GuidePractice9 min read
Ten alankars for beginners, with the notes written out
Alankars are the daily exercises of Hindustani singing: patterns that walk up the scale and back down. Here are the ten a beginner usually meets first, in order, each written out in sargam and played at your Sa for you to sing back.
The harmonium plays a line, then waits: sing it back in the gap.
Before you start
Sing at your own Sa, with a tanpura underneath, so every note has something to be measured against. Sing on “aa”, or say the swara names as you sing them. Go slowly: one note to a beat, around 70 beats a minute.Alankar अलंकारA pattern of notes moved up the scale a step at a time, then down again. Also called a palta.
Each alankar below is written out in full, up (aroha) and down (avaroha), with the groups separated by dots. A dot above a note means taar (the upper octave). Play it once to hear it, then press Play it, then sing it back: the harmonium plays each group and leaves a gap the same length for you.
The ten
1. Sa Re Ga Ma The scale itself
Up the scale one note at a time and back down. Hold each note its full beat and land on taar Sa without reaching for it.
ArohaSa · Re · Ga · Ma · Pa · Dha · Ni · Ṡaसा · रे · ग · म · प · ध · नि · सां
AvarohaṠa · Ni · Dha · Pa · Ma · Ga · Re · Saसां · नि · ध · प · म · ग · रे · सा
2. Sa Sa Re Re Every note twice
The second of each pair is a check on the first: if the two don’t match, the first was off.
ArohaSa Sa · Re Re · Ga Ga · Ma Ma · Pa Pa · Dha Dha · Ni Ni · Ṡa Ṡaसा सा · रे रे · ग ग · म म · प प · ध ध · नि नि · सां सां
AvarohaṠa Ṡa · Ni Ni · Dha Dha · Pa Pa · Ma Ma · Ga Ga · Re Re · Sa Saसां सां · नि नि · ध ध · प प · म म · ग ग · रे रे · सा सा
3. Sa Re, Re Ga Two notes, moving up one
Each pair starts where the last one ended. This is the first alankar that needs you to find a note from the one before it.
ArohaSa Re · Re Ga · Ga Ma · Ma Pa · Pa Dha · Dha Ni · Ni Ṡaसा रे · रे ग · ग म · म प · प ध · ध नि · नि सां
AvarohaṠa Ni · Ni Dha · Dha Pa · Pa Ma · Ma Ga · Ga Re · Re Saसां नि · नि ध · ध प · प म · म ग · ग रे · रे सा
4. Sa Re Sa, Re Ga Re Up and back
Up a step and home again. The return note is the one that slips: sing it as surely as the first.
ArohaSa Re Sa · Re Ga Re · Ga Ma Ga · Ma Pa Ma · Pa Dha Pa · Dha Ni Dha · Ni Ṡa Niसा रे सा · रे ग रे · ग म ग · म प म · प ध प · ध नि ध · नि सां नि
AvarohaṠa Ni Ṡa · Ni Dha Ni · Dha Pa Dha · Pa Ma Pa · Ma Ga Ma · Ga Re Ga · Re Sa Reसां नि सां · नि ध नि · ध प ध · प म प · म ग म · ग रे ग · रे सा रे
5. Sa Ga, Re Ma Skip a note
A leap of two notes. Hear the note you skip in your head before you leap over it.
ArohaSa Ga · Re Ma · Ga Pa · Ma Dha · Pa Ni · Dha Ṡaसा ग · रे म · ग प · म ध · प नि · ध सां
AvarohaṠa Dha · Ni Pa · Dha Ma · Pa Ga · Ma Re · Ga Saसां ध · नि प · ध म · प ग · म रे · ग सा
6. Sa Re Ga, Re Ga Ma Three notes, moving up one
Three to a group, so the groups no longer fall on the beat the same way. Keep the notes even.
ArohaSa Re Ga · Re Ga Ma · Ga Ma Pa · Ma Pa Dha · Pa Dha Ni · Dha Ni Ṡaसा रे ग · रे ग म · ग म प · म प ध · प ध नि · ध नि सां
AvarohaṠa Ni Dha · Ni Dha Pa · Dha Pa Ma · Pa Ma Ga · Ma Ga Re · Ga Re Saसां नि ध · नि ध प · ध प म · प म ग · म ग रे · ग रे सा
7. Sa Re Ga Re, Re Ga Ma Ga Three up, one back
A turn at the top of each group: the first taste of the turns ragas are made of.
ArohaSa Re Ga Re · Re Ga Ma Ga · Ga Ma Pa Ma · Ma Pa Dha Pa · Pa Dha Ni Dha · Dha Ni Ṡa Niसा रे ग रे · रे ग म ग · ग म प म · म प ध प · प ध नि ध · ध नि सां नि
AvarohaṠa Ni Dha Ni · Ni Dha Pa Dha · Dha Pa Ma Pa · Pa Ma Ga Ma · Ma Ga Re Ga · Ga Re Sa Reसां नि ध नि · नि ध प ध · ध प म प · प म ग म · म ग रे ग · ग रे सा रे
8. Sa Re Ga Ma, Re Ga Ma Pa Four notes, moving up one
Four to a group, one group to a beat when you speed up. The long groups build breath.
ArohaSa Re Ga Ma · Re Ga Ma Pa · Ga Ma Pa Dha · Ma Pa Dha Ni · Pa Dha Ni Ṡaसा रे ग म · रे ग म प · ग म प ध · म प ध नि · प ध नि सां
AvarohaṠa Ni Dha Pa · Ni Dha Pa Ma · Dha Pa Ma Ga · Pa Ma Ga Re · Ma Ga Re Saसां नि ध प · नि ध प म · ध प म ग · प म ग रे · म ग रे सा
9. Sa Ga Re Ma, Re Ma Ga Pa Skip, back, skip
The classic palta: a leap up, a step back, a leap up. Slow it right down until the zigzag is clean.
ArohaSa Ga Re Ma · Re Ma Ga Pa · Ga Pa Ma Dha · Ma Dha Pa Ni · Pa Ni Dha Ṡaसा ग रे म · रे म ग प · ग प म ध · म ध प नि · प नि ध सां
AvarohaṠa Dha Ni Pa · Ni Pa Dha Ma · Dha Ma Pa Ga · Pa Ga Ma Re · Ma Re Ga Saसां ध नि प · नि प ध म · ध म प ग · प ग म रे · म रे ग सा
10. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Ma Ga Re Sa Five up and all the way back
Up five notes and home in one breath. Sing it slowly and it is a breath exercise as much as a pitch one.
ArohaSa Re Ga Ma Pa Ma Ga Re Sa · Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Pa Ma Ga Re · Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga · Ma Pa Dha Ni Ṡa Ni Dha Pa Maसा रे ग म प म ग रे सा · रे ग म प ध प म ग रे · ग म प ध नि ध प म ग · म प ध नि सां नि ध प म
AvarohaṠa Ni Dha Pa Ma Pa Dha Ni Ṡa · Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni · Dha Pa Ma Ga Re Ga Ma Pa Dha · Pa Ma Ga Re Sa Re Ga Ma Paसां नि ध प म प ध नि सां · नि ध प म ग म प ध नि · ध प म ग रे ग म प ध · प म ग रे सा रे ग म प
How to practise them
- Two or three a day.Begin each riyaz with the scale, then one or two alankars you are working on.
- Hear it, then sing it.Sing back after the harmonium, not over it. Copying a line you have just heard is what trains the ear.
- From memory.When you can sing an alankar in sur with the harmonium, sing it with the tanpura alone.
- Then faster, then in a raga.Speed up a little at a time. Then sing the same pattern in Yaman, Bhupali or Bhairav, where it follows the raga’s own notes.
Questions
What is an alankar in music?
An alankar is a pattern of notes sung up the scale a step at a time, then down again: Sa Re Ga, Re Ga Ma, Ga Ma Pa, and so on. Singers practise alankars every day to make each note accurate and the voice agile.
What is the difference between an alankar and a palta?
Most teachers use the two words for the same thing. Some keep “alankar” for the plain patterns in a scale and “palta” for patterns sung in a raga, which follow the raga’s own notes and turns.
How many alankars should a beginner practise?
Two or three a day is plenty. Stay with one until you can sing it slowly in sur from memory, then add the next. Ten minutes of alankars every day does more than an hour once a week.
Which scale should I sing alankars in?
Start in Bilawal, the scale of all shuddha notes (the white keys from C), at your own Sa. Later, sing the same alankars in a raga such as Yaman or Bhupali.
Should I sing alankars with a harmonium or a tanpura?
Both. A harmonium gives you the line to copy; a tanpura gives you Sa to measure every note against. Sing each alankar back after the harmonium plays it, with the tanpura underneath.
How fast should I sing alankars?
Slow enough that every note is in sur: around 60 to 70 beats a minute, one note to a beat. Speed up only when the slow version is clean, then try two notes to a beat.
