RBSE SS Vocal Music study plan

Write out, from memory, aroha, avaroha, pakad, vadi, samvadi, jati and samay for the first half of the Class XII prescribed ragas, then verify each against a reliable textbook and correct errors in a red pen

Sing the pakad of each of those ragas slowly on 'aakar' for five minutes each, checking that the characteristic phrase is recognisable without accompaniment

Define in your own words vadi, samvadi, anuvadi, vivadi, jati (audav/shadav/sampurna combinations) and samay, and give one raga example for each definition

Record a 10-minute daily riyaz log noting warm-up (paltas/meend exercises), raga practised, and one vocal problem observed that day

Complete the raga chart for the remaining prescribed ragas and recite the samay of all ragas in correct chronological order (morning to night cycle) without looking

Sing each raga's aroha and avaroha in steady laya with a tanpura, keeping the tonic fixed, and mark any raga where you drift from the tonic

Write the theka in notation for the prescribed talas (teentaal, ektaal, jhaptaal, rupak, dhamar, and any others in the syllabus), showing matra numbers, tali, khali and vibhag divisions

Recite each theka by hand-clap and wave at a slow, medium and fast laya, keeping the cycle unbroken for at least four avartans

Practise layakari in teentaal and jhaptaal: sing or recite the theka in barabar, dugun, tigun and chaugun, then in a 3:2 (aad) cross-rhythm, until each ratio can be held for two full avartans

Compare bada khayal and chhota khayal structurally: write a one-page table of sthayi, antara, tempo, vistaar scope and typical tala

Analyse one dhrupad, one dhamar, one tarana and one sadra from your textbook: label sthayi, antara, and where applicable sanchari and abhog, and note the tala and laya of each

Notate one bada khayal bandish in teentaal with matra numbers, vibhag lines, and the sam clearly marked

Convert three compositions from notation back into singing, then write them out again from memory and compare with the original to catch notation errors

Notate one composition each in jhaptaal and rupak, handling the khali correctly in the notation

Sing a tarana and a dhamar from notation at first sight, then repeat until fluent, timing how long fluency takes

Explain the notation conventions you are using (swara symbols for komal/tivra, mandra/madhya/tara markers, meend and kan-swara marks) in writing, as if answering a viva question

Build a gharana chart: for each major vocal gharana (Gwalior, Kirana, Agra, Jaipur-Atrauli, Patiala and others in your syllabus), list its stylistic hallmarks and two or three representative exponents

Write short profiles of the composers and musicologists named in your prescribed texts, stating one specific contribution each (a form developed, a treatise written, a notation system, a raga popularised)

Read the prescribed sections of the treatises on your list and summarise, in your own words, what each says about raga, tala or voice

Match ten well-known compositions or bandishes to their composers without reference, then check and correct

Structure a full raga presentation: alap (with vilambit vistaar), bada khayal with bol-alap and tans, chhota khayal with fast tans and tihai, ending on sam; rehearse it end to end twice

Practise tala recitation on its own, including reciting the theka and then improvising a tihai that lands exactly on sam in three different talas

Do a 20-minute sight-reading drill: unseen notation of a composition, sung accurately at first attempt

Run a mock viva: answer 20 rapid-fire terminology questions (grammar of Indian music, voice-culture terms, form definitions) aloud in under 15 seconds each

Perform a third raga presentation with a different tala from weeks 6, and listen back to mark every sam that was missed or rushed

Do a rapid-recall drill: name aroha, avaroha, pakad, vadi, samvadi, jati and samay for every prescribed raga in under three minutes total

Rehearse the weakest two ragas identified in week 6 and week 7 recordings until the pakad and vistaar are secure

Practise voice warm-up and cool-down routines daily and note which exercise most improves your upper-register stability

Revise all eight domains using your own charts and workbooks from weeks 1-7, not fresh material

Take two timed full-length mock papers covering all domains and review every wrong answer against the source text

Re-record the strongest raga presentation as a final performance, aiming for a clean sam, clear pakad and controlled tans

Recite all prescribed thekas and answer terminology questions in one continuous 30-minute session without notes