This document provides information about the Indian classical music form of Rag Desh. It discusses the drone, tala (rhythmic cycle), and instrumentation used in three different recorded pieces. It also outlines various melodic and rhythmic playing techniques commonly found in Rag Desh performances, such as improvisation, meends, tans, chands, tihais, jhallas, and bols. The document compares and contrasts the different elements used across the three pieces.

1. Set Work 11: Rag Desh

2. Focus
• Use of Rag – comparison of 3 pieces
• Drone
• Tala
• Instrumentation
• Technical playing devices
• Compare and contrast (similarities as well as
differences)

3. Rag notes
NOTES C D F G B C
ASCENDING
Sa Re Ma Pa Ni Sa
NOTES C Bb A G F E D C
DESCENDING
Sa Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Re Sa
You do not need to be able to quote the notes of the rag
But be aware that the notes of the scale change on the way up and down

4. Drone
• Sound usually heard first
• Stating tonic note Sa
• The drone can often use 2 notes – usually tonic
and dominant notes
• Drone often played these days by electronic box
• Traditionally played by tanpura/tambura
• This instrument has no frets and only 4-6 strings.

5. Drone use..
Anoushka Shankar (sitar) Chiranji Lal Tanwar (voice) Steve Gorn and Benji
Wertheimer
No tanpura/tambura so no No Tanpura/tambura Drone at start of Part 1
drone part (Alap) provides notes Sa
and Pa (tonic and
Drone strings on the sitar dominant)
(sympathetic strings) are
strummed to give added Sa and Pa in this case are D
rhythmic effect called and A at concert pitch
jhalla in the last part of the
piece

6. Tala
• Rhythmic cycles in Indian music
• Tals or tala
• Most common 6, 7, 8, 10 or 12 or 16 beats long
• The beats are grouped into units of 2, 3 or 4
beats
• Clap or wave on beats – clap on strong
beats, wave on weak beats
• Beat one is called Sam
• Beats are called matras
• Each tala has a different name

7. Tala used in Gat when tabla play
Anouhka Shankar Chiranji Lal Tanwar Steve Gorn and Benjy
Wertheimer
Jhaptal tal (10 beats) Keherwa tal (8 beats) Rupak tal (7 beats)
Enters 0.58 Enters 0.50 Enters in part 2 at 0.31
Tintal (16 beats) Ektal tal (12 beats)
Enters 5.02 Enters in part 3 at 0.10 –
this is when the sam is
heard after a tihai

11. Instruments in Anoushka Shankar’s
version
Sitar
Tabla

12. Chiranji Lal Tanwar’s version
Cymbals Tabla
Voice
Sarangi
Pakhawaj
Sarod

13. Benjy Wertheimer and Steve Gorn’s
version
Bansuri
Esraj
Tambura
Tabla

14. Playing Devices and Techniques
• Improvisation
• Meend – sliding between notes
• Tan – rapid scalic flourishes on sitar/sarod or sarangi –
virtuosic and used in later sections of Raga
• Drone
• Dialoguing between solo and tabla
• Chand – triplets
• Tihai – mark end of sections with 3 repeated phrases
• Jhalla – striking rhythmic effect from strumming
• Bols - Syncopated rhythm patterns independent of
beat

15. Devices
MELODIC RHYTHMIC
Improvisation Bols
Meend Chand
Tan Tihai
Jhalla (played by a
stringed instrument not
drums)
Dialoguing Dialoguing