Swaras and taans 

Even though I am a Science student, ironically I never really hated histroy all that much, thought obv some people absolutely despise that subject. Either ways, like it or not, history has plays an important role everywhere, including MUSIC. In this lesson we kinda try to hack into that historical aspect of music theory. (after this article you can defo go and brag bout the history yk to your friends,,, and sorry that was a cringey thing to say...)

Written during the vedic period, the Samveda is imbibed in Music. It is said that Lord Krishna’s murali (flute) lured not only the Gopikas of Brij but also other creatures.

Now before we can move ahead, I want you to recall the definition of swara that we studied in the first lesson. Remember reading about the 7 notes of music.

Here are some more interesting things about the origin of the 7 swaras. 

Sa (Shadja) – Originated from the call of the peacock (Mayura)

Re (Rishabh) – Originated from the sound of the bull (Vrishabha)

Ga (Gandhar) – Originated from the bleating of the goat (Aja)

Ma (Madhyam) – Originated from the call of the crane/heron (Krauncha)

Pa (Pancham) – Originated from the call of the cuckoo (Kokila)

Dha (Dhaivat) – Originated from the sound of the horse (Ashwa)

Ni (Nishad) – Originated from the sound of the elephant (Gaja)

I assume that u can also recall reading about taans in the previous lessons.

But there is a lot more to know about this one specific element of Indian classical music.

There are about 6 different types of taan know today.

These include–

Śuddha Taan: When the swaras of a taan are sung according to the aaroh and avroh of the taan, it is called a Suddha taan.

Koot Taan: A complex tān in which swaras appear in a broken, zig-zag or irregular pattern.

Sapat Taan: A fast, smooth and continuous taan where swaras move step-by-step without skipping.

Alankarik Taan: A decorative taan formed using alankaras (patterns like repetition, meend, or kan).

Bol Taan: A tān sung using the bols (words) of the bandish instead of pure swaras.

Choot Taan: A tān in which certain swaras are deliberately omitted, creating a leaping effect.

I think that’s enough of information for today…

PEACE !  🎻  There is no Hindustani Music Emoji btw...