clarity and everything else that come along with it such as mood, essence, sensitivity and lot more. There also is a possibility for a structural damage of the raga, that might lead to a destruction of its purpose and value and aesthetics.
When a particular Swara of a given Raga is moved to a different position within the same Raga, in order to get them harmonized, it may go through a 'Model Shift' to its tone that can completely transform the Raga into a totally different Raga or mixture of Ragas or 'NO' Raga at all. This process is called 'Model Shift of Tonic' or 'Graha Bedham'. The 'Model Shift of Tonic' or 'Graha Bedham' in Carnatic Classical music system is a whole big high level musical ordeal. Its nothing but a special technique of shifting the tonic Swara to another Swara in which a new Raga can be created from the original Raga. In this process changing of its Swaras' positions occurs within the scientific boundaries of any selected Raga. This process or term cannot be confused with the term harmonization as Graha Bedham still follows all the rules of the Melodic System and not Hormonic System. When time permits I sure will share my thought in elaborating the 'Graha Bedham' in detail in my up coming future blogs.
But to bring this blog to a conclusion, I believe that, this above mentioned rules might be the very reason for why a highly trained and learned Indian Classical Musician would hesitate to harmonize the Indian Ragas in any given fusion music projects.
Below is the map of the Indian Swaras and its Western Equivalent:
Kattai Method 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 | Indian Swaras S R1 R2 / G1 R3 / G2 G3 M1 M2 P D1 D2 /N1 D3 / N2 N3 | Western Equivalent C C# or Db D D# or Eb E F F# or Gb G G# or Ab A A# Bb B |
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