Description
Bahar is a very popular springtime rag. During the spring, it may be sung at any time of the day. There are a number of film songs which use this rag; “Chham Chham Nachat Ayi Bahar” and “Sakal Bana Gagan Chalat Puravai” are two examples (more examples). However during any other season, it is a night time rag. Bahar has a very distinctive character. It uses both Nishads; it uses shuddha Ni (natural 7th) in the arohana and the komal Ni in the avarohana. For those who are still inclined towards the Vadi / Samvadi theory, it has been suggested that Ma is the vadi and Sa is the samvadi. This rag cannot be performed straight but must be executed in a vakra fashion; for it is the characteristic twists which give this rag its form. The pakad is therefore extremely important.
Arohana
(general discussion of arohana) – (general discussion of notation)
Avarohana
(general discussion of avarohana)
Jati
Shadav – Sampurna – (general discussion of jati)
Vadi
Ma – (general discussion of vadi)
Samvadi
Sa – (general discussion of samvadi)
Time
Spring – (general discussion of time and rag)
That
Kafi That – (general discussion of that)
Pakad
Drone
Sa – Pa – (general discussion of drone)
Popular Songs
For more information check out “Elementary North Indian Vocal: Vol 1” and “Elementary North Indian Vocal: Vol 2”
Selected Video
Other Sites of Interest
Indian Classical Music: Tuning and Ragas
Modes and Ragas: More Than just a Scale
Emotional responses to Hindustani Raga music: The role of musical structure
Automatic Raga Recognition in Hindustani Classical Music
Patrick Moutal. A Comparative Study of Selected Hindustānī Rāga-s based on Contemporary Practice
Automatic Tonic Identification in Indian Art Music: Approaches and Evaluation