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Raga Gara MELODIC INSTRUMENTS
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Senior Member 464 posts Christianamr Senior Member 464 posts
Christianamr
I`ve been investigating the lakshanas of Gara lately , and since it is a Thumri-ang raga , I can see that it is not so easy to grasp as the ragas used in Khyal-ang .

Of course , the link of Deepak Raja´s site is excellent , but I there is one explanation that is even more appealing to my understanding , namely from the book " Ṭhumrī in Historical and Stylistic Perspectives " - Peter Lamarche Manuel .

http://books.google.at/books?id=PlNShmx3x68C&pg=PA204&dq=raga+ghara&hl=de&sa=X&ei=dnz8UvvxGvKd7gaw7IDIDQ&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=raga%20ghara&f=false .

Another site mentions that besides being performed in Khamaj-ang , it is also rendered in Desh- , Bageshri- and Nat-angas , like Jaijaiwanti ( I didn´t know about the Nat-anga , or even if the Nat-part is correct info ... ) : http://www.indiapicks.com/SNT_Hindi/P-149.htm

Some of my favorite renditions are :

- Shamik Bose performing Bhajans - I feel this type of Gara gets also into Zilla and even some Piloo .

- Shruti Sadolikar , Thumri - Here also some Piloo , and even some Sindhura .

- Bhimsen Joshi performing Thumri . This one seems to have lots of influence from raag Maand ( There is also an interlude in raag Bhinna Shadja ) .

- Arindam bhattacharya , Subhajyoti guha - ( This one in Pancham se Gara ) - Some influence of Pahadi .

Parting from the phrases written in the book mentioned above and taking some prominent phrases from the Bhimsen Joshi recording , I have tried to make some aroha/avaroha sets for this particular kind of Gara , influenced by Maand , Pahadi and Manjh Khamaj . The structure is somewhat based on the ar/avr given by Deepak Raja . ( There might of course be many other possibilities ... ) .

Aroha : `m `D `n S `N S R G m G ( alternates : 1 ] D `n S `N S R G m G , m P D n D . 2] `D `n S `N S R G m P m , 3] `m `D `n S `N S R G P m , 4] `D `n S `N S R G m P D n D . 5] D `n S `N S R G m P m P D n D )
Avaroha : P m G R g R S`n`D `n S ( alternates : 1] n D P m G m G R g R S ´N S , 2] D n D P m G R g R S , 3] m G R g R S `N S `n`D `m `D `n S , 4] D P m G R g R S `N S `n `D `n S , 5] D n D P m G m G R g R S `N S . 6] D n D P m G m G R g R S `N S `n `D )

I am trying to separate this kind of bright Gara ( which gravitates more towards Khamaj thaat and maybe Bilawal thaat ) from the more somber Gara , which gets more into Kafi thaat and even Piloo-ang , like the versions by Shamik Bose and Shruti Sadolikar .
सहस्रनाम ततुलयम राम नाम वरानने |
Sahasranāma tat tulyam Rāma nāma Varānane .
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chrisitar Senior Member 488 posts
chrisitar
I've noticed some inconsistancies with this raga online. There is a vid of Nikhil Banerjee playing Gara with Anindo Chatterjee, the raga employs both ma, both ni, and shuddh gha, re, and dha. There is a performance on MusicIndiaOnline.com of Vilayat Khanplaying Raga Gara and it seems to be just a normal Bilawal tuning. Then there is a Ravi Shankar cd i have (Raga Tala i believe) that has Raga Gara and it uses both gha, both ni, only shuddh ma, and shuddh re and dha. which is the "real" raga gara? they all sound so different yet are labeled as the same raga.
Meend over matter
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cwroyds Senior Member 2,300 posts
cwroyds
Straight Rag Gara should use both Shuddha & Komal Gandhar, Shuddha & Komal Nishad. All other notes are Shuddha.

Here is an interesting article on Gara that should help explain inconstancies.
http://swaratala.blogspot.com/2007/05/raga-gara-raga-and-fragrance.html
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chrisitar Senior Member 488 posts
chrisitar
wow thanks, thats very interesting. im adding that site to my favs for sure.
Meend over matter
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Joshua Feinberg Senior Member 323 posts
Joshua Feinberg
Hi,

Gara, or Shuddh Gara uses all natural notes as well as the komal ga and komal ni. There are also Madhyam or Ma Se Gara or Pancham or Pa Se Gara. These involve transposing the Sa to Ma or Pa respectively and maintaining the interval and phrasing structure of the rag. This is most commonly performed by members of the Maihar Gharana. The recording you're referring to of Pt. Nikhil Banerjee is actually Pancham Se Gara, the Pt. Ravi Shankar recording is probably Madhyam Se Gara, and the Ust. Vilayat Khan recording is probably Shuddh Gara.

Best,
Josh
http://www.joshfeinbergmusic.com
"Practice is the word, because without practice you cannot take one step more," Pt. Nikhil Banerjee
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cwroyds Senior Member 2,300 posts
cwroyds
Nikhil Banerjee also does a lovely Mishra Gara with Anindo Chatterjee.
This could be the one you are referring to.
Mishra (Mixed) Gara uses notes from other ragas to adjust the mood.
A file may be labeled "Gara", but may actually one of the many variations.

You also cant always rely on Indian music files/ Videos to be labeled correctly.
I have many music files that are mislabeled.
For example, Ravi Shankar's Pancham Se Gara from the Monterey Festival is often labeled as "Dadra".
This is a misunderstanding that probably comes from the fact that at the beginning he says "Rag Pancham Se Gara in Dadra (Taal).
Anyhoo, I have seen it many times labeled as "Dadra".
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