Merukhand :: Practical Application

Dear Music Lover - apologies for the delay of this post. 
There is a lot of ground to cover, so let's get straight to it.

By now it must be clear as to how swar permutations are created. Now we will focus on using these permutations in raag vistaar ie. raag elaboration. First we will deal with three swar permutations and then with four.

Three Swar Permutations

1. Simple Selections
Initially, let us look for raag's that do not give importance to nyaas swars (pause/emphasis notes) and the aroha - avroha are straightforward. Some examples include Raag Malkauns, Madhukauns, Durga, Abhogi, Shivranjani, Bairagi, etc. For our purpose we will use Raag Malkauns.

2. Working with a Raag

When deriving permutations using Merukhand, each swar can used only once in each permutation. But this need not be followed during riyaaz or a recital. Practice the above 6 permutations thoroughly. The challenge is not to miss or slip up in any of the swars. 

The general idea while practicing Merukhand is simple - 

Master one set of permutations and then and only then move on to the next set. 

Any raag will offer a lot of swar sets. In Raag Malkauns here are a few sets in addition to the above - Sa ga Ma | Sa ga dha | Sa ga ni | Sa Ma dha | Sa Ma ni | ga Ma ni | ga dha ni | Sa dha ni, etc. 

So let us try another set - ga dha ni.

3. Varying Saptaks (Octaves)

So far we were reciting in the Madhya Saptak (middle/natural octave). Now we will change the saptak of individual swars and see how that goes.

4. Various Styles 

Once a set of permutations has been mastered, gradually begin to increase the tempo at which they are recited. Eventually various types of taan's  will be derived from the exercise. Eventually try reciting in aakaar rather than sargam. Finally, try using a bandish or words from it. In the demo below, we use the permutations of ga-Ma-dha trio to:
a. Increase tempo and arrive at a varkra taan.
b. Try the Dhrupad style. 
c. Use a single word from a bandish 

5. 4 Swar groups - Simple 

Now let us turn towards 4 swars. We already have used ga-Ma-dha from Raag Maalkauns. Let's add Sa to the group.

Contd...

Merukhand Technique :: Theory

Introduction

Usually, practitioners of Classical Music have heard of Merukhand. But most probably they lack in-depth knowledge of it. For some reason Merukhand has been shrouded in mystery for a long long time. At times there are misunderstandings abound - such as that artists that use Merukhand are very mathematical in their approach and lack artistic credibility.

Actually the the converse it true. Merukhand technique can be immensely beneficial for riyaaz and performances as well. This post will try to demystify Merukhand and demonstrate that it can be used for carefully calibrated riyaaz and to discover new artistic expressions.

History

Merukhand is a compound word, consisting of "Meru" and "Khand". Khand means division or part. 
Meru has a lot of meanings:
1. A wooden support to which a swing is attached.
2. In Chhanda Shastra - deals with the various possibilities of laghu-guru (light-heavy) combinations.  
3. Confluence or coming together.
4. The kings of mountains as per the Sumeru Puran. It was said that it was impossible for any person to scale it in one go.

Musically, we can use all the above four meanings of Meru.
1. A strong support for the musical swings.
2. Mathematical possibilities by examining a combination of swars. 
3. A confluence of adjacent swars. 
4. Various pathways to scale the mountain of a Raag.

Merukhand is also known by it's alternative names viz. Merkhand, Mirkhand, Khandameru, Sumerukhand, etc.

Concept

Fundamentally, it involves the use of permutations of any given group of swars. In his treatise Sangeet Ratnakar, Sharangadev mentions the fact that 5040 permutations can derived from a group of 7 swars.

Let us look at the various permutations that can be derived. 
1. If we select only 1 swar - Sa - we get only 1 permutation. ie. Sa.
2. If 2 are selected - Sa, Re. We get 2 permutations: Sa-Re, Re-Sa. 
3. For a selection of 3 swars - Sa, Re, Ga - we get 6 permutations. Sa-Re-Ga, Re-Sa-Ga, Sa-Ga-Re, Ga-Sa-Re, Re-Ga-Sa, Ga-Re-Sa.

The Math

The math behind this is as follows:

ⁿP_r = n! / (n-r)!  (n! is pronounced as n-factorial)

where, n = total number of elements; r = selected elements from within n.

Now, if the total and selected are same, ie. n = r, then the above equation changes to:

ⁿP_n = n! / (n-n)! = n! / 0! = n! (since 0! = 1)

Using the above, for a 4 swar selection: 

⁴P₄ = 4! = 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 24 permutations

Similarly, for 5, 6 and 7...

⁵P₅ = 5! = 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 120

⁶P₆ = 6! = 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 720

⁷P₇ = 7! = 7 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 5040 permutations

Application

Now lets apply the above in terms of laying out the swars. 

1. If 1 swar is selected  - 1 permutation.
`

2. If 2 swars are selected - 2 permutations

3. If 3 swars are selected - 6 permutations

4. If 4 swars are selected - 24 permutations in the following way
a. The 6 permutations of Sa-Re-Ga with Ma at the end of each permutation.
b. The 6 permutations of Sa-Re-Ma with Ga at the end of each permutation.
c. The 6 permutations of Sa-Ga-Ma with Re at the end of each permutation.
d. The 6 permutations of Re-Ga-Ma with Sa at the end of each permutation. 

The SwarDhanu app will help you with this. If you select any 4 swars the app displays it's permutations instantly. 

SwarDhanu app for Google Android devices available on Google PlayStore.

The app will help save time in deriving and writing down these permutations. This time can fruitfully used in your riyaaz.

Finally...

Pt. Omkarnath Thakur has elaborated on 5040 permutations of 1 to 7 swars in his work Sangeetanjali - Vol.5.

The SwarDhanu app allows for upto 4 swars to be selected. The natural question then is why not 5 or 6? While it is technically possible, the main question is how relevant is it for performing raag's? 

The master of Merukhand gayaki, the great Ustad Amir Khan had the following observation to make -

" To remember these 5040 permutations, while not impossible, is certainly difficult. I have been doing this since my childhood and have found that if you can master the 4 swar permutations, it helps greatly in elaboration of any raag."

Hence, SwarDhanu app is limited to 4 swar selection. Additionally it provides 12 tanpura's.

We sincerely hope that this post and the app itself will help augment your creative pursuits in Indian Classical Music.

Moorchana... in a Jiffy!!

- Pt. Vijay Bakshi

Einstein's Relativity of Motion - where we stand, and deliver!
While travelling in a train, there is an illusion that the surrounding scenery and are rushing backwards. Though, along with our fellow travellers, we are hurtling along at, hopefully, magnificent speeds - we appear to be stationary vis-a-vis other passengers. 

But for a couple of kids standing at the side of the tracks, it is obviously, to their eternal delight, that the train is in motion. Whether the kids are out just for a chance to wave at the train, or marvel, once again, at this gentle mechanical giant - standing next to each other they appear stationary to each other. But, if by some childish magic they were to ascend into outer space, it might obvious that the Earth is not stationary but revolving around it's own axis while circumambulating around the Sun - which is going through it's own motions. 

The key here is the relativity of motion. The passengers consider themselves stationary, while the kids at the side of the tracks, and everyone else not in the train, know that the train is in motion. Consequently, motion is not objective - it needs a context. Let us apply this principle in music.

Relativity of Shadja - co-motion!
Imagine that an vocalist is performing alaap* in Raag Kalavati. A person in the audience is sitting far enough from the stage that the tanpura cannot be heard. Only the mesmerising performance of the vocalist can be heard. Another person joins, and asks the first about the raag being performed. The first person informs that it is Raag Abhogi. It will be easy to dismiss that person as ignorant of music - but unwise. For without the context of the Shadja - the note which the tanpura drones in the background - it is virtually impossible to identify a raag. So if our audience member, who could not hear the tanpura, is technically not incorrect. He just assumed another Shadja. 

Based on the vocalist Shadja, Raag Kalavati consists of the following swars:
Sa Ga Pa Dha ni Sa Ga Pa 

But if we change to Shadja to the swar Pa(Pancham) we get the following result:
Ma Dha Sa Re ga Ma Dha Sa  
These swars resemble Raag Abhogi. 

*Alaap is an unmetered gradual Raag introduction and expansion. 

Quantum Leaps of Shadja - either here or there!
Let us do an exercise which will illustrate the above point. Write down in a line the 12 swars that are commonly used - seven shuddha swars, 4 komal, and Teevra Madhyam. 
Below this line  - write Sa directly below re(Komal Rishabh), and then fill in the remaining swars. On subsequent lines keep moving the Sa by one place. The table below depicts this exercise. It has three lines that  are filled. Create your own version.

Table 4.1 Moorchana of 12 swars exercise

Fill it up and your very own quick-reference moorchana table is ready. Starting from any swar and moving sequentially forward creates a moorchana. The concept of moorchana is discussed in ancient texts as well.

Each of us if familiar with a Samvadini - a keyboard based musical instrument. Usually novices are confused about which key is Shadja. Due to knowledge of moorchana we can now answer confidently - any key can be considered Sa. Classical vocalist usually denote their natural Shadja by referencing a key. eg. I sing in Kaali 1 (C#). 
When a composer informs a singer that the song 'is in madhyam' - the composer is implying that the Shadja is to be moved to Shuddha Madhyam swar for the song.

Sounds New - lets resonate!
Moorchana is used to create new raag's. Pt. Ravi Shankar created new raags viz. Parameshwari, Rangeshwari, Gangeshwari, etc., based on moorchana's of Raag Saraswati. Also, moorchana can be used to compose songs or create music pieces between two verses of a song.

Here is a little exercise for you. Raag Bhoop consists of the following swars:
Sa 
Re - Shuddha Rishabh
Ga - Shuddha Gandhaar
Pa - Pancham
Dha - Shuddha Dhaivat

The moorchana of Raag Bhoop gives swars of other raags. Your task is to find them. You can either use the table that you created above or the SaRas app for Android devices. The app should make your search easy, and it can be put other uses of moorchana as well - as it has 12 tanpura's to suit your specific needs.

If you have any queries - feel free to contact me on vvb.saakaar@gmail.com.

Benefits of Moorchana - Part 2

- Pt. Vijay Bakshi

In addition to the previous two, let us look at a couple more benefits of Moorchana.

3) Swar Couplings - it takes two to tango:
In Indian classical music the swar(note) has prime importance. Usually, every swar has it's own importance. If an vocalist renders the Ga(Gandhaar) swar, then the accompanist also plays the same swar, whether on keyboard or string instrument. Incidently, in western music the accompaniment may play an appropriate variant to the main vocalist. These are known as chords. This is very common in main-stream/non-classical music. It goes without saying that in the use of chords, there is a certain relation in the notes that are played, else it would not be melodious.

Audio 3.1 - Cover of "Haal kaisa hai janaab ka". Vocals: Shruti Vaze and Pt.Vijay Bakshi

Audio 3.2 Cover of "Sagara praan". Vocals: Shruti Vaze and Pt.Vijay Bakshi

Light music is based on lyrics, and chords are used to augment the emotion or meaning of the words - which is the real skill of the music composer. 

Indian classical music does not include the concept of chords ie. playing more than one note  at a time. It is a sequential composition of swars, and there are certain pristine relationships between the swars. The fourth and fifth swars respectively from Sa(Shadja) are Ma(Shuddha Madhyam) and Pa(Pancham). This yardstick is used to derive the 'vaadi-samvaadi'(emphasis) swars of the various Raags. Sa-Ma is known as Shadja-Madhayam Bhaav(Measure), and Sa-Pa is known as Shadja-Pancham Bhaav. 
Eg. Re(Shuddha Rishabh) and Pa(Pancham) is Shadja-Madhyam Bhaav
Re(Shuddha Rishabh) and Dha(Shuddha Dhaivat) is Shadja-Pancham Bhaav

Without diving too deep into the precise positions of various shruti's, we get the following swar relations. 

Table 3.1 Sa-Ma and Sa-Pa Bhaav

The SaRas app will help you in finding the above combinations. You can listen to some of them below.

Audio 3.3 A demonstration of Sa-Ma, Sa-Pa Bhaav 

A note about Audio 3.1 and Audio 3.2 above.
Audio 3.1: It is the last part of a song from a 1950's film "Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi". The duet is sung by Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar. They sing the same line together but the base Shadja for each is different. Due to the Sa-Ma/Sa-Pa relations it sounds melodious.

Audio 3.2: It is a pre-independence patriotic song sung by Lata Mangeshkar, Usha Mangeshkar and Pt. Hridaynath Mangeshkar. Towards the end of the song the word "Sagaraa" is repeated by artists together, but the base Shadja of each is different creating an interesting melody. 

4) Swar Couplings in Raag Vistaar(Elaboration) - an elaborate revelation:
The previous section was the theory of Sa-Ma and Sa-Pa Bhaav's (Measures) and their (self) evident melodious relationships, even when applied to other swar couplings. These measures are usually applied in a process known as Raag Vistaar ie.when the vocalist gradually reveals to the audience his/her interpretation of a Raag. 

Let us take Raag Malkauns as an example. 
Aaroha (ascent) - Sa ga Ma dha ni Sa
Avroha (descent) - Sa ni dha Ma ga Sa 

Vaadi-Samvaadi (Emphasis swars):
Vaadi - Ma
Samvaadi - Sa

There is not only a natural harmonious relation between the vaadi-samvaadi swars, but also between:
1) Shadja-Madhyam Bhaav:
i) ga - dha (Komal Gandhaar - Komal Dhaivat) 

2) Shadja-Pancham Bhaav
i) ga - ni (Komal Gandhaar - Komal Nishaad)
ii) Ma - Sa (Shudda Madhyam - Shadja of upper Saptak[octave])
iii) dha - ga (Komal Dhaivat - Komal Gandhaar of upper Saptak)

These relations enhance the melody of Raag Malkauns. Have a listen.

Vid 3.1 Use of Sa-Ma, Sa-Pa Bhaav in Raag Malkauns by Pt.Vijay Bakshi

In general, the more such couples in a Raag the more melodious it can be. These couples help in a more deliberated elaboration of the Raag and satiate the audience. The most significant part is that repeat performances of the same Raag adds to the novelty factor rather than reduce it.

Let us take another example of Raag Yaman. 
Aaroha - Sa Re Ga MA Pa Dha Ni Sa
Avroha - Sa Ni Dha Pa MA Ga Re Sa
Vaadi - Ga
Samvaadi - Ni 

Couplings*:
1) Shadja-Madhyam Bhaav:
i) Re - Pa (Shuddha Rishabh - Pancham)
ii) Ga - Dha (Shuddha Gandhaar - Shuddha Dhaivat)
iii) MA - Ni (Teevra Madhyam - Shuddha Nishaad)
iv) Pa - Sa (Pancham - Shadja of upper Saptak)
v) Dha - Re (Shuddha Dhaivat - Shuddha Rishabh of upper Saptak)
vi) Ni - Ga (Shuddha Nishaad - Shuddha Gandhaar of upper Saptak)

2) Shadja-Pancham Bhaav:
i) Re - Dha (Shuddha Rishabh - Shuddha Dhaivat)
ii) Ga - Ni (Shuddha Gandhaar -  Shuddha Nishaad)
iii) Dha - Ga (Shuddha Dhaivat - Shuddha Gandhaar of upper Saptak)
iv) Ni - MA (Shuddha Nishaad - Teevra Madhyam of upper Saptak)

Application of the above couplings in Raag vistaar.

Vid 3.2 Use of Sa-Ma, Sa-Pa Bhaav in Raag Yaman by Pt.Vijay Bakshi

*To arrive at these couplings, change position of the Sa to each of the other swars in the Raag. The SaRas app will make it easy to do it. 

Benefits of Moorchana - Part 1

- Pt. Vijay Bakshi

Let us talk about a couple of benefits of Moorchana.

1) Mastery over Swars:
Let us assume for a moment that one is used to practising in Kaali-1(C#). If the person is asked to try in Kaali-2(D#) it is going to be difficult. Since (s)he is so used to Kaali-1, hitting the right swars with base of Kaali-2 may not come naturally. It is a common difficulty as the swars in one's natural base are so fixed in the mind that when the base and hence Saptak(octave) is shifted the swars from the original sale may still influence the new ones. The result is the possibility of being out of tune.

Hence, during riyaaz(practice) make an effort to use Moorchana's to achieve more flexibility and vocal range. Continuing the above example and assuming that your base is at Kaali-1, set the Tanpura(drone) to it and sing your seven shuddha swars. Then set the tanpura to komal-Rishabh as per your saptak, and sing the seven shuddha swars. And so on, keep shifting the tanpura up by one swars, in your saptak, and singing the corresponding shuddha swars.

Now try the above experiment, but do not shift the tanpura and set it at your natural scale, in this example Kaali-1. Try singing the moorchana's of the seven shuddha swars. The table below lists these moorchana's.

Table 2.1 Moorchana of Shuddha Swars

2) Simplifying complexity:
Let us assume that during riyaaz you are practising Raag Lalat, also referred to as Raag Lalit. This raag has both Madhyam's (Ma-MA) in sequence. At times, some people find it difficult to sing both the swars in rapid succession. Especially, if you are going to use the "Ni-re-Ga" alankaar of this raag, it happens something like this:

Ni re Ga , re Ga Ma , Ga Ma MA , Ma MA dha , MA dha Ni , dha Ni Sa ,

Sa Ni Dha , Ni Dha MA , Dha MA Ma , MA Ma Ga , Ma Ga re , Ga re Sa

Likewise, consider the following swar group:

Ga Ma MA Ma , re Ga re Ga Ma  Ga Ma MA Ma , Ma MA dha MA Ma , 

re Ga Ma MA dha  MA dha MA Ma Ga ...

The moorchana of shuddha-madhyam (Ma), will make is easier to master the Ma-MA combine. The table below displays the moorchana.

Table.2.2 Moorchana of swar Shuddha Ma in Raag Lalat

Now let us examine the effect of this on the same swar group above:

Ni Sa re Sa , dha Ni dha Ni Sa Ni Sa re Sa , Sa re Ga re Sa , 

dha Ni Sa re Ga re Ga re Sa Ni ...

The positions of the swars can be fixed by replacing "Ga-Ma-MA-Ma" with "Ni-Sa-re-Sa". later try this at Drut-laya(Fast Tempo).   

Audio 2.1 Narration and Vocals: Pt. Vijay Bakshi

Similarly, a lot of complex swar groups or combinations can be simplified.

Understanding Moorchana

The concepts of Graam and Moorchana are explained in ancient texts. In those days there were three graams - Shadja Graam, Mandhyam Graam, and Gaandhaar Graam. Each graam contained seven swars(notes). The swars were derived from the shruti's. The rule of thumb was that any sequence of seven swars is moorchana. If Sa(Shadja) is considered to be the first swar in Shadja graam, then Sa - Re - Ga - Ma - Pa - Dha - Ni, is the moorchana of the swar Sa. Now if instead of Sa, the first swar is Ni; then Ni - Sa - Re - Ga - Ma - Pa - Dha, is the moorchana of Ni in Shadja graam. In the same way, if each of the other swars are considered the starting point of a graam, then there can be seven moorchana's of the seven shuddha(sharp) swars. Similarly there were seven moorchana's in the Madhyam graam.

During the time of Bharata, in addition to the shuddha swars there were two vikrut(deviant) swars: Antar-Gandhaar, Kaakali-Nishaad. Including these two swars in each of the graams gives us fourteen moorchana's per graam.

Table 1.1 Moorchana's of the Graam's

This was the methods of creating Raag's. In those days, describing a Raag did not involve enumerating the shuddha, komal(flat) swars in it. Rather a Raag was described as "This Raag contains... this moorchana". 

The Gaandhaar graam was lost to the tides of time, and there is very little information available about it. And so is the concept of graam to the modern times. Nowadays a Raag is described by it's constituent shuddha, komal and teevra swars. But it is still fascinating to note that our ancestors had a deep knowledge of moorchana.

A general definition of moorchana can be: To derive a group of swars from within a selection by considering any swar as the Shadja (Sa).

Let us take an example. Raag Bhoop consists of five swars: Sa, Re, Ga, Pa, Dha. Now if we consider each of the fours swars(Re, Ga, Pa, Dha) as Sa - some interesting things happen.The new swar group derived from changing Sa, resembles the swars in some other Raag. But it will be inappropriate to term that new swar group as a new Raag. The reason is that every Raag follows some very strict guidelines eg. aaroha-avroha (ascent-descent), chalan (Raag signature), vaadi-samvaadi (two main swars of the Raag), etc. The video below explains this concept in detail.

Another thing to keep in mind is that moorchana of a swar will not always provide a swar group resembling some other existing Raag. By applying concept of moorchana to exploring -  new Raag's can be created.

Another example similar to the above, is of Raag Hindol. It comprises of the swars Sa,Ga,MA(Teevra Madhyam), Dha, Ni. By moving the Sa around, swar groups resembling Raag Shobhavari, Raag Shivaranjani, Raag Bairagi can be derived.

Table 1.2 Moorchana of Raag Hindol

To reinforce the the above point, lets us take an example. The audio clip below is of a old popular Marathi song "Radha Krishnavari Bhalalee" - and the use of moorchana in it.

Audio 1: Narration and Additional Vocals: Pt. Vijay Bakshi, Vocals: Shruti Vaze

If Sa is shifted to the last syllable of the the word "Bhalalee", it produces the effect similar to Raag Hindol. Again, if Sa is shifted to the second syllable of "Radha" - an effect similar to Raag Shivaranjani is produced. Both are demonstrated in the above audio clip.