Raga Appreciation

[Indrajith]

I would like to share some more information regarding Gamakam.

Take any Sampoorna raga ( for our ease) for experimenting.

when we sing the gamaka like sa ri ga ma, singing adjasent ascending swarams then we call it as AROHANA gamakam.

AVAROHANA gamakam is simillar to the AROHANA gamakam but with descending swarams like sa ni da pa.

DAATU (DALU) gamakam is sung with jumping swarams like Sa Pa, Sa Ma, Sa Ga, Sa Ri.

When it is like Sa Sa Ri Ri Ga Ga Ma Ma ( Janta swarams) then it is called as SPOORITHA gamakam.

KAMPITHA gamakam is singing 2 non-adjasent swaras touching the intermediate swara and it is sung in a series of 3 or 4 times Ma Ri, Ma Ri, Ma Ri touching Ga or Pa Ga,Pa Ga,Pa Ga using Ma.

AHATHA gamakam is like the SPOORITHA gamakam only but the second swara in the pair will take a stress and the first is short and light. Both the swaras should be sung in the same stayi.

PRATHYAHATA gamakam is simillar to AHATHAM but sung to the descending pair of swaras like Ma Ma Ga Ga Ri Ri Sa Sa.

TRIPUCHCHA gamakam is the NEXT swara will join the PREVIOUS swara in pairs in the same stayi.
The example would be like Ri Sa Sa Ga Ri Ri Ma Ga Ga Pa Ma Ma Da Pa Pa.

ANDOLA gamakam will be the swinger from swaram to swaram denoted by a long note Sa Sa Pa,Pa Sa Ri Sa Ma,Ma - Sa Ri Sa Ga,Ga.
( Comma indicates that it is played as a long note with a FULL Swing)

MOORCHANA gamakam is singing the Arohana starting from different swaras like SaRiGaMaPaDaNi - RiGaMaPaDaNiSa - GaMaPaDaNiSaRiGa. This should be sung in madhyama kalam. The last note is usually a long note.


So I was referring to Kampitha gamakam in Kambodhi.( Long Karvai on the P and D and the kampita gamaka on the M are really enchanting.Daatu swara pryogams like "da ga ri ga sa ri da ri sa ni da pa", "ri pa ma ga sa", "ri ma ga sa", and "da ga ri sa" are a speciality of this ragam.)

Moorchana gamakams will be festive in Hamsadhwani, TRIPUCHCHA gamakam is generally sung in slow Nadai/Gathi, Andola gamakams will sound good in ragams like Hamir Kalyani.