The seven swaras
Carnatic music names its notes Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni, together the sapta swaras. Sa and Pa are fixed. The other five can each take more than one position, and which positions a raga uses is part of what makes it that raga.
There is no fixed pitch for Sa. Each singer sings from a Sa that suits their voice, called their shruti, and everything else is sung relative to it. It differs from learner to learner, and the teacher helps each one find a comfortable shruti.
Singing against a drone, keeping the beat
Practice is done against a drone that sounds Sa and Pa without a break: traditionally a tanpura, now often a shruti box or an app. Singing against it trains the ear to hear when a note is in tune.
Rhythm is kept in tala, a repeating cycle counted on the hand with claps, waves and finger counts. The most common is Adi tala, a cycle of eight beats. Beginners learn to keep the tala while they sing from the first weeks.
The first lessons, in order
The graded beginner lessons go back to Purandara Dasa (c. 1470 to 1564), called the Pitamaha, the grandfather, of Carnatic music. He made Mayamalavagowla the raga for teaching, and most teachers still begin there. The usual order is:
- Sarali Swaras (Sarali Varisai): the seven notes up and down, in set patterns and in three speeds.
- Janta Swaras: each note sung twice, for a clean and even attack.
- Dhatu Swaras and the upper and lower octave exercises, which many teachers add here: leaps between notes, and the range above and below the middle octave.
- Alankaras: patterns sung through the seven Suladi talas, so the beat is kept while the melody changes.
- Geethams: the first songs with words, often beginning with the Pillari Geethams.
- Swarajatis and varnams: longer pieces that bridge the exercises and concert music.
- Kritis: the main concert form, in pallavi, anupallavi and charanam.
How long before songs?
It depends on the learner’s age, how often classes are held and how much they practise between them. RAAGA’s curriculum gives an indicative time for each stage, but treat it as a guide, not a promise. Short, regular practice on the work the teacher has set does more than a long session once a week.
Books for beginners
Bhasuri: A Beginner’s Guide to Carnatic Music, in English, and Swararaga Kadambam, in Telugu, were written by Dr. Suryanarayana Polaki, one of the Gurus at RAAGA. Swararaga Kadambam runs from the Sarali Swaras to the Mangalam and gives word-by-word meanings for the songs.
For theory, the National Institute of Open Schooling publishes free Carnatic music lessons in English. A book supports lessons with a teacher; it does not replace hearing and correcting the voice.
Before the first class
You do not need to read Western notation, own an instrument or know any ragas. It helps to:
- Tell the teacher whether the learner is new or has studied before.
- Ask which shruti to practise at, and which drone to use at home.
- Keep a notebook for the swaras taught in each class.
- Ask before recording a lesson.