An Indian raga is often viewed by music therapists as a highly complex sequence of notes (swaras) which are cyclic, emotional, inward-looking and meditative. It is also used in practical sessions aimed at emotional healing for those who are traumatised or mentally unstable.
A very essential feature conceived in Indian classical music traditions is Gamaka, which is capable of oscillating and/or massaging the mind which gets hardened or sick due to environmental pressures and life- situations.
Gamaka has been a special feature in the Indian music system since Vedic times. It was known as `alankara’ earlier. Sage Matanga used the word `gamaka’ for the first time in the Brihaddeshi. Indian musicological parlance defines it as a musical element, which is used to “grace or embellish” the tonality through oscillations or fluctuations of its intended sound frequencies.
According to Vekatamakhin, great scholar in Carnatic music, a gamaka may be defined as a note, assuming other frequencies along with its own.
The word ‘gam’ in gamaka can however, be translated to mean certain ‘movement’ as it refers to ‘acquiring a pace’.
Thus, it conveys a movement or dynamism to an otherwise (fixed) tonal frequency. `Gamaka’ also means ‘to warm up’, thanks to its nature of excitement.
Bharata Muni in his treatise, Natya Shastra expresses his views on gamaka so eloquently: `Without a gamaka, raga music will be like a night without moon, river without water, herbs without flowers and a woman without her ornaments.
In ancient times, `alankara’ was the word used to describe gamakas. They are in the form of soft, delicate vibrations, bringing out the personality of a raga.
The vibrations from a note touch the adjacent note on either side to produce an emotional effect called ‘raga bhava’.
Gamaka, no doubt, forms the very soul of the Indian Music System as it cleverly conceived to reach a heightened experience through its excitation process both in the singer as well the listener. It is interesting that the emotional excitations one gets through ragas end up giving a pleasant and peaceful feeling, unlike other sensory stimulants or drugs.
Even negative feelings (such as anger, fear, loneliness, sadness or aggression) expressed in music do not threaten the listeners with any dire consequence to them, unless the decibels are high!
Gamaka in music emphasises the emotional reaches in a tone (or note). It lends new meanings to the naturally occurring tones, due to their subtle fluctuations in sound frequency norms. Gamaka lends surprise elements in rendering and listening to a raga. In fact, it is a gamaka system, as it is cleverly that distinguishes Indian conceived to reach a heightened classical music with its Western state of emotional experience counterpart.
Western classical music is both in the singer as well as known for its majesty and listener. It is interesting that the splendour arising from disciplined emotional excitations one gets and harmony, involved in its through ragas end up giving a musical ethos and from the team pleasant and peaceful feeling, discipline in its orchestrated foray. Indian gamakas express a sense of accommodation and broad-mindedness, which can be seen on Indian roads. Mercedes and cycle rickshaws struggle to run along with the jay-walkers, and against traffic signals, as a broad-minded and accommodative cop looks through like a Buddha statue!
| Gamaka in music emphasises the emotional reaches in a tone (or note). It lends new meanings to the naturally occurring tones, due to their subtle fluctuations in sound frequency norms. Gamaka lends surprise elements in rendering and listening to a raga. In fact, it is gamaka that distinguishes Indian classic.al music with its Western counterpart. |
Like the Indian roads, gamaka with its continuous indulgence in fluctuations of norms offers solace to one and all without distinction.
Gamaka comprises not only shakes and graces, but also offers tremendous avenues for manipulating the passage of feelings conveyed through a note (swara). It is like avoiding the pot-holes on Indian roads as you drive along.
Gamaka is used in raga music in such a way that it produces a sense of freedom in one’s mindscape! While a note rendered plain may shine of its own character, gamaka variations flash a new understanding and scope for the sound. In the Carnatic system of music, this “susvara gayana” finds emphasis in enthralling kritis of Muthuswami Dikshitar. E.g. “Sri Subrahmanyoham”.
Gamaka Varieties: There are differences of opinion with regard to gamaka varieties that enrich Indian music among ancient authors.
While some hold that there are 7 gamakas (Sangita Sudhakara and Sangita Samayasara), the number varies to 15 (Sharngadeva) and 19 (Sangita Makaranda).
Here we will have a brief idea of the following 10 important gamaka varieties for a fair idea about gamaka perception in Indian music:
- Tiripa: Just one note among a group is pronounced prominently;
- Spurita: Stress on second note in a combination as in: SS, RR, GG etc;
- Kampita: A note vibrating to touch another note.
- Leena: A note merging with the adjacent one;
- Andolika: , A note merging in an adjacent note after it is played (in veena) for a long time;
- Vali: In place of one note, 2-3 notes are played (in veena);
- Tribina: Pressing all four strings of the veena simultaneously to bring a sound in place of a note;
- Kurula: Producing a note in place of another, by tugging at the veena string;
- Ahata: Producing a note by plucking a string and playing another note without plucking in veena; and
- Ullasita: Sliding from one note to another, obscuring the intermediary notes.
All ragas draw on gamakas for their melody.
Though two different notes may have one and the same note in their bodies, they can sound differently due to their vibratory characteristics.
This can be experienced by : taking the G note (sadharana gandhara) which is common to both Thodi and Kharaharapriya. In Thodi, the G starts at R with less frequency, which itself starts in S and vibrates as M, G-M and G to bring out the ‘raga bhava’.
On the other hand, in Kharaharapriya, the same G starts with a higher frequency R (called R2), which is easier to attain. Thus when a note vibrates in a frequency, which is not natural to it, that frequency is the gamaka of that note.
In many ragas, the pronounced note never touches its allotted space. For instance, in Darbar, N oscillates as D,SD_D, SD, never touching N at all! Interestingly the constant notes S and P do not have any gamakas of their own.
A judicious and graduated grace in rendering the notes is what makes the raga experience as most charming. While it is suggested that the right proportionate use of gamakas can enhance the beauty of music for its aesthetic sense, the experience of the author with therapeutic settings shows the contrary. Sometimes, excess use of gamakas has been found to have a consoling impact on grieving hearts.
Even in ancient Tamil Nadu, oppari, a version of music and songs sung on the occasion of demise of a person used gamakas in excess to bring out the suppressed emotion from the traumatised relatives of the dead.
In brief, the grammar imposed for aesthetic purposes of a musical school may or may not be beneficial in a therapeutic session.
This article was published in Bhavan’s Journal – July 31, 2012 – Pages 67 – 71
Edited by Geeta Shreedar, August 26, 2021