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Indian classical music portal

The seven notes of the scale (swaras), in Indian music are named shadja, rishabh, gandhar, madhyam, pancham, dhaivat and nishad, and are shortened to Sa, Ri (Carnatic) or Re (Hindustani), Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, and Ni and written S, R, G, M, P, D, N. Collectively these notes are known as the sargam (the word is an acronym of the consonants of the first four swaras). Sargam is the Indian equivalent to solfege, a technique for the teaching of sight-singing. Sargam is practiced against a drone. The tone Sa is not associated with any particular pitch. As in Western moveable-Do solfège, Sa refers to the tonic of a piece or scale rather than to any particular pitch.

Notation[link]

A dot above a letter indicates that the note is sung one octave higher, and a dot below indicates one octave lower. Or, if a note with the same name-Sa, for example-is an octave higher than the note represented by S, an apostrophe is placed to the right: S'. If it is an octave lower, the apostrophe is placed to the left: 'S. Apostrophes can be added as necessary to indicate the octave: for example, ``g would be the note komal Ga in the octave two octaves below that which begins on the note S (that is, two octaves below g).

The basic mode of reference is that which is equivalent to the Western Ionian mode or major scale (called Bilawal thaat in Hindustani music, Dheerasankarabharanam in Carnatic). All relationships between pitches follow from this. In any seven-tone mode (starting with S), R, G, D, and N can be natural (shuddha, lit. 'pure') or flat (komal, 'soft') but never sharp, and the M can be natural or sharp (tivra) but never flat, making twelve notes as in the Western chromatic scale. If a swara is not natural (shuddha), a line below a letter indicates that it is flat (komal) and an acute accent above indicates that it is sharp (tivra). Sa and Pa are immovable (once Sa is selected), forming a just perfect fifth.

In some notation systems, the distinction is made with capital and lowercase letters. When abbreviating these tones, the form of the note which is relatively lower in pitch always uses a lowercase letter, while the form which is higher in pitch uses an uppercase letter. So komal Re/Ri uses the letter r and shuddha Re/Ri, the letter R, but shuddha Ma uses m because it has a raised form-tivra Ma-which uses the letter M. Sa and Pa are always abbreviated as S and P, respectively, since they cannot be altered.

The chart below assumes Sa to be at C.

Swaras in Carnatic music[link]

The swaras in Carnatic music are slightly different in the twelve-note system. There are three types each of Rishabha, Gandhara, Dhaivatha and Nishadha. There are two types of Madhyama, while Panchama and Shadja are invariant.

As you can see above, Chathusruthi Rishabha and Shuddha Gandhara share the same pitch (3rd key/ position). Hence if C is chosen as Shadja, D would be both Chathusruthi Rishabha and Shuddha Gandhara. Hence they will not occur in same raga together. Similarly for two swaras each at notes 4, 10 and 11.

Swara meanings[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Each shuddha swara (i.e., Sa, Re/Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha/Da, and Ni) is traditionally held to have originated in the sound of a different animal, and some have additional meanings of their own. Also, each swara is associated with one of the seven chakras of the body. Just as the swaras ascend through the saptak, so they are mapped onto the chakras in the body in ascending order. Komal notes are associated with the left side of each chakra; the left channel, Ida Nadi, is the side of emotion and intuition. Shuddha and tivra notes are associated with the right side; the right channel, Pingala Nadi, is the side of logic. Ragas, therefore, have more or less of an effect on a given chakra depending on the notes they contain.

In certain forms of Indian classical music and qawwali, when a rapid 16th note sequence of the same note is sung, different syllables may be used in a certain sequence to make the whole easier to pronounce. For example, instead of "sa-sa-sa-sa-sa-sa-sa-sa" said very quickly, it might be "sa-da-da-li-sa-da-da-li" which lends itself more to a quick and light tongue movement.

Special forms of swaras[link]

In the context of Indian classical music some specific forms of swara-s fulfill the technique of playing a note. Such ornamentic (Sanskrit: Alankar or Alankara^{[citation needed]}) in Indian Classical Music is important for the proper rendition and essential to create the beauty of a raga. Some notes are linked with its preceding and succeeding note; these linked notes are called grace notes or Kan-swars. Kan-swars deal with so called touch notes. "touch" means sparsh in Hindi (Devangari). These grace notes (acciaccatura) are often referred to as sparsh-swars. Kan-swars or sparsh-swars can be executed vocally and on instruments in three ways:

1. using a swift short glide (meend or ghaseet), 2. as a Sparsh (technique of playing a note on a plucked stringed instrument, the movement of notes is ascending) and 3. as a Krintan (the opposite of a Sparsh, movement of notes is descending).

The Andolit swars, another special form of swaras, exist raga specific and shall not be applied to any raga using these notes. Andolit swars are notes, which are being oscillated within the Andolan alankar. The specification of the Andolan alankar is the oscillation (swing) from a fixed note touching the periphery of an adjacent note. By this oscillation the shrutis (microtones) are touched which exist in between.

Example of Indian Musical Notation[link]

This is Jana Gana Mana, the National Anthem of India in Indian Musical Notation, when written in Devanagari or Latin scripts.

See also[link]

• Hindustani classical music
• Carnatic music
• Gamak

Further reading[link]

• Mathieu, W. A. (1997). Harmonic Experience: Tonal Harmony from Its Natural Origins to Its Modern Expression. Inner Traditions Intl Ltd. ISBN 0-89281-560-4. An autodidactic ear-training and sight-singing book that uses singing sargam syllables over a drone in a just intonation system based on perfect fifths and major thirds.

External links[link]

• North India Sargam Notation System
• www.soundofindia.com Article on vivadi swaras, by Haresh Bakshi
• Ragopedia, an encyclopedia of ragas written and produced by Pandit Shiv Dayal Batish and Ashwin Batish
• ragapedia.com, an open-source tool for entering letter based notation including Sargam. Also generates western notation

v t e Hindustani Classical Music Concepts Swara · Tala · Laya · Raag · Shruti · Bandish · Alankar · Riyaz · Gharana Instruments Sitar · Sarod · Veena · Bansuri · Santoor · Shehnai · Harmonium · Sarangi · Tanpura · Tabla · Violin · Pakhawaj Genres Dhrupad · Dhamar · Khyal · Tarana · Sadra Semi-Classical Genres Thumri · Dadra · Tappa · Kajri · Chaiti · Sawani · Hori · Bhajan · Abhang · Natyageet · Qawwali · Ghazal Thaats Bilawal · Khamaj · Kafi · Asavari · Bhairav · Bhairavi · Todi · Purvi · Marwa · Kalyan

Glen Drover (born May 25, 1969) is a heavy metal guitarist from Missisauga, Ontario, Canada. He currently resides in Mississauga Ontario. Drover is best known as the former lead guitarist in Megadeth and King Diamond, as well as his own band Eidolon, along with his brother Shawn Drover.

History[link]

Glen Drover began playing guitar as a child, and was joined at age 10 by his brother Shawn on drums.^[1] Influenced by Tony MacAlpine, Al Di Meola, Randy Rhoads, Greg Howe, Michael Romeo, George Lynch, Warren DeMartini and David Gilmour, the Drover brothers formed the thrash/power metal band Eidolon in 1996, releasing seven albums to date. Glen is currently teaching guitar lessons at Musicians Choice.

King Diamond (1998-2000)[link]

In 1998, Drover joined King Diamond, and appeared on the House of God album.

Megadeth (2004-2008)[link]

In October 2004, Drover joined thrash metal band Megadeth, bringing along his brother Shawn. Following an extensive world tour, Drover contributed to Megadeth's 2007 release, United Abominations as the lead guitarist and with co-writing credits for one song. While busy recording that album, Drover also cut a guest guitar solo for the track "Emotional Coma" (featured on the album Emotional Coma) by Swedish metal group Lion's Share.^[2] Drover recorded his solo at home in Canada, and sent the music file to the band.^[2]

In January 2008 Glen Drover left Megadeth to focus on family life; the constant touring was starting to have a negative effect on him. His last show with Megadeth was on November 18, 2007 in Brisbane, Australia. Commenting on leaving the band, Drover said "I am aware of the rumors that I left Megadeth to focus on family life and my family life has always been my priority. In the end, I was unhappy with the situation, which magnified me wanting to spend more time with my family and realizing that it's time for me to move on to the next chapter in my musical career, I have a lot of great memories and met a ton of great people along the way, both fans and people in the industry." ^[3][4]

Solo (2008-present)[link]

Glen is now collaborating with Stéphan Forté of the band Adagio on a 10 track instrumental CD.^{[citation needed]} Recently he finished working on the album entitled Metalusion and was recorded sporadically over a 2-plus-year period, It will be released on April 5, 2011.^[5][6]

Testament (2008, 2010)[link]

On the 22 Oct 2008 Testament announced that they had recruited guitarist Glen Drover to fill in on their upcoming Mexican tour dates with Judas Priest, due to Alex Skolnick's prior commitment to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.^[7] Also in March 2010, during the time of him trying to finally finish his album, Glen Drover will be playing with Testament on the upcoming Megadeth, Testament, Exodus tour In the US and Canada, due to Alex Skolnick being away again during this time.

Bands[link]

• Eidolon 1993 - 2007
• King Diamond 1998 - 2000
• Megadeth 2004 - 2008
• Testament 10/27/2008 - 10/31/2008, 3/1/10 - 3/31/10 (touring)

Partial discography[link]

Eidolon[link]

• Sacred Shrine (1993)
• Zero Hour (1996)
• Seven Spirits (1997)
• Nightmare World (2000)
• Hallowed Apparition (2001)
• Coma Nation (2002)
• Apostles Of Defiance (2003)
• The Parallel Otherworld (2006)

Northern Light Orchestra[link]

• Northern Light Orchestra (2010)

King Diamond[link]

• House of God (2000)

Megadeth[link]

• Arsenal of Megadeth (2006)
• That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires (2007)
• United Abominations (2007)

Solo[link]

• Metalusion (2011)

References[link]

Hector Zazou
Background information
Birth name	Pierre Job[1]
Born	(1948-07-11)July 11, 1948 Sidi Bel Abbès, Algeria[1]
Origin	Algeria
Died	September 8, 2008(2008-09-08) (aged 60) Paris, France
Labels	Columbia/SME Records TriStar Music/SME Records
Associated acts	ZNR

Hector Zazou (July 11, 1948 – September 8, 2008)^[2] was a prolific French composer and record producer who worked with, produced, and collaborated with an international array of recording artists. He worked on his own and other artists' albums, including Sandy Dillon, Mimi Goese, Barbara Gogan, Sevara Nazarkhan, Carlos Nuñez, Italian group PGR, Anne Grete Preus, Laurence Revey, and Sainkho since 1976.^[3]

Biography[link]

Zazou first came to international attention as part of the ZNR duo with Joseph Racaille, where both played electric keyboards. Their 1976 debut album Barricades 3 was notable for its "strong Satie influence, stripped to minimal essentials, everything counts".^[4]

Long-time collaborators include trumpeter Mark Isham; guitarist Lone Kent; cellist and singer Caroline Lavelle; trumpeter Christian Lechevretel, who has appeared on all of Zazou's albums after Sahara Blue; clarinetist and flutist Renaud Pion, who has appeared on all of Zazou's albums since Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses; drummer Bill Rieflin; and Japanese recording artist Ryuichi Sakamoto.

His discography demonstrates his affinity for cross-cultural collaborations, and incorporated modern techniques and sounds in re-recordings of traditional material. He was influenced by Peter Gabriel's album Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ in his fusion of musical polarities (traditional and modern, electronic and acoustic) on his own album Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses.

His groundbreaking 1983 album Noir Et Blanc (recorded with Congolese singer Bony Bikaye) garnered a lot of international attention, and is widely recognized as one of the earliest and most impressive experiments in fusing African and electronic music.^[5]

Zazou regarded his work during the 1980s as his time of apprenticeship in the studio. On his 1986 album, Reivax au Bongo, he experimented with fusing classical vocals with an electronic backdrop. On his 1989 album, Géologies, he combined electronic music with a string quartet.^[3]

The albums that he has released under his own name from the 1990s onwards are usually concept albums that draw from literary or folk sources and revolve around a specific theme. The collection of songs on each album assemble contributions from a diverse and global range of pop, folk, world music, avant-garde, and classical recording acts.^[3]

Zazou's 1992 offering, Sahara Blue, was based on an idea by Jacques Pasquier. Pasquier suggested Zazou commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of author Arthur Rimbaud by setting music to Rimbaud's poetry. Contributions included spoken word from Gérard Depardieu, Dominique Dalcan and music by Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance, Tim Simenon, and David Sylvian. He even adapted a traditional Ethiopian song.

In 1994, he released the album Chansons des mers froides (called Songs from the Cold Seas for the anglophone market). The album was based on ocean-themed traditional folk songs from northern countries, such as Canada, Finland, Iceland, and Japan. It featured vocals by pop and rock artists such as Björk, Suzanne Vega, John Cale, Värttina, Jane Siberry, and Siouxsie Sioux in addition to recordings of shamanic incantations and lullabies from Ainu, Nanai, Inuit, and Yakut singers. Musicians included Mark Isham, Brendan Perry, and the Balanescu Quartet. A cameraman accompanied Zazou on the project and they shot and recorded in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Japan, Scandinavia, and Siberia. The single "The Long Voyage" was the only song to be an original composition from Zazou. He wrote it in gratitude to his record company Sony who gave him complete artistic liberty. Performed by Suzanne Vega and John Cale, it was released as a single in 1995. The single featured remixes by Mad Professor as well as Zazou himself.

His 1998 album, Lights in the Dark, showcased ancient Celtic music sung by Irish singers.^[3]

Zazou's collaborative 2000 album 12 (Las Vegas is Cursed) with Sandy Dillon was regarded as a financial and critical failure. In the book "Sonora Portraits 2", which accompanies the CD Strong Currents, Zazou says that 12 (Las Vegas is Cursed) was his most elaborate album. He describes it as a work of black humour and regards his instrumental composition "Sombre" on the album as one of his best songs ever.

Strong Currents was released in 2003 and featured an all-female vocal cast which included Laurie Anderson, Melanie Gabriel, Lori Carson, Lisa Germano, Irene Grandi, Jane Birkin, and Caroline Lavelle. Musicians included Ryuichi Sakamoto, Dennis Rea, Bill Rieflin and Archaea Strings. The album took six years to complete.^[3]

In 2004 Zazou released a companion CD of sorts, L'absence, which included instrumentals, many of the same female vocalists that were featured on Strong Currents, and one male vocalist, French singer Edo.^[3]

Zazou was a member of the musical collective named Slow Music. The lineup also included Robert Fripp and Peter Buck on guitars, Fred Chalenor on bass, Matt Chamberlain on drums, and Bill Rieflin on keyboards and percussion. He contributed electronics to the group's music. At the same time, he was exploring other electronic music in other work, including a soundtrack for Carl Théodor Dreyer's silent film La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc and the multimedia collaboration released as a CD in 2006, Quadri+Chromies.

Zazou's last projects are documented on the Music Operator interactive multimedia web site, which graphically documents his collaborations while in the background his music plays. In January 2008 Hector Zazou released his Corps électriques album, featuring "one of the original riot grrrls" KatieJane Garside, Bill Rieflin, Lone Kent and nu-jazz trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær.

The last project he worked on is an album entitled In The House Of Mirrors, in which he offered a new take on classical Asian music, subtly reprocessed with a nod to some of the music produced in the '70s by Terry Riley and Fripp & Eno. In The House of Mirrors was recorded in Mumbai with the collaboration of four outstanding instrumentalists from India and Uzbekistan, as well as guests such as Diego Amador and Nils Petter Molvaer. This album came out only a few weeks following his death in September 2008.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 1976 ZNR Barricades 3
• 1978 ZNR Traité de Mécanique Populaire
• 1979 La Perversita
• 1983 Zazou/Bikaye/CYI Noir & Blanc
• 1985 Zazou/Bikaye Mr. Manager
• 1985 Géographies
• 1986 Reivax au Bongo
• 1988 Zazou/Bikaye Guilty!
• 1989 Geologies
• 1989 Géographies/13 proverbes Africains
• 1990 Zazou/Bikaye/CYI Noir & Blanc (with extra tracks)
• 1991 Hector Zazou & Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses
• 1992 Sahara Blue
  • Lead vocalists: Samy Birnbach, Richard Bohringer, John Cale, Dominique Dalcan, Sussan Deihim, Lisa Gerarrd and Brendan Perry of Dead Can Dance, Gérard Depardieu, Anneli Drecker, Barbara Gogan, Khaled, Ketema Mekonn, Malka Spigel
  • Contributors: Kent Condon, Yuka Fujii, Kenji Jammer, Vincent Kenis, Nabil Khalidi, Bill Laswell, Christian Lechevretel, Keith Leblanc, Lightwave, Gilles Martin, Denis Moulin, Renaud Pion, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Steve Shehan, Guy Sigsworth, Tim Simenon, David Sylvian, Elizabeth Valetti, Daniel Yvinec
• 1992 Various artists Nunc Musics
• 1994 Sainkho Out of Tuva
• 1994 Various artists Sonora 4'94 (includes one outtake from Sahara Blue entitled Realeza)

1993 Produced "Sorrow and Solitude" with vocalist Penta Leslee Swanon on ErdenKlang Musik

• 1994 Chansons des mers froides (Songs from the Cold Seas)
  • Lead vocalists: Björk, John Cale, Tokiko Kato, Lioudmila Khandi, Kilabuk & Nooveya, Catherine-Ann MacPhee, Värttina, Suzanne Vega, Wimme Saari, Jane Siberry, Siouxsie Sioux, Lena Willemark
  • Contributors: Ainu Dancers of Hokkaidō, Balanescu Quartet, Tchotghtguerele Chalchin, Brendan Perry of Dead Can Dance, Budgie, Barbara Gogan, Mark Isham, Lightwave, Sargo Maianagacheva, Demnine Ngamtovsovo, Marc Ribot, Sakharine Percussion Group, Noriko Sanagi, Sissimut Dance Drummers, Angelin Tytot
• 1995 Harold Budd/Hector Zazou Glyph
  • Lead vocalist: Lian Amber
• 1997 Barbara Gogan Made on Earth
• 1998 Lights in the Dark
  • Lead vocalists: Breda Mayock, Katie McMahon, and Lasairfhiona Ni Chonaola.
  • Contributors: Kristen Noguez, Mark Isham, Andre Compostel, Silap' (choir), Thierry Robin, Carlos Nunez, Pierre d'Aquin, Peter Gabriel, Kent Condon, Francoise Debout, Germain de Loing, John B., Brendan Perry, Denis Mc Ardle, Caroline Lavelle, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Daniel Yvinec, Ivan Tchekine, Richard Bourreau, Papa D'jabate, Noriko Sanagi, Lucie de Lisieu, Minna Raskinen, Didier Malherbe, Hossam Ramzay, and The Wiltshire Souls.
• 1998 Mimi Goese Soak (four tracks produced by Zazou)
• 1999 Carlos Nuñez Os Amores Libros
• 1999 Laurence Revey Le Creux Des Fees
• 2000 Sandy Dillon & Hector Zazou 12 (Las Vegas is Cursed)
• 2000 Bigazzi/Chianura/Henson Drop 6—The Wolf and the Moon
• 2000 Various artists Drop 5.1
• 2001 Anne Grete Preus Alfabet
• 2002 PGR Per Grazia Ricevuta
• 2003 Sevara Nazarkhan Yol Bolsin
• 2003 Strong Currents
  • Lead vocalists: Laurie Anderson, Jane Birkin, Lori Carson, Melanie Gabriel, Lisa Germano, Irene Grandi, Nicola Hitchcock, Nina Hynes, Caroline Lavelle, Sarah Jane Morris, Catherine Russell, Emma Stow
  • Contributors: Archaea Strings, Carlos Nuñez, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Stefano Bollani, Bill Rieflin, Lone Kent, Dennis Rea, Mathias Desmiers, Pierre Chaze, Renaud Pion
• 2004 L'absence
• 2006 Hector Zazou and Bernard Caillaud Quadri(+)Chromies
• 2008 Corps électriques
  • Contributors: KatieJane Garside, Bill Rieflin, Lone Kent and Nils Petter Molvær
• 2008 Hector Zazou & Swara In The House Of Mirrors

Singles[link]

• 1983 Hector Zazou/Papa Wemba Malimba (12" single)
• 1984 Zazou/Bikaye/CYI M'Pasi Ya M'Pamba (12" single)
• 1985 Zazou/Bikaye Mr. Manager (7" and 12" singles)
• 1988 Zazou/Bikaye Guilty!/Na Kenda (12" single)
• 1990 Zazou/Bikaye Get Back (12" single)
• 1992 "I'll Strangle You" featuring Anneli Drecker and Gérard Depardieu
• 1995 "The Long Voyage" featuring John Cale and Suzanne Vega

References[link]

External links[link]

• Taktic Music bio
• Music Operator
• Hector Zazou at Allmusic
• Sound on Sound
• Crammed Discs, the label on which Hector Zazou released 11 of his albums.
• Necrology for Hector Zazou
• Guardian obituary

Sudha Raghunathan
Sudha Ragunathan in Perth, Australia (2012)
Born	April 30
Occupation	Carnatic Singer
Spouse	Raghunathan (1982-present)
Children	Kaushik Malavika
Parents	Venkatraman Choodamani

Sudha Raghunathan (Tamil:சுதா ரகுநாதன்) is a Carnatic music singer from South India. She was awarded a Padma Shri for excellence in singing. She was born in Bangalore and went to Good Shepherd Convent. She did higher education at Bangalore, Karnataka and obtained a Masters Degree in Economics.She started singing at nine years of age. Later, she received her training from her mother Choodamani, and continued the training under B. V. Lakshmanan. She has received the Artistes for advanced training in Carnatic music. In 1977, through the success of her first performance, she got a scholarship to study music under Padma Bhushan, Sangita Kalanidhi Dr. M.L Vasantha Kumari. Dr MLV encouraged her to pursue music as a career. She is married to Ragunathan and they have two children.

Awards[link]

• Bharat Jyothi (Tamil:பாரத் ஜோதி) from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, New York (1988)
• Kalai mamani (Tamil:கலைமாமணி')' award from the state government of Tamilnadu, India (1993)
• Sangeetha Choodamani (Tamil:சங்கீத சூடாமணி) from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai (1997)
• Padma Sri award in the field of Carnatic vocal music (2004)
• Sangeetha Kala Saarathi (Tamil:சங்கீத கலா சாரதி) from Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, Chennai, from His Holiness Shri Jayendra Saraswathi of Kanchi Mutt
• Sangeeta Saraswathi (Tamil:சங்கீத சரஸ்வதி) from The Mahasannidanam of Sringeri
• Gana kuyil (Tamil:கானக்குயில்) from Valmiki Manram, Chennai
• Isai Peroli (Tamil:இசைப் பேரொளி) and VST Award from Karthik Fine Arts, Chennai
• Good knowledge in procedure from Sahara Fine Arts, Chennai
• Sangita Kokila from Tamil Sangam Navi Mumbai

External links[link]

• Sudha Ragunathan's Homepage

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