Notation Systems and Writing Notation
This domain tests whether you can read and write swar lipi with correct symbols, correct vibhag marks, and a clear statement of raga, tala and laya.
The Bhatkhande system
Bhatkhande's notation, set out in Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati, writes shuddha notes as S R G M P D N. Komal notes carry a line or dot beneath (r g d n); teevra Ma carries a mark above (M^). A dot below lowers a note into mandra saptak; a dot above lifts it into taar saptak. Meend is a curved line, kan swara is written small, and murki or khatka appears as a cluster of small notes.
Layout rules
The sthayi is written first and the antara below it. Each vibhag is closed by a vertical bar. Sam is marked 1 or x, khali is marked 0, and other tali numbers are marked 2, 3 and so on. The heading must state raga, tala, laya and, where known, the composer.
What a complete answer needs
Raga and thata; tala with its matra count; the notation itself with komal and teevra marks intact; sam clearly indicated; sthayi and antara labelled.
Worked example
Notating a Teental line: S R G M | P D N S' | S' N D P | M G R S. Four vibhags of four matras each. Sam is the first S of vibhag one. Khali falls on the first note of vibhag three, so a 0 sits above that D. Reasoning: the bar lines mark vibhags, not verbal phrases, and the sam sign must sit exactly on matra 1.
Traps
Leaving komal notes unmarked so the raga changes identity; omitting the sam sign; drawing bar lines every two matras in Teental; mixing Paluskar's numeric notation with Bhatkhande's letters without naming the system; writing the antara above the sthayi.