Raagas in Carnatic music are quite similar to the Hindustani style. As in Hindustani ragas, specific pitches are associated with a specific raaga in the case of Carnatic Music as well. In the Raaga theory of Carnatic music, it is common to think in terms of a tetrachord structure. The selection of pitches in the Raagas, as also seen in the case of Hindustani music, must be must be enumerated for both ascent (arohana) and descent (avdrohana), which sometimes differ in pitch content. For instance, in the case of Raga Mayamalavagaula, the raga on which the first lesson taught to the students of Carnatic Music, the same seven pitches are used in both ascent and descent. This kind of a raga is said to be a Sampurna Raaga. Traditionally, it is required that a Raaga should have at least five pitches, however it may have only four in ascent or descent. The theory in Carnatic music holds that only one form of the seven basic pitches can be used in context. This rule is very strictly adhered to in Carnatic music. There are some Carnatic Raagas which are characterised by melodic patterns (sanchara) that are not particularly associated with ascent or descent. Raga Darbar is one such raga. It is marked by an ascent and descent, as well as two sanchar. Descriptions of Carnatic raagas frequently cite sancahra, which are phrases that may occur frequently but do not necessarily play a role in distinguishing one raga from another.
In the Carnatic system, the system of exploiting pitch nomenclature in order to allow adherence to the tradition is preferred. However, as n the case of Hindustani music, a slight retraction is in order here. If the pitches in the raga do not appear in a scalar form of ascent and descent, the Raaga is called a vakra or crooked raga. This kind of flexibility in Indian music is one of the most important aspects of the entire Raaga system. It contributes considerably to the feeling of Indian musicians that ragas are very personal things.
In the Carnatic Raagas, the characteristic melodic shapes mostly occur in the form of patterns of ascent and descent.
On the whole, the Carnatic system tends to generalize Raagas in the direction of scales. The relationship among the different ragas and their melodic distinctions are quite important, though they are not controlled in the same way as the Hindustani system. A particular raga is sometimes distinguished by the intonation of specific pitches a little higher or a little lower. In practice it will be found that in many ragas, the pitch of a particular note is sharpened by a sruti during the ascent and flattened by a sruti during the descent.
In the tradition of Carnatic music, though pitch functions are an element of Raaga theory, this function is not paired with the concept of pitch hierarchy. The functional pitches that are enumerated are graha svaras, pitches on which a composition should begin; amsa svaras, on which motion can rest or centre in improvisation; nyasa svaras, on which a phrase should end; and jiva svaras (life-giving pitches), which lend individuality to the raga.
Carnatic Raagas often stress one pitch register over another, or one tetra chord over another. Raga Sarasvati for instance is an upanga (upper portion) which means that melody is concentrated in the upper tetrachord.
A lot of ornamentation is noticed in the case of Carnatic Raagas. In one of the Carnatic styles of playing and singing, variaka style, where every pitch is rendered with a type of gamaka (ornament) called the kampita, which consists of a shake of a definite interval, rtather than just an indefinite vibrato. Performances in Varika style vary with the raga. In some of the Carnatic ragas, specific pitches are subject to specific ornamentation.
The Carnatic melodic concepts are similar in many ways to the melodic concepts of the Hindustani tradition. It can thus be seen in the Carnatic tradition, as in the case of the Hindustani style, that the Raagas involve a selection of pitches, melodic contour, intonation, pitch functions and ornamentation.
