1. summary of post- graduate project
saral sur , 2010
designed by pradnya r dighe ,
student of london college of communication (ual), london , U.K.
The quest for a language or a code to voice the complexities of Indian classical music has been an ongoing
adventure which started in the early 20th century. Though the tradition of learning Indian music is ancient,
it has largely been an oral tradition, where the student learns from Gurumukh ( the mouth of the teacher),
there have many attempts to formalize this learning into a notation system, one that could explain the
complexities of the art.
The notations used today were developed during the early 20th century and therefore are very young
compared to the fully developed notation system for western music. The modern Indian music notation
systems can be credited to two stalwarts: Pt. Vishnu Digambara Paluskar and Pt. Vishnu Narayana
Bhatkhande.
This booklet is a result of the research for a project that aimed to understand notation systems, the working,
the assets and the flaws and consequently an attempt to develop a system that can denote the abstract and
subtle aspects of the art. This project aims to focus on understanding and visualizing the movement from one
note to another which is the critical aspect of this kind of music.
This project aims to device simple visual solutions to represent some of the key aspects of this kind of music.
This music is primarily improvisational and leans heavily on the artist's creative ability and imagination. But
there are rules that the artist has to comply by, one such rule being that there is a specified scale which
utilizes five, six or seven notes, the movements are pre-determined but the order of these movements is up to
the performer. This art can be compared to having learnt the alphabet and words and its rules, but also
having the freedom to form one's own sentences.
Saral Sur utilizes three keys or codes or visual devices, which become the visual language the improvisation is
rendered in. The Raga Kalyan has been explained using these devices. The student is advised to listen the
recommended audio matter while using this kit.
visual device 01 : note + colour
Each note is allocated a colour. This exercise was done to identify the patterns in the improvisation. Color is
among the strongest visual stimuli that our brains receive from the outside world. This visualization can be
used to understand patterns of notes. It could also assist in understanding of the mood of the raga,
depending on the colour scheme.
S r
_ R _
g G M M΄ P d
_ D n
_ N �
s
c c# d d# e f f# g g# a a# b c
ex amples of time of day
sunrise
S r
_ R g
_ G M M΄ P d
_ D n
_ N �
s
ex amples of mood
romance
S r
_ R _
g G M M΄ P d
_ D n
_ N �
s

2. visual device 02 : arcs
Arcs are simple graphical devices to indicate movement, with movement being a critical aspect in this music.
This experiment uses the arcs to showcase the transition from one note to another, thus illustrating the grace
notes and the prescribed movement.
g
movement
intended movement
n
. s r
intended movement with-in range
a p p l i c at i o n o f t h e d e v i c e
r aga Yaman
scale: seven notes - seven notes
�
ascent: n , R, g, m’, d, n,s
.
n
. S r
_ R _
g G M M΄ P d
_ D n
_ N �
s
�
descent: s, N, D, P, M’, G, R, S
�
s N n
_ D d
_ P M΄ M G _
g R r
_ S
improvisation: n , rg, rgm’p
.
g m'
d
n
. r g r g m' p
~

3. visual device 03 : gradients
Gradients are another device that can be used to illustrate movements. The device can also be used to
illustrate points of emphasis within the prescribed movement.
g
movement
intended movement
intended movement with-in range
n
. g r
a p p l i c at i o n o f t h e d e v i c e
r aga Yaman
scale: seven notes - seven notes
�
ascent: n , R, g, m’, d, n,s
.
n
. S r
_ R _
g G M M΄ P d
_ D n
_ N �
s
�
descent: s, N, D, P, M’, G, R, S
�
s N n
_ D d
_ P M΄ M G _
g R r
_ S
improvisation: n , rg, rgm’p
.
g m'
d
n
. g r r g m' d p

4. a p p l i c at i o n o f t h e n o tat i o n s y s t e m
R aga Yaman - drut khyal, teen tal a, 16 beats - sar al sur notation
stahyi - first part of the composition
yeri ali piya
p
p
n
n p r s g r
ye _ _ e _ _ ri aa _ _ a _ _ li pi _ _i_ _ ya
bina ari
g g g m'
bi _ _i_ _ na aa _ _ a _ _ ri
sakhi k al ana pa
p p g m' g p
sa _ _ khi _ _ i ka _ _ la na _ _ pa
rata mohe
n
m' d p p
ra _ _ ta mo _ _ he