Module 4

Raga fundamentals

What a raga is, how it is described, and the 72-parent system.

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1. 1. What is a raga?

   A raga as a melodic framework: more than a scale, and not the same as a song.

2. 2. Arohanam, avarohanam and scale shapes

   Ascent and descent, 5-, 6- and 7-note ragas, omitted notes and zigzag paths.

3. 3. Gamakas, phrases and key notes

   The ornaments and phrases that give a raga its identity, and the roles of key notes.

4. 4. Parent and derived ragas

   The 72 melakartas, chakras, the katapayadi code and janya ragas.

5. 5. Mood, time and season

   Traditional associations of ragas with feelings, times and seasons, labelled as tradition.