Madhuvanti – Alap Fundamentals And 8-Beat Taans

Bansuri Bliss Founder Dr. Kerry Kriger teaches raag Madhuvanti, introducing:
(1) the scale;
(2) key points to keep in mind while playing alap;
(3) how to play Teevra Ma using the 7th hole;
(4) how to play low Teevra Ma if you flute has no 7th hole;
(5) the importance of having a focal note in mind even as you improvise using other notes; how to come to the antara;
(6) what to do when you play the highest note of your alap;
(7) how to end the alap.

Dr. Kriger then introduces a fast teental gat he learned from his guru Pandit Vijay Raghav Rao, and explains the mathematics of creating beat taans
Sa = F+32 cents
Laya = 184 bpm

Madhuvanti Scale

Madhuvanti is an audav-sampurna raga: five notes going up, seven coming down. The raga has a Komal Ga and a Teevra Ma. The other notes are shuddh. Re and Dha are omitted in the ascent (in other words, if you play them, you must then descend).
Arohi: SgMPNS
Avarohi: SNDPMgRS

Alap Fundamentals

The alap is the slow opening of the raga without rhythm.

  1. Begin with a long, beautiful Sa, or a phrase ending with Sa.
  2. Bring in the new notes one at a time, working down to low Pa or Teevra Ma, then back to Sa. Then up, slowly but surely to the antara at High Sa. Higher to your highest note. Then descend to the High Sa, and after playing it one last time, descend within a few phrases to a long beautiful Sa that ends the alap.
  3. Use one note as a temporary home: improvise around it and keep returning to it before moving on.
  4. Remember…after going up the high notes, finish on a final long Sa, and the listener should know subconsciously that the alap is over.

8-Beat Taans In Teental

Every taan in this class is an 8-beat line of music played at full speed. Each one starts at khali and takes the place of the composition’s main line, ending at Sa. We explore the rhythmic patterns:
4+4+4+4
6+6+4
6+4+6
4+6+6

Breath And Tone

  • Take a deep breath.
  • Consciously Continuously Breathe Outwards
  • Fade each note out smoothly, with volume gently blending into the silence, like a nice smooth airplane landing – rather than blowing hard and suddenly stopping (volume falling off a cliff).
  • Use your tongue only when you mean to. If you use it, the audience hears it, and nothing in this lesson needs it.

What To Practice

  • Madhuvanti’s arohi and avarohi, and its key phrases.
  • Teevra Ma with all three techniques: the 7th hole, the wrist roll and the head tilt.
  • A short alap: start on Sa, explore the notes from low to high, and end on a long Sa.
  • Write out some of the taans Dr. Kriger taught in this class. Practice them slow, then fast, then over a teental track. They start at khali (beat 9) and come to the sum at Beat 1 of the next cycle.
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