Carnatic music is one of the two forms of Indian classical music. The origin of Carnatic music is believed to be divine. Goddess Saraswati who plays the veena bless us with the talent to play Carnatic music. It is a form of ancient music and is from the XV-XVI century. The men formed the different swaras and ragas observing the sound produced by the animals and the waves of the sea. Carnatic music is completely melodic and is sung with much improvisation on the part of the performer. Like any other form of music, Carnatic music requires proper training and dedication.

Carnatic music has two main elements: Raga (Ragam) and Tala (Thalam). Raga is the mode and Tala are the rhythmic cycles. There are numerous ragas and talas and with their combination you can sing different wonderful songs. The main ragas are Sankarabharanam, Mohanam, Aarabhi, Hindolam, Kamas etc. The main talas are Aadi, rupakam, dhruva, triputa, jhampa, matya. With these ragas and talas together we can create wonders.

All Ragas are based on Swaras. There are seven basic swaras in Indian classical music. They are Sa(Do), Ri(Re), Ga(Mi), Ma(Fa), Pa(So), Da(La), Ni(Ti). With different combinations of these swaras we can create different ragas. There are two basic elements to a raga; the Aarohanam (rising raga notes in scale) and the Avarohanam (falling raga notes in scale).

Sruti plays a vital role in music. It’s like the ‘key’ in western music. Sruti is like the soul of Carnatic music. The earliest form of Carnatic music is the saralivarisai. This is an exercise that familiarizes us with the swaras and the sruti. It also helps to learn the different combinations of swaras that are possible. Then comes the Jandavarisai which is the next level of saralivarisai. In this exercise you will be intensively trained on how to chant with sruti and handle the swaras correctly. Then comes the swarajati. This is a combination of swaras and songs. This is the basic exercise that we need to practice to get the raga right. Then comes the varnam, which is a special item emphasizing the importance of different ragas. It also trains us on how to accent and approach a certain note. Varam is often sung first in any concert as it attracts the attention of the audience.

Then comes the Kirtana (Krithi). This is basically a song composed with the help of swaras and ragas. It consists of Pallavi, Anupallavi and charanam which are sung in the same given order. Pallavi and Anupallavi are generally two lines, while charanam has more lines and emphasizes the purpose of the song i.e. the raga and tala.

All the forms of Carnatic music mentioned above are sung at different levels of speed to increase strength and control of the voice. During practice, students are usually asked to sing them just by replacing ‘Aa’ in the place of all the swaras, which helps them achieve perfection in the raga. In ancient times, to achieve good voice and raga control, students are told to practice standing in the pond or lake with the water level up to the throat. Also to have an excellent voice it is said that students will have pebbles in their mouths while practicing.