Practical Performance: Prescribed Ragas on the Chosen Instrument
What this domain covers
The practical paper tests your chosen instrument in the prescribed ragas: tuning, posture, fingering/plucking, alaap, gat, jhala, tala coordination, and ornaments. You must be able to explain how you would prepare and perform a raga, not just play it.
Core rules
- Tune first: tanpura or drone to Sa; check the instrument's main strings and sympathetic strings. A stable Sa is the reference for every swara.
- Posture: sit cross-legged or on a stool with the instrument stable; keep the wrist relaxed; for sitar/sarod, the mizrab/plectrum angle controls tone.
- Alaap: unfold the raga in vilambit laya, phrase by phrase, touching vadi and samvadi; do not rush to the gat.
- Gat: a fixed composition in a tala. State the raga, tala, and laya. Start the gat on sam; keep the vibhag structure clear.
- Jhala: fast stroking on chikari and main strings, often in drut laya; end with a tihai that resolves on sam.
- Ornaments: meend, kan, gamak, murki must suit the raga; over-ornamenting can distort the raga's shape.
Worked example
"Plan a short Yaman presentation on sitar in Teentaal." Reasoning: begin with tanpura drone on Sa. Play alaap in Yaman using Ni Re Ga Ma(tivra), Pa, Dha, Ni, resolving on Ga and Ni. Then a madhya-laya gat in Teentaal with sam on the first beat; mark khali at matra 9. Add a simple tihai: repeat a three-matra phrase three times so the last matra lands on sam. The plan is valid because the raga's tivra Ma is maintained and the tala cycle is respected.
Traps
Do not start the gat before sam. Do not ignore tuning or sympathetic strings. Do not play Bhairav ornaments in Yaman. Do not end a tihai before sam; the resolution is the point.