Notation Systems and Writing Swara and Tala Notation
Notation questions test whether you can write swaras and talas so that another musician can reproduce them, and whether you know the two systems used in Indian syllabi.
The two systems
- Vishnu Digambar Paluskar system uses Roman or Devanagari S R G M P D N and is associated with the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya tradition.
- Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande system is the more common reference in Hindustani textbooks and uses similar swara letters with its own conventions for komal and tivra swaras.
Swara notation rules
- Shuddha: S R G M P D N; komal Re, Ga, Dha, Ni are marked (underline or lower case, depending on the system); tivra Ma is marked above or with a distinct symbol.
- Octave: dot below = mandra, no dot = madhya, dot above = taar.
- A vertical bar separates vibhags; a double bar ends the avartan.
Tala notation rules
Write matra numbers in a row, place the bols beneath them, mark sam with ×, khali with 0, and the other talis with 2, 3, and so on.
Worked example
Teentaal, 16 matras: Matra: 1 2 3 4 | 5 6 7 8 | 9 10 11 12 | 13 14 15 16 Mark: × - - - | 2 - - - | 0 - - - | 3 - - - Bol: Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Tin Tin Ta | Ta Dhin Dhin Dha Reasoning: four vibhags of four; sam × on matra 1; tali 2 on 5; khali 0 on 9; tali 3 on 13. A sargam line for Yaman can fill the same grid: S R G M^ | P D N S' | S' N D P | M^ G R S.
Traps
- Omitting khali or marking sam as 0.
- Writing tivra Ma with the komal sign.
- Putting octave dots on the wrong side.
- Forgetting that the avartan repeats.