Study Hub

Study Guides

This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.

Back to Study HubBrowse Year 4 Music Guides

Year 4 - Music

Singing and playing raags

Compose and Create: improvising within Hindustani classical music

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 sing and play notes from a raag.

Key Notes

  • In Hindustani classical music, a raag is the melodic part of the music.
  • When playing Hindustani classical music, you can only play the notes that belong to the raag you are playing in.
  • Raag Bhupali has 5 notes. Different raags have different numbers and combinations of notes.
  • In a raag, aaroh is the name of the ascending scale and avaro is the name of the descending scale.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • sitar: a stringed instrument from India on which the raag is commonly played
  • raag: musical notes used to make a composition (from Sanskrit language meaning 'to colour')
  • saptak: the seven notes in Indian classical music - Sa, Re, Ga, ma, Pa, Dha, Ni

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • There are only one set of names we use for notes in a scale

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

In Hindustani classical music, a raag is the melodic part of the music. When playing Hindustani classical music, you can only play the notes that belong to the raag you are playing in.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'sitar'

a stringed instrument from India on which the raag is commonly played.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: There are only one set of names we use for notes in a scale. Correction: We can use pitch names of C, D, E, F, G, A, B. We can use the solfège of do, re, mi, fa, so la, ti, and in Hindustani classical we use the sargam of sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha ni. These are not fixed - meaning 'do' or 'Sa' don't have to be 'C'.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 4 Music guide library.