Rasa

What does rasa mean?

Rasa means flavour or essence. In music, it means the mood a performance is said to carry. Love, devotion, calm, longing and heroism are some of the moods described through rasa.

You may also hear rasa used to describe a raga, a melodic framework for creating pieces and inventing melody during performance in Indian classical music. The mood comes from the notes, the phrases and how they are sung, rather than a rule.

This is a short definition. For the full explanation of rasa, visit the linked BeatRootRaga learning page.

An example of rasa and where to read more

Take Bhoop, a raga, or melodic framework in Indian classical music. Its rasa, meaning flavour or essence, is usually described as calm and devotional. Here, rasa names the mood the music is said to carry. That mood comes from the notes, the phrases and how they are sung, not from a rule.

For the next step, follow the linked BeatRootRaga learning page for the full explanation of rasa. For more on the framework behind the mood, read What is a raga? A plain-language guide for listeners.