Twelve Minutes, a C# Tanpura and a Rusty Jhaptal Gat
A candidate enters a 12-minute practical examination with a sitar tuned to C (Sa = C). The tanpura in the hall is already tuned to C# and the examiner does not want it retuned because the next candidate is waiting. The candidate's programme is: alap in Raga Bageshri for 3 minutes, jod for 2 minutes, a Teental gat for 4 minutes, and a tihai. The examiner changes the requirement: the gat must be in Jhaptal, because Teental was used by the previous candidate. The candidate knows a Jhaptal gat in Bageshri but has not played it for six months; the sitar's jawari buzzes on the low Sa and the third string is slightly false above the 12th fret. The candidate has a clip-on tuner, a spare set of strings, and four minutes before entering.
1. What should the candidate do about the semitone mismatch between sitar (C) and tanpura (C#)? Compare the realistic options and justify a decision.
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Sa is movable in principle, but the tanpura is the reference, and a semitone clash will make every phrase sound wrong. The candidate should first ask for a short retune of the tanpura down to C. This is the least risky option: one string or the whole drone can be adjusted quickly, and the sitar's set-up, jawari and fret positions remain unchanged.
Tuning the sitar up to C# is tempting but problematic. All strings would rise a semitone, increasing tension on old strings and on the jawari; more importantly, the sitar's frets are tied for a scale, so simply raising the open strings does not transpose the instrument correctly. The fingered notes would no longer match the intended scale without moving frets, which is impossible in four minutes. Restringing is out of the question.
If the examiner absolutely refuses to allow the tanpura to be retuned, the candidate should explain the problem briefly and ask to perform with a shruti box or electronic drone at C. The worst choice is to play a semitone apart and hope the examiner blames the instrument. The tuning check should be done with the clip-on tuner before entering, not during the alap.
2. With 12 minutes including questions, how should the candidate restructure the programme, and how should the buzzing jawari and false string be managed?
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The programme must be cut to leave time for tuning and questions. A realistic plan is: 1 minute tuning check, 2–2.5 minutes alap, 1–1.5 minutes jod, 3.5–4 minutes Jhaptal gat with tihai, and the remainder for questions. The Teental gat is now irrelevant; the examiner has changed the tala, so the candidate must demonstrate the Jhaptal gat even if it is rusty.
Because the Jhaptal gat is not secure, the candidate should play the sthai cleanly and a simple tihai rather than attempt a half-remembered antara. Tala accuracy and a clear landing on sam earn more than a rushed, elaborate gat.
The buzzing jawari should not be 'fixed' by restringing in four minutes. The candidate should reduce attack on the low Sa, avoid holding the open bass string, and shift phrases to a higher Sa where the jawari is cleaner. The false third string above the 12th fret should be avoided by staying below that register or using a different string for the same notes. The examiner should be told briefly that the instrument has a jawari issue, but the performance should not become a repair demonstration.
3. The examiner asks: 'Why Bageshri, and what will you establish in the first minute?' Give the answer the candidate should be able to defend.
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Bageshri suits a short alap because its identity can be established with a few strong phrases: komal Ga, komal Ni, shuddha Ma, and Pa used in descent rather than in the ascent. Its vadi is Ma, so the opening should centre on Ma and its resolution to Ga and Sa. A defensible first minute would include the aroha-like phrase S g M D n S, a descent such as S n D P M g R S, and a pakad-like figure M g R S. The candidate should avoid Pa in the ascent and avoid letting the phrases drift into Kafi, which shares komal Ga and komal Ni but has a different vadi and a more prominent Pa.
In the first minute the aim is not to show speed but to prove raga identity: tivra or shuddha notes correctly placed, the vadi Ma clearly heard, and the descent through komal Ni to Pa. If the examiner interrupts after one minute, the candidate should already have made Bageshri unmistakable. This is also why the candidate should not spend the first minute tuning or testing the instrument; that must be done before the performance begins.