Can someone explain Pakad to me? I know it means "dominating notes of a raga" But is it the dominating notes (swaras) of a thata also? What do they mean by dominating? And what does a horizontal line underneath a swara indicate? The book I'm struggling through is "Theory of Indian Ragas" but I cant find an explanation to this horizontal line.
Hey Jeff,
from what I was taught, the pakad is the "face" of the raag. Apparently you can show what raag you are playing by playing something like the pakad. The underline swar is komol in my books.
"literally, 'catch'; a short section of a particular raga that embodies its characteristic, recognizable features that distinguish one raga from another"
From what I have been able to gather, it seems to be the basic structure/pattern of any given raga itself, not the thaat it's related to. . . . .both of the arohana and the avarohana of the raga. . .their unique pattern. . . . . . .
Ohhhhhhhhhhh! So then the vertical line above the "swar" is tivra. Boy, I'm stupid! Thanks pb you ended alot of my head scratching, but I'm sure I'll be confused again shortly by some other thing.
Jeffrey R King
"literally, 'catch'; a short section of a particular raga that embodies its characteristic, recognizable features that distinguish one raga from another"
From what I have been able to gather, it seems to be the basic structure/pattern of any given raga itself, not the thaat it's related to. . . . .both of the arohana and the avarohana of the raga. . .their unique pattern. . . . . . .
That's the best I've been able to figure out. . .
See ya!
AJ
Well I'm scratching my head again and that was only 30 seconds between me reading each post!
Hey Jeff,
I think the pakad is something the artist can choose to play in alap to show the raag to the audience. Sometimes it is hidden, so who knows. It's up to the artist. For some people, just strumming the tarabs is enough to show the raag! Not me, unless it is bhairavi or one close to it.
pb
Pakad or Pakra is the "heart" of the rag. It is a phrase that is unique to that raga and distinguishes it from nearby ragas that might use the same notes. So in Bhairo "GmNd" or in Khamaj "GmPDGmG" or Bihag "PMGmG" etc.
If you are playing a Dhrupad style alap you might start with note bistars in the middle octave (low Pa to middle Pa) always following the rules of the rag of course. At some point, depending on your artistry and the patience and education of the audience, you will "go to the heart" and show the pakad. This "opens" the rag up. It is true that sometimes an artist will try to "hide" the rag, and you aren't sure until your hear that pakra what rag is being played. There is also "aochar" alap, where the artist tries to show the rag in a few short phrases, which would undoubtably include the pakad in some form.or other.
From this link, chose a raga that uses Kalyan. Then play the audio clip. the singer will introduce the rag with a short alap and then present the pakar w/ tabla. Great site with many examples from different Thaats
oops, forgot to add, pb's correct in that the horizontal line indicates komal or flatted notes. . .if there's a sign that looks like a language accent, it means tivra, or sharpened note. . . . .and the only note that can ever be tivra is Ma
My copy of MMML also states that there are 3 different degrees of komal or tivra. . . . .now go and figure THAT one out! : )
