AOS2 Shared Music EnsembleIndian Classical Music

Indian classical musicIndian music usually has:A single melody line (based on a raga)A rhythmic pattern (known as a tala)A drone

TalaA cycle of beats that forms the rhythmic basis of a piece of musicThey are made up of strong beats and weak beats

Tala RhythmsDadraXO123456

KahavraXO12345678

EktalXOXOX12345678910

RagaIt is a scale of notes used to create a melodyLinked to a particular time of day or seasonHanded down from one generation to the next as part of oral tradition

I'm droning on a bit...A drone is a sustained sound which carries on throughout the piece, usually based on the first note of the raga harmonised in intervals of a fifth

InstrumentsThe Sitar

Used to play the melody of the raga. Frets like a guitar, played by plucking strings

TablaPair of small single headed drums

Played with the fingers and the palm of the hand black spots have different sounds

TaskTo create a short composition in the style of an Indian classical piece.1 to compose your own raga (scale of notes) using keyboards or your own instrument2 to devise your own tala (rhythm)

Be sure to write both of these down

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