Kerala Plus Two Music study plan

Define svara and sruti precisely, and explain the relation between the two in your own words without notes.

List the sapta svaras with their Carnatic and Hindustani names and state the twelve-sthana scheme and where the shuddha/vikrita forms sit.

Map the 72 melakarta scheme: state the katapayadi and bhuta-sankhya conventions and derive the melakarta number for five randomly chosen melakartas.

Distinguish arohana, avarohana, janya raga types (varja, vakra, bhashanga, upanga) and give one example raga for each type.

Write the sapta tala alankaras scheme: name the seven talas and their angas, and mark laghu jatis.

Analyse raga lakshana for five prescribed ragas: identify graha, amsa, nyasa, jeeva and dhatu svara, and the characteristic phrases (prayogas) of each.

Sing or play the arohana-avarohana of those five ragas accurately in at least two speeds.

Notate one kirtanam or varnam in your syllabus using svara notation with tala angas marked, and check it against a teacher or recording.

Identify and correct your own sruti alignment by singing the sarali and janta varisai with a tanpura or shruti box for 15 minutes daily.

Explain the difference between varnam (tana, pada, swara, sahitya varnam) and kirtanam structurally.

Build a chronological timeline of the Carnatic Trinity and at least eight other composers with period, place and one signature contribution each.

List the musical forms in ascending structural complexity (geetham, swarajathi, jatiswara, varnam, kirtanam, kriti, ragamalika, padam, javali, tillana) and state the defining feature of each.

Analyse the structure of a kriti: pallavi, anupallavi, charanam, and identify mudras of at least five composers.

Explain the role of a ragamalika and identify the ragamalika compositions in your syllabus with their raga sequence.

Memorise composer, raga and tala details for every composition in your practical list.

Outline the ancient period: trace references to music in the Vedas, Samagana, and the Natyasastra's treatment of sruti, svara and grama.

Summarise the medieval transition: describe the shift from grama-murchhana to raga system and the contributions of Matanga, Sarangadeva and the Sangita Ratnakara.

Compare the post-medieval split into Hindustani and Carnatic traditions and name two factors behind the divergence.

List the major treatises (Natyasastra, Brihaddesi, Sangita Ratnakara, Sangita Parijata, Chaturdandi Prakasika, Sangita Sampradaya Pradarsini) with author and century.

Profile three musicologists or theorists and state one specific concept each is associated with.

Explain Kathakali sangeetham: its ragas, talas, the role of the singer (ponnani/pattu), the chengala and the relationship between music and mudra.

Identify at least six ragas characteristic of Kathakali and the contexts in which they are used.

List Kerala folk and traditional forms (sopana sangeetham, villu pattu, theyyam music, pulluvan pattu, kavadi, oppana, margam kali) with region and occasion.

Name the major Hindustani gharanas (Gwalior, Kirana, Agra, Jaipur-Atrauli, Rampur-Sahaswan, Patiala, Banaras, Maihar) with a signature stylistic trait and one exponent each.

Compare dhrupad, khayal, thumri, tarana and ghazal by structure, tempo and ornamentation.

Apply the four-fold classical classification (tata, sushira, avanaddha, ghana) to at least twenty instruments and justify each placement.

Describe the construction and playing technique of the veena, violin, mridangam, flute, nagaswaram, tanpura and chenda.

Explain the Hindustani instrument classification and place sitar, sarod, santoor, sarangi, tabla and pakhawaj within it.

Compare staff notation, svara notation and Hindustani bandish notation, and notate one simple composition in two of these systems.

Trace the evolution of notation from the Sangita Ratnakara to modern systems and explain the role of the raga-melakarta scheme in notation.

Perform a full prescribed varnam and one kirtanam from memory with correct tala and sruti.

Build a 10-minute manodharma set: alapana in one raga, niraval in one line, kalpana swaras in one composition, and one tanam phrase.

Practise sarvalaghu patterns and korvai construction for at least three talas.

Self-assess your performance against a checklist (sruti accuracy, tala stability, raga bhava, sahitya clarity) and log three practice recordings.

Revisit raga lakshana for the ragas used in your manodharma and list the phrases you actually used.

Define rasa and navarasa, and explain the rasa theory of Bharata and its application to musical expression.

Analyse how raga, tala, tempo and lyrics combine to evoke a specific rasa in two contrasting compositions.

Review all eight domains with a timed mock paper and identify your three weakest areas from the result.

Consolidate your composer, treatise, gharana and instrument tables into a single revision sheet.

Write a short applied-appreciation note on a concert or recording you have heard, using correct terminology.