degenaro
Active member
So in order to make sense of South Indian Taags (scales), I finally looked at them with a grid perspective to relate it to modes. What I came up with kinda changed of how I look at notes.
First the South India (Carnatic) way of organizing their parent scales is very much a math/grid thing which once I had my head wrapped around it made so much sense.
In their case they 72 Melakartas (7 note scales).
All of them have to have the root and the perfect 5th.
As in if we use the key of C you will have 72 7 note patterns that have the notes c and g.
The they are devised into two groups of 36 scales. The first 36 have the perfect 4th (in the key of C the note f), the other 36 have the raised fourth (the note f# in the key of C)
So...we have 3 of the possible 7 notes taken care of. Those will stay the same no matter what.
Then they are grouped into 6 groups of 6. 6x6 =36...x2 72...get it?
These groups of 6 are:
first group
root, b2, bb3, 4, 5,
second group
root, b2, b3, 4, 5,
third group
root, b2, 3, 4, 5,
fourth group
root, 2, b3, 4, 5,
fifth group
root, 2, 3, 4, 5,
sixth group
root, #2, 3, 4, 5,
each group is broken down to the same pattern of how the missing notes are arranged...which are the 6 and 7
b6, bb7
b6, b7
b6, 7
6,b7
6,7
#6,7
Why use say #6 and 7 instead of b7 and 7? Because 7 separate functions/pitches are used,
So if we finish the 6 x6 note groups it becomes
first group
root, b2, bb3, 4, 5, b6, bb7
root, b2, bb3, 4, 5, b6, b7
root, b2, bb3, 4, 5, b6, 7
root, b2, bb3, 4, 5, 6,b7
root, b2, bb3, 4, 5, 6,7
root, b2, bb3, 4, 5, #6,7
second
root, b2, b3, 4, 5, b6, bb7
root, b2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7
root, b2, b3, 4, 5, b6, 7
root, b2, b3, 4, 5, 6,b7
root, b2, b3, 4, 5, 6,7
root, b2, b3, 4, 5, #6,7
third
root, b2, 3, 4, 5, b6, bb7
root, b2, 3, 4, 5, b6, b7
root, b2, 3, 4, 5, b6, 7
root, b2, 3, 4, 5, 6,b7
root, b2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7
root, b2, 3, 4, 5, #6,7
fourth
root, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, bb7
root, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7
root, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, 7
root, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6,b7
root, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6,7
root, 2, b3, 4, 5, #6,7
fifth
root, 2, 3, 4, 5, b6, bb7
root, 2, 3, 4, 5, b6, b7
root, 2, 3, 4, 5, b6, 7
root, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,b7
root, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7
root, 2, 3, 4, 5, #6,7
sixth
root, #2, 3, 4, 5, b6, bb7
root, #2, 3, 4, 5, b6, b7
root, #2, 3, 4, 5, b6, 7
root, #2, 3, 4, 5, 6,b7
root, #2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7
root, #2, 3, 4, 5, #6,7
Here's the chart laid out on a grid...
http://content.sitezoogle.com/users/edd ... tern.jpg?3
Now this made total sense to me in a Wayne Krantz IOS lay out kinda way.
SO I related what I knew to them. Next I grabbed the 5 parent scales I use and they're 7 notes.
Major, Melodic Minor, Harmonic Minor, Harmonic Major and double Harmonic and started a grid like that
I ended up with 35 Western scales...obviously (5x7). But because of the different rules there is only an overlap of between the different systems.
Here's the chart from the Western perspective...
http://content.sitezoogle.com/users/edd ... aags.jpg?3
First the South India (Carnatic) way of organizing their parent scales is very much a math/grid thing which once I had my head wrapped around it made so much sense.
In their case they 72 Melakartas (7 note scales).
All of them have to have the root and the perfect 5th.
As in if we use the key of C you will have 72 7 note patterns that have the notes c and g.
The they are devised into two groups of 36 scales. The first 36 have the perfect 4th (in the key of C the note f), the other 36 have the raised fourth (the note f# in the key of C)
So...we have 3 of the possible 7 notes taken care of. Those will stay the same no matter what.
Then they are grouped into 6 groups of 6. 6x6 =36...x2 72...get it?
These groups of 6 are:
first group
root, b2, bb3, 4, 5,
second group
root, b2, b3, 4, 5,
third group
root, b2, 3, 4, 5,
fourth group
root, 2, b3, 4, 5,
fifth group
root, 2, 3, 4, 5,
sixth group
root, #2, 3, 4, 5,
each group is broken down to the same pattern of how the missing notes are arranged...which are the 6 and 7
b6, bb7
b6, b7
b6, 7
6,b7
6,7
#6,7
Why use say #6 and 7 instead of b7 and 7? Because 7 separate functions/pitches are used,
So if we finish the 6 x6 note groups it becomes
first group
root, b2, bb3, 4, 5, b6, bb7
root, b2, bb3, 4, 5, b6, b7
root, b2, bb3, 4, 5, b6, 7
root, b2, bb3, 4, 5, 6,b7
root, b2, bb3, 4, 5, 6,7
root, b2, bb3, 4, 5, #6,7
second
root, b2, b3, 4, 5, b6, bb7
root, b2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7
root, b2, b3, 4, 5, b6, 7
root, b2, b3, 4, 5, 6,b7
root, b2, b3, 4, 5, 6,7
root, b2, b3, 4, 5, #6,7
third
root, b2, 3, 4, 5, b6, bb7
root, b2, 3, 4, 5, b6, b7
root, b2, 3, 4, 5, b6, 7
root, b2, 3, 4, 5, 6,b7
root, b2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7
root, b2, 3, 4, 5, #6,7
fourth
root, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, bb7
root, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7
root, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, 7
root, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6,b7
root, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6,7
root, 2, b3, 4, 5, #6,7
fifth
root, 2, 3, 4, 5, b6, bb7
root, 2, 3, 4, 5, b6, b7
root, 2, 3, 4, 5, b6, 7
root, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,b7
root, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7
root, 2, 3, 4, 5, #6,7
sixth
root, #2, 3, 4, 5, b6, bb7
root, #2, 3, 4, 5, b6, b7
root, #2, 3, 4, 5, b6, 7
root, #2, 3, 4, 5, 6,b7
root, #2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7
root, #2, 3, 4, 5, #6,7
Here's the chart laid out on a grid...
http://content.sitezoogle.com/users/edd ... tern.jpg?3
Now this made total sense to me in a Wayne Krantz IOS lay out kinda way.
SO I related what I knew to them. Next I grabbed the 5 parent scales I use and they're 7 notes.
Major, Melodic Minor, Harmonic Minor, Harmonic Major and double Harmonic and started a grid like that
I ended up with 35 Western scales...obviously (5x7). But because of the different rules there is only an overlap of between the different systems.
Here's the chart from the Western perspective...
http://content.sitezoogle.com/users/edd ... aags.jpg?3
