Starter quiz
- Which instrument most commonly plays the drone?
- tanpura ✓
- tabla
- sitar
-
- Which three of the following can we do using a raag?
- play on tabla drums
- sing a melody ✓
- improvise a tune using the notes from the raag ✓
- play notes from the raag on pitched instruments ✓
- play on a tanpura
-
- What is the first note of Raag Bhupali?
- 'Sa' ✓
- Which of these descriptions defines 'texture' in music?
- how loud or quiet the music is
- how fast or slow the music is played
- how the layers of sound are combined ✓
- how high or low the notes are
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Exit quiz
- Match the Hindustani musical concepts to the instrument most likely to play it.
- taal⇔tabla ✓
- raag⇔sitar ✓
- drone⇔tanpura ✓
- Nada Brahma means God is sound/ the universe is sound. How is this idea represented in Hindustani classical music?
- The raag
- The drone ✓
- The taal
- The improvisation
-
- Match how we represented each of the three main components of Hindustani classical music.
- taal⇔clapping and tapping the rhythm cycle ✓
- raag⇔singing and playing a range of notes ✓
- drone⇔singing and holding one note ✓
A tanpura will play the first note (Sa), and the higher Sa'. What other note does it often play?- 'Pa' ✓
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Nada Brahma, in Indian philosophy, means God is sound or the universe is sound.
- The drone is the constant sound that runs through Hindustani classical music.
- The drone symbolises the idea of Nada Brahma - the fundamental constant sound.
- The three main components of Hindustani classical music are taal, raag, and drone.
- We can clap and tap the taal, play a melody and improvise in the raag, and sing and hold a drone note.
Common misconception
Using just one note as a harmony would sound boring
Using a drone as part of a Hindustani classical performance adds an effective, meaningful and symbolic layer to the music
Keywords
Drone - a constant, pitched sound that continues throughout a piece of music
Improvisation - creative, in-the-moment musical composition
Tanpura - a long-necked, plucked Indian instrument on which the drone is played
Texture - the combination of different layers of sound
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