![]() Apart from this semi tone, there is also seen in case of the scales in Indian Classical Music the Sruti which is one interval even smaller than the semi-tone. The use of this Sruti produces a difference in the melody of a particular note which is barely perceptible to the insensitive ear. Thus apart from the ordinary or "sudha ga," there are a variety of "gas" with tiny ripples of variations between them, such as the "komal ga" and the "ati komal ga" The same also is true of the other four notes, ri, ma, dha, and ni. With the help of these musical intervals, i.e., sudha, ati komal and komal svars, it is possible to have an infinite variety of scales. There could be a great number and variety of permutations and combinations. The Indian scale with all its Srutis has thus a very wide range and great possibilities of development in regard to musical formation. These infinite varieties are the basis from which the several "Raagas" have been developed. The Srutis themselves are supposed to produce different effects. They are Mridhu, soft; Madhia, intermediate between soft and pathetic; Karuna, pathetic; Dipta, brilliant; Ayata, stretched. It is sometimes possible to obtain a note by stretching the wire in a stringed instrument, a wee bit to one side, away from its fret; this gives a stretched intonation called the Ayata. ![]() It is now a fairly accepted theory that there are in all 22 notes including the Srutis, which form the basis of all the different scales. The sa has the privilege of being accepted as the starting point. According to ancient traditions even the sa was supposed to have one inflexible pitch, but the current practice now allows every singer or performer to choose his own pitch of sa, according to his inclinations and the timber of his voice. |