The chalan can be thought of as an expansion of the pakad. Pakad and chalan are concepts peculiar to Hindustani music, however there is a similar concept to chalan in Carnatic music (the use of prayogas), which will be discussed in a forthcoming post.

Chalan literally means “movement” or “gait” or way of moving. There may be Ragas without a pakad for which there are chalans.

The chalan demonstrates the melodic outline of a Raga. A Raga’s chalan shows one the characteristic ways of using clusters of notes or clusters of phrases in the development of a Raga.

A Raga may have the same or similar notes, arranged in the same way in the aroh and avroh (as in the Ragas Bhoop and Deshkar which have the same notes), however the chalan can show you how different clusters of notes are deployed in each Raga differently.

The chalan of a Raga can show you not only how swaras are grouped differently, but how they are differently intoned (this is learned through listening).

Here is a video from ShadjaMadhyam that explains the concept of chalan quite well, using the Ragas Bhoop and Deshkar as an example. Both Ragas have the same notes, i.e. S R G P D S. However, the chalan gives one an idea of the how the swaras are used differently in each Raga. (Note: It is not just the chalan that helps us see the difference between Bhoop and Deshkar, the difference in raga-anga, a concept to be discussed later, is also very important. If you want to read more on the difference in approach to Bhoop and Deshkar, Parrikar’s article is the best.)

If you ask some musicians to sing you some sample chalans of the same Raga, they will not all sing them in exactly the same way with exactly the same patterns of notes. The chalans, can, however, be very similar, especially when there is a consensus across the different gharanas , or different schools of music, over the general devlopment and form of a Raga.

Nachiketa Sharma discusses the Raga Yaman and the concept of chalan in the video below. He begins his chalan with the most well recognised phrase of the Raga Yaman, i.e. ‘N-R-G.

Notice that in some ascending phrases in his chalan Sharma skips the note Pa (e.g at 3:49). Sa and Pa are often skipped in ascending sequences in Yaman (though not always) and a chalan should illustrate this.

As Rajan Parrikar says, “The skipping of shadaj[Sa] and pancham[Pa] in arohi [ascending] movements – N’ R G and m D N – lends Yaman a distinct locus.”

The pakad, and more so the chalan, can provide a grammatical and aesthetical framework with which to understand a Raga’s swara groupings and movements. As usual, however, a note of caution: Chalan(s) do not a Raga make. A musician improvises while singing a Raga using its swaras, various microtonal ornamentations and it’s particular “feel” or “feels” (bhava/s), that can only be learned through a lot of listening and practice.

Related Posts:

• What is a Raga (7): The Pakad or the “Grip” of a Raga
• What is a Raga (1)?
• Introducing Yourself to Indian Classical Music 13-What’s your frequency? The Tanpura/Tambura and finding your Sur, Shruti or Pitch
• Sa and Pa not always fixed?
• Introducing Yourself to Indian Classical Music 12-The Saptaswaras in the South- the Carnatic notes

The word pakad, used in Hindustani music terminology, means “to catch” or “grip.” The pakad of a Raga is made up of a characteristic phrase or phrases, containing the smallest combination of notes, by which a Raga can be identified.

Not every Raga can be said to have a pakad, and not everyone will agree over a Raga’s pakad. Neither will everyone write the pakad down the same way.

For example, the phrase ‘N-R-G-M or ’N-R-G-M-P-R-G-R-’N-R-S or the phrases ‘N-R-G-M-P, R-G-R, ‘N-R-S (as detailed by Haresh Bakshi) can be said to be the pakad of the very popular Raga Yaman.

Just the phrase ‘N-R-G can herald Yaman (and give one goosebumps).

In this discussion on the chandrakantha.com forums, Amitava discusses (among other things) the concept of pakad, the relevant portions of which are extracted here:

One important point to note is that a characteristic phrase (pakad) can be shared between different raags – but other phrases/melodic movements combined with this phase reveals a raag’s true identity. It is very much like fingerprint analysis when one needs several “points” to match, to distinguish it uniquely from all others. However, since many raags do not have pakads or chalans (gait – manner of movement of notes), and are easier to recognize just by the scale/ascent/descent.

On a side discussion – In Yaman, Pa-Re is considered a characteristic phrase. But there is an interesting facet to this. Since Yaman permits Pa-Ma’-Ga-Re in its descent, several combinations are permissible, depending on the way you present it. Pa-Ma’-Re, Pa-Ga-Re, Pa-Ma’-Ga-Re, Pa-Re are all “legal” and aesthetically pleasing, depending on the way the transitions are rendered. Now, Gaud Sarang is another raag that has the same notes as Yaman, but different rules. Pa-Re is also a characteristic phrase (pakad) of the raag, but due to the nature of the scale (avroha), all the Yaman combinations from Pa to Re are not possible in Gaud Sarang. This also brings up the point that one should not get obsessed with pakads in the presentation of a raag. It will be an extremely dull performance. It is the mix of pakad and non-characteristics phrases (more of the latter), that shows one’s imagination and renders an enjoyable performance….

…A raag could have two groups of pakads (if it is a pakad based raag) – those that are traditionally agreed to by “everyone”. Other pakads are “very popular” phrases, which could, in time, become a part of tradition. So – a raag, contrary to popular belief, can have alternative interpretations and/or change with time. Some “traditional” pakads of a raag are intentionally combined with other raags to form new raags (appending the names of the two raags). It is also possible that people recognize the pakads of one raag in another – and rename the latter by appending the name of the former raag. Once again, this is a general rule. There are several exceptions.

Related Posts:

• What is a Raga (8)?: The Chalan (characteristic phrases) of a Raga
• What is a Raga (1)?
• Popular Ragas for the Beginner Ear~ Durga
• What is a Raga (5): Similar Aarohana and Avarohana-Different Ragas
• What is a Raga (3)- Aaroh/Avroh or Aarohana and Avarohana (Ascending and Descending Note Sequences)

रंग ना डालो शामजी गोरी पे Ranga Na Daalo/Daaro Shyaamji

पेहरी नयी रे नयी सारी Pehri Nayi Re Nayi Saari

सखी सहेल हसत रे देई गारी Sakhi Sahel Hasat Re Deyi Gaari

कैसे हो खिलाडी मानत नाही Kaise Ho Khilaadi Maanat Nahi

बरजोरी न कर जावो मै तो हारी Barjori Na Kar Jaavo Main toh Haari

Lyrics credit: Tejaswi here

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• Introducing Yourself to Indian Classical Music 6-Voices
• Ud Jayega Hans Akela
• On Mukul Shivputra
• Kumar Gandharva-Bhoopali

Lists are usually redundant, but this one is inescapable: Sawai Gandharva, Basavraj Rajguru, Bhimsen Joshi, Mallikarjun Mansur, Gangubai Hangal and Kumar Gandharva. All of them have their origins in this region of Karnataka, a region small enough to have no significance on a geographical map, but worthy of a bid to be the capital of Hindustani vocal music in India. And unlike a Rampur (Uttar Pradesh) or a Bishnupur (West Bengal), places that now find significance only in music history, Dharwad continues to produce fierce vocalists. Venkatesh Kumar, Kaivalya Kumar Gaurav, Jayateerth Mevundi, Kumar Mardur — they rank among the foremost Hindustani vocalists in the country today, and all are thorough Dharwad-bred.

The first point of wonder is how a region in Karnataka could be obsessed with Hindustani music as opposed to Carnatic. There seems to be a logical explanation. The northern part of modern-day Karnataka used to be a part of the Bombay Presidency and then the Bombay State, until the reorganisation of the states in 1956. Rajshekhar Mansur, vocalist and son of Mallikarjun Mansur, says, “Culturally, the people of northern Karnataka continue to be similar to the people of Maharashtra. Their interest in Hindustani music has not dwindled after becoming a part of Karnataka.”

Link

Related Posts:

• What is a Raga (8)?: The Chalan (characteristic phrases) of a Raga
• What is a Raga (7): The Pakad or the “Grip” of a Raga
• Rang Na Daaro
• Jai Sharada Bhawani-Ustad Rashid Khan
• Get Well Soon

Raga Bhairavi

Related Posts:

• Popular Ragas for the Beginner Ear~ Durga
• V is for Veena
• What is a Raga (8)?: The Chalan (characteristic phrases) of a Raga
• What is a Raga (7): The Pakad or the “Grip” of a Raga
• Rang Na Daaro