Indian Classical Music And Sikh Kirtan
by Gobind Singh Mansukhani (M.A., LL.B, Ph.D.) © 1982
Grama (Scale)
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by Gobind Singh Mansukhani (M.A., LL.B, Ph.D.) © 1982
Grama (Scale)
Indian Classical Music And Sikh Kirtan by Gobind Singh Mansukhani (M.A., LL.B, Ph.D.) © 1982 Grama (Scale) |
| Grama (Scale) This old word stands for a basic scale of notes. The fixation of 22 shruties in a scale among the seven svaras (saptak) is called grama. When we fix 22 shruties in another sequence of pattern, it becomes a different or new scale. The playing of the seven notes in fixed shruties is a grama. In olden times, there were three gramas-shajda grama, madhyam grama and gandharva grama, equivalent to C, F, and G scales respectively in western music. Shajda grama: When the seven notes are played in 22 shruties in the following sequence it is called shajda grama-S in 4th shruti, R in 7th shruti, D in 20th shruti, N is 22nd shruti. If the notes are changed in any one of the above shruties, it will not be called shajda grama. In modern times, this grama is quite popular. In Sikh sacred music, a musician may switch S to the M note. This is called playing in M grama. Madhyam grama: If in the shajda grama, one shruti is reduced in P, it becomes madhyam grama. It means that P ( fifth note) will be on the 16th shruti, instead of the 17th shruti. Madhyam grama is M, P, D, N, S, R, G. Gandharva grama: This grama has become obsolete since the second century. It is thought that this grama was P, D, N, S, R, G, M. We have very little information about this grama. |