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RAGA (RAH-guh)

A traditional melodic type in Hindu music
Common clues: Shankar tune;
Sitar music; Sitar selection; Hindu melody; Indian music; Music of India; Eastern music; Madras music; Eastern air
Crossword puzzle frequency: 2 times a year
Frequency in English language: 44119 / 86800
Video:
How to Play the Sitar


Rāga (in Sanskrit "Raga" is literally "colour" or "mood") and (rāgam Carnatic music) refers to melodic modes used in Indian classical music. In Indian music, a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is founded. In the Indian musical tradition, ragas are held in different times of the day. Indian classical music is always set in raga. Non-classical music such as popular Indian film songs sometimes use ragas in their compositions.




Raga describes a generalised form of melodic practice. It also prescribes a set of rules for building the melody. It specifies the rules for movements up and down the scale, which Swara (notes) should figure more and which notes should be used more sparingly, which notes may be sung with gamaka, phrases to be used, phrases to be avoided, and so on. The result is a framework that can be used to compose or improvise melodies, allowing for endless variation within the set of notes.



This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Raga".