Karnātaka sangītam anglicized as Carnatic music is a system of music originating from South India. Rooted in the Sama Veda (one of the four Vedas), Carnatic music attained a ditinct form in the 16th and 17th centuries where it flourished in the courts of the South Indian kingdoms of Vijayanagara, Mysuru(Mysore), Thiruvithamkoor(Travancore) and Tanjavur(Tanjore). It was during this time that a classification methodology for Ragas was developed and established by Venkatamakhin and later standardized by Govindhacharya.
Shruti is the frequency to which the base Swara (Shadjamam) is set to. A continuous drone is usually played in this frequency using a Tambura. All Swaras are relative to this frequency.
A Swara is a note. In Carnatic Music, seven categories are identified and represented as the following - Sa (Shadjamam), Ri (Rishabham), Ga (Gāndharam), Ma (Madhyamam), Pa (Panchamam), Da (Dhaivatam) and Ni (Nishādham). Musically, these are interpreted as 16 distinct notes and denominated as S, R₁, R₂, R₃, G₁, G₂, G₃, M₁, M₂, P, D₁, D₂, D₃, N₁, N₂, N₃. Hover over each note on the keyboard to understand how these Swaras are mapped.
A Raga is a melodic framework for improvisation. Each Raga is a distinct mood and personality and is a unique feature of Indian Classical music. Speaking subjectively, a Raga is not just a linear, lifeless combination of Swaras but rather, a living, breathing, emotional representation of a given set of Swaras which is usually enabled by use of Ornamentation (Gamakas).
Melakarta is a collection of fundamental Ragas. All Ragas originate from these Ragas, which are derived from a mathematical permutation of the seven Swaras spanning across 16 Swara Sthanas. These permutations are organized across 12 Chakras, each of which contains 6 Ragas. Thus, a total of 72 Melakartha Ragas have been identified.
Arohanam is the ascending sequence of Swaras in a given Raga.
Avarohanam is the descending sequence of Swaras in a given Raga.
Moorchana is the collection of Arohanam and Avarohanam sequences. Moorchana serves as an identifier of a Raga.
Gamakas are ornamentations that give character to a Raga. Gamakas are produced either by sliding between Swaras or by clustering Swaras together in a coherent fashion.