Indian music
explainer · 7 min
Sa Re Ga Ma: sargam explained for beginners
Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni are Indian music’s seven basic notes; sargam means singing or writing melodies with these syllables. To read and sing sargam, choose your home Sa, follow the note names and octave marks, and recognise the natural, lowered and raised forms.
explainer · 6 min
Mukhda and antara: how a film song is built
In a typical Hindi film song, the mukhda is the returning opening section, while an antara is a verse with new words and melody. This pattern comes from Hindustani classical music; listen for the verse climbing higher, then leading back to the opening tune.
explainer · 7 min
Krishna flute music: what bansuri meditation music is and how to listen to it
Krishna flute music usually means music on the bansuri, North India's bamboo flute, named for its association with Krishna in Hindu stories. In a slow piece, listen for held notes, slides and returns to Sa, the home note, against the drone, a steady reference sound.
explainer · 6 min
Jaun Elia: the poet behind Kitne Aish Se Rahte Honge
Jaun Elia was an Urdu poet whose speakers argue with themselves and mock their own grief. Hear his words in BeatRootRaga’s Kitne Aish Se Rahte Honge, composed by Alap Desai and sung by Gayatri Asokan.
explainer · 4 min
Charanam meaning: what a charanam is and how it differs from the pallavi
A charanam is the concluding section of a composed song in Carnatic (South Indian classical) music, usually bringing new words and a fresh melody. The pallavi is the opening section that returns as a refrain, while the charanam develops something new before leading back to it.
explainer · 7 min
Bansuri: the bamboo flute explained
The bansuri is North India's side-blown flute, made from one hollow, seasoned length of bamboo with a blowing hole and six or seven finger holes. Fingers and breath change its notes without keys; listen for slides between notes, breath-shaped phrases and returns to Sa, the home note.
explainer · 8 min
What is a ghazal? Structure explained with two BeatRootRaga originals
A ghazal is poetry built from self-contained couplets, or pairs of lines, joined by rhyme and a shared pattern of line length and rhythm. When sung, a returning melody connects the couplets, while repeated lines, melodic changes and pauses give listeners time to hear the meaning.
explainer · 7 min
Pallavi, anupallavi and charanam: the three parts of a Carnatic song
In a typical kriti, the main composed song form of Carnatic (South Indian classical) music, the pallavi is the opening section that returns. The anupallavi is the second section, developing the opening, while the charanam is the concluding section and usually the longest.