Study Guides

Unit Summary

This unit explores the three main components of Hindustani classical music. Pupils hear rhythmic patterns played on the tabla drums and learn how to recite a taal using the spoken mnemonic syllables (bols). They create texture by adding an improvised raag using five notes, and finally add a drone.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to improvise a short musical phrase using a five note raag.

Key Notes

• Improvising is creating music in the moment.
• In Hindustani classical music, we can only improvise using the notes in the raag.
• Improvisation does not need to be complicated and using fewer notes can effectively convey a feeling or emotion.
• When we play a raag, we can add an emotion we want the listener to hear and feel. This is called ras or rasa.
• Changing the tempo and the dynamics of our playing can give the music a different feel or emotion.

Vocabulary To Learn

• improvisation: creative, in-the-moment musical composition
• raag: musical notes used to make a composition (from Sanskrit language meaning 'to colour')
• tempo: how fast or slow the music is played
• dynamics: how loud or quiet the music is played or sung
• ras or rasa: Sanskrit word meaning essence (of a piece of music)

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• Improvisation is complicated and hard to do.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Bringing together taal, raag, and drone Study Guide
• Combining taals and raags Study Guide
• Playing taals and speaking bols Study Guide
• Singing and playing a melody in a five note raag Study Guide
• Singing and playing raags Study Guide