PureTones

Indian Tuning Systems (3) – Bharat and Sarang Dev's 22 Shrutis

In part 2 , we reconstructed the Shadaj Gram scale using two different perspectives and showed the results to be mutually consistent. Shadaj Gram is also quite old, probably dating bac...

Indian Tuning Systems (4) – 12 Note Tuning for Fretted Veena

In part 3 , we reconstructed one of the most significant tuning systems used in Indian Classical music, namely, the Shadaj Gram scale. The Shadaj Gram and (the related) Madhyam Gram sc...

Indian Musical Scales

In a related series of four articles ( 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 ), we reconstructed two historically significant tuning systems which were used in Indian Classical music: The 22 note divisio...

Classification of Gamakas

Introduction We have looked at the historical evolution of Indian Classical music, and seen how its tuning systems have developed based on the principles of consonance. But beyond t...

Tanpura - A Prism for Harmonics

The Tanpura (also referred to as Tambura ) is a musical instrument with an intriguing and also fundamental place in today's Indian Classical music. As you may well know, it is not a le...

Tanpura - A Cornerstone of Indian Classical Music

In the previous article , we looked at the Tanpura from the perspective of sound and showed how the clever combination of the rounded bridge and the cotton thread causes each string to...