This is a shot at sketching out the elements of music to a casual listener who may want to know a little more
about what music is made of.
Since the basics of music is the basis of all music, we will outline the difference between ‘Western’ music and ‘Indian’ music with reference to Hindustani and Carnatic classical music.
Since the basics of music is the basis of all music, we will outline the difference between ‘Western’ music and ‘Indian’ music with reference to Hindustani and Carnatic classical music.
All music is essentially melody and rhythm. Melody is the most
memorable part of a song. Rhythm is the ‘pulse’ which makes the melody
interesting. By combining the two music is created.
Melody can be thought of as the top of a pyramid.
Melody can be thought of as the top of a pyramid.
“Melody
is to music what a scent is to the senses” - Marcus Paus.
Melodies or tunes, are the sweet and agreeable series of high and low-pitched tones that are played or sung for various durations of time that one can easily catch, hum or whistle.
Melodies or tunes, are the sweet and agreeable series of high and low-pitched tones that are played or sung for various durations of time that one can easily catch, hum or whistle.
To discipline the variations of time in which each note is played, the tune is divided into rhythmic pulses or beats. Music makes ‘sense’ only when melody and rhythm is combined. It’s the second element of music that makes music, music!
Rhythm is music’s pattern in time, the regular, repeated pattern of beats, meter, tempo, and speed of the beat that drives music forward.
Indian classical music.
“Though
Hindustani and Carnatic are considered to be the two main traditions of Indian
music, there is only one music in India – the music of the raga” Raghava R.
Menon – The Penguin Dictionary of Indian Classical Music.
Hindustani & Carnatic classical music use just rhythm and melody. The music of the raga is always made by a melody maker and a rhythm maker.
Hindustani & Carnatic classical music use just rhythm and melody. The music of the raga is always made by a melody maker and a rhythm maker.
There may be accompanists on other melody
instruments such as a violin or flute or harmonium or sarangi supporting the
soloist (lead melody musician), but they shadow the soloist, and support the
soloist by playing the melody.
The only other musician and instrument on stage
is usually, a tanpura, which provides the drone in the key in which the raga is
being played.
The only true accompanists are the rhythm
players. Percussionists. Typically, ‘tabla’ in Hindustani and ‘mrindangam’ in
Carnatic! Though very often, especially in Carnatic music, more percussion
instruments are used in performances.
In Indian classical music the rhythm or beat is called Tala (pronounced taal) and the basic rhythmic structure is very complex. Tala is a rhythm cycle which consist of a number of syllables in repeated patterns on which particular beats in the meter are emphasized.
In Indian classical music the rhythm or beat is called Tala (pronounced taal) and the basic rhythmic structure is very complex. Tala is a rhythm cycle which consist of a number of syllables in repeated patterns on which particular beats in the meter are emphasized.
Because of the use of only two elements of
music, and two performers, the melody maker and the rhythm maker; both the
performers can be very flexible and creative in performance, so both, the
melody and the rhythm player can generate intricate patterns of very creative
and exciting rhythms and melodies while playing together and while improvising
on a raga. In fact, one could say there is a profound and scintillating
exhibition of mathematics and science in Indian classical rhythms. Harmony. The foundation of Western Music.
Harmony is, when different voices and different instruments sound different notes simultaneously, and together are pleasing to the ear - sweet toned and harmonious. Polyphony, (in music, the simultaneous combination of two or more tones or melodic lines (the term derives from the Greek word for “many sounds”). Brittanica
The idea of
harmony opened up whole new vistas of musical ideas and possibilities of
orchestration.
Musicians began to
write music incorporating all the 3 or 4 tones at the same time; composing
melodies that used four voices together, and, as they went along, began to find
other harmonious combinations and blends of notes or ‘chords which
inspired more musical explorations with more instruments, progressing from a
keyboard playing four different harmonious notes to create a single melody, to
small groups of instruments playing together, to very large groups of musicians
playing a huge variety of instruments in a symphony orchestra which would
include several violins, violas, cellos, double basses, piccolos, flutes,
oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, trombones, trumpets, tubas, harp, drums,
tympani, cymbals and gongs and xylophone.This led to sections of instruments coming in at different timings or places in the music. Different sections of diverse instruments brought in tones, textures and timbres, and different sounds and resonances, to create balance and contrast in the music.
This disciplined and harmonious blending of notes, and the clever balancing of the sounds of various instruments which add colour and texture to a piece of music by a whole orchestra is called orchestration.
Classical music is all about harmony and orchestration. Classical composers pre-plan every detail of the composition. The musicians do not improvise, they play their part. The whole orchestra or ensemble plays tunefully and harmoniously what the composer has imagined and written for them to play and sing.
Harmony in western music is a
hard disciplinarian. Just as
rhythm is in Indian music, because the musicians always play in
coordination with other musicians in large or small ensembles and still adhere
to the principles of harmony within the structure of the music. 
The rhythms of western music are rather staid
compared to Indian classical music, because the musicians always play in coordination with other musicians.The discipline of harmony holds true even for a solo performance, for example a guitar soloist, or piano soloist, or even if one takes a jazz piano trio, all three musicians – piano, bass and drums have to stay in harmony with others in the group and within the structure of the understood chord changes and the fixed rhythm, to synchronize and harmonize.
