Carnatic music is a significant genre of Indian classical music. Many people globally aspire to learn it. Learning any form of music requires you to learn the basics correctly. Similarly, practicing the Carnatic ragas for beginners is also vital.

Your guru (teacher) will emphasize properly learning Carnatic music's fundamentals before proceeding with advanced carnatic music lessons. But if you are an impatient soul, you might want to jump to learning singingor playing an instrument directly.

In upcoming sections, we will explain the importance of learning basic Carnatic music lessons before embarking on your journey to master Carnatic music:-

Essential Components of Carnatic Music – Raga & Tala

The two primary components of Carnatic music are "raga" (musical notes) and "tala" (rhythm). You need to understand the concept of both raga and tala before moving forward.

The ragas are the musical notes and modes in which a song proceeds. These ragas are based on 7 swaras of Carnatic music. They are – Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Da, Ni. Diverse permutations and combinations of these swaras produce various ragas.

There are two types of ragas – Aarohanam and Avrohanam. Ascending notes of ragas are known as Aarohanam. Descending notes are called Avrohanam. Carnatic ragas are known to be relaxing and soothing to the soul.

The literal meaning of tala in Sanskrit is a clap. Tala is responsible for Carnatic music's beat and rhythms. Vocalists in Carnatic music keep track of tala by tapping their lap with their hands. There are 7 types of talas in Carnatic music. The talas of Carnatic music are unique,and they make the music enjoyable.

Check out someessentialCarnatic music lessonsthatgurus teach you in the beginning:-

·      Sruti–You need to be capable of recognizing the patterns of Carnatic music before performing them.Sruti refers to the ability to listen and identify the changes of pitch, swara, and tala.

·      Sarali Varisai - This is a stage where the students of Carnatic music learn to recognize and get the feel of swara, melody, and rhythm.

·      Janta Varisai - This is the next stage of sarali varisai. Once you are familiar with sruti and swaras, you can perform with theirawareness. You learn how to manage the swara transition in janta varisai.

·      Varnams – It teaches you how much emphasis to be given to each raga. Varnams also enhances your ability to recognize the ragas.

·      Gamakas - It is the variation of swaras that are used as the beautification of the song. Gamkas enhances the melody of the composition and adds life to the musical scale.

Here is the list of common Carnatic classical music lessons for beginners:-

·      Sarali Varisai

·      Janti Varase

·      Dhaatu Varase

·      Taggusthayi Varase

·      Taarasthaayi Varase

·      Alankaara

If you learn all the beginning lessons of Carnatic music diligently, you reap the following benefit:-

·      You gain knowledge and confidence in recognizing diverse melodies and rhythm

·      You discover your natural scale of singing.

·      Your ability and velocity of variation improve.

·      You can manage to ascend and descend the ragas.

·      You learn to maintain your laya (tempo) while doing all these variations.

·      You get trained in sustaining one "sur"(musical tone) for a longer time and on the same scale.

Conclusion

If you don't learn the basic Carnatic music lessons well, you can't reach the musical format's excellence level. You must know that stretching exercises prepare the body for an intense workout. Similarly, Carnatic classical music lessons for beginners are crucial before starting to sing or play instruments.

You can learn to find many Carnatic music lessons online as well. You can practice music through these online lessons from the comfort of your home.

Author Bio:

Reema Krishnan –

Reema Krishnan is a content creator at Acharyanet, a platform for Carnatic music learners where they can learn music from gurus through 400+ video lessons. Being a music enthusiast and a history buff herself, she is able to provide value for her readers and her content is well-received by musicians, music lovers, and music learners of all ages and at all stages. She loves to volunteer with music therapy groups and bakes up a storm in her free time.

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