#1
Mayāmāḷavagauḷa — Ārohaṇa & Avarohaṇa
- Composer
- Pedagogical tradition
- Rāga
- Mayamalavagowla (Mela 15)
The scale every Karnatic student sings first. Ārohaṇa: Sa Ri₁ Ga₃ Ma₁ Pa Da₁ Ni₃ Sa | Avarohaṇa: Sa Ni₃ Da₁ Pa Ma₁ Ga₃ Ri₁ Sa. Its symmetric semitone-tone-tone-semitone pattern around Sa and Pa makes the svarasthānas physically obvious to a beginner's throat — there is a reason Purandaradāsa chose it as the gateway raga 500 years ago.
Instrument note:On a tambūrā tuned Pa-Sa-Sa-Sa, the śuddha Ri and śuddha Da of this raga sit in clean consonance with the drone — beginners can hear when their voice is in tune by listening for the 'lock' between voice and tānpūrā.
#2
Sa across Mandra, Madhya & Tāra Sthāyi
- Composer
- Pedagogical tradition
- Rāga
- Shankarabharanam (Mela 29)
The same Sa sung in three octaves — mandra (lower), madhya (middle), tāra (upper) — usually demonstrated in Śaṅkarābharaṇam because its symmetrical major-scale structure makes octave equivalence audible. Notation places a dot below the svara for mandra, above for tāra.
Instrument note:A trained vocalist's working range is roughly mandra Pa to tāra Pa — two octaves. The violin and flute extend tāra by another octave or more; the mṛdaṅgam, being non-pitched, doesn't constrain range but anchors every sthāyi to the same kāḷapramāṇa (tempo).
#3
Ādi Tāḷa — 8-beat Cycle Demonstration
- Composer
- Pedagogical tradition
- Tāla
- Adi (Chaturasra Triputa)
Ādi tāḷa is Caturasra-jāti Triputa: one beat (laghu of 4 counts) + two waves (two drutams of 2 each) = 8 beats per cycle. The standard kriyā is clap-finger-finger-finger | clap-wave | clap-wave. Roughly 80% of the Karnatic repertoire is in Ādi.
Instrument note:The mṛdaṅgam articulates the 8 beats through a sarva-laghu pattern (steady), while the kañjirā and ghaṭam fill the spaces. The first beat (sam) is marked with a sharp 'tha'; the eduppu (where the song begins) can fall on any beat — 1, 1½, ½ ('atīta'), and so on.
#4
Mela 15 — Māyāmāḷavagauḷa
- Composer
- Performance tradition
- Rāga
- Mayamalavagowla
Mela 15 — Māyāmāḷavagauḷa — by katapayādi convention encodes the number 15 in the prefix 'mā-yā' (m=5, y=1 → read reverse → 15). It uses śuddha Ri, antara Ga, śuddha Ma, śuddha Da, kākali Ni. The full 72-mela system was systematised by Veṅkaṭamakhin in his Caturdaṇḍī Prakāśikā (c. 1660).
Instrument note:Most Karnatic instruments are designed around Mayamalavagowla's intervals — the gauge of veena frets and the bore-positions of bansuri/venu were historically calibrated so this raga sounds true. Switch ragas and the player must compensate by string-bending (vīṇā) or half-holing (flute).
#5
Mohanam — Ārohaṇa & Avarohaṇa
- Composer
- Pedagogical tradition
- Rāga
- Mohanam (audava janya of Mela 28 Harikambhoji)
Mohanam — Ārohaṇa: Sa Ri₂ Ga₃ Pa Da₂ Sa | Avarohaṇa: Sa Da₂ Pa Ga₃ Ri₂ Sa. An audava (5-note) janya of Mela 28 Harikāmbhōji — drops Ma and Ni entirely. The same pentatonic shape appears as Mongolian khoomei, Chinese gongdiao, and Japanese ryosen — but the gamakas make it unmistakably Karnatic.
Instrument note:Mohanam is the friendliest raga on the bāṁsurī because all five svaras are open-hole or single-hole positions — no half-holing required. On veena, Mohanam phrases are fingered entirely with the index and middle finger; the ring finger never plays.
#6
Saraḷi Variśai — First Exercise
- Composer
- Purandaradāsa (Sangīta Pitāmaha)
- Rāga
- Mayamalavagowla
- Tāla
- Adi
First saraḷi line in 1st kāḷa (slow speed): Sa Ri Ga Ma | Pa Da Ni Sa || Sa Ni Da Pa | Ma Ga Ri Sa. Sung against Ādi tāḷa in Mayamalavagowla. The same line is then sung in 2nd kāḷa (twice as fast, two svaras per beat) and 3rd kāḷa (four svaras per beat). This single line, sung correctly across three speeds, builds the foundations of tāḷa, pitch, and breath.
Instrument note:Always practise sarali with a tānpūrā or śruti box on Pa-Sa-Sa-Sa (or Ma-Sa-Sa-Sa for some ragas). The drone is not background — it is the reference Sa that your every svara is measured against. Without it, saraḷi is just shouting numbers.
#7
Jaṇṭa Variśai — First Exercise
- Composer
- Purandaradāsa (Sangīta Pitāmaha)
- Rāga
- Mayamalavagowla
- Tāla
- Adi
Janṭa = paired. First line: Sa Sa Ri Ri | Ga Ga Ma Ma | Pa Pa Da Da | Ni Ni Sa Sa. The second svara in each pair is sung with a slight stress (āghāta), which prepares the throat for kampita and other gamakas. This exercise teaches the voice to repeat without faltering and to land cleanly after the small spring of the second note.
Instrument note:On the mṛdaṅgam, janṭa rhythm is reinforced by playing 'tha-dhi' on every pair — the dhi (right-hand modulated stroke) coincides with the stressed second svara. This is where vocalists begin to internalise rhythmic accents that later carry into kṛti sāhitya.
#8
Dhātu Variśai — First Exercise
- Composer
- Purandaradāsa (Sangīta Pitāmaha)
- Rāga
- Mayamalavagowla
- Tāla
- Adi
Dhātu (literally 'metal' — strong, struck) varishai uses skipping patterns: Sa Ga Ri Ga | Ga Ma Ga Ma | Ma Pa Ma Pa | Pa Da Pa Da. Forces the voice and ear to leap accurately to a non-adjacent svara then return. This is the foundation of every rāga's vakra (zigzag) phrase and of svara kalpana improvisation.
Instrument note:On the violin, dhātu varishai is the test of left-hand finger memory — leaping from index to ring across two strings while keeping the bow weight even. Vocalists who practise dhātu with a violin accompanist refine pitch faster than those who practise alone.
#9
Dhruva-Tāḷa Alaṅkāra
- Composer
- Purandaradāsa (Sangīta Pitāmaha)
- Rāga
- Mayamalavagowla
- Tāla
- Dhruva (and all seven principal talas)
Sapta-tāḷa alaṅkāras are 35 patterns (7 tāḷas × 5 jātis) that exercise the same melodic phrase across every possible rhythmic frame. Dhruva tāḷa in caturasra jāti is 14 beats: laghu(4) + drutam(2) + laghu(4) + laghu(4). Singing the same phrase in Dhruva, then in Maṭya, then Rūpaka — each with different beat counts — builds tāḷa fluency that no metronome can teach.
Instrument note:This is where the mṛdaṅgist and vocalist first work together as one organism. The percussionist's hands physically demonstrate the tāḷa cycle (aṅgas) to the vocalist's eye while the voice executes the svaras — the kinaesthetic loop locks tāḷa awareness into the body.
#10
Lambodara Lakumikara
ಲಂಬೋದರ ಲಕುಮಿಕರ
- Composer
- Purandaradāsa (Sangīta Pitāmaha)
- Rāga
- Malahari (janya of Mela 15 Mayamalavagowla)
- Tāla
- Rupaka
- Language
- Kannada
The first composed piece every Karnatic student learns — a sāñcāri gītam to Gaṇeśa in Malahari (a janya of Mayamalavagowla using only Sa, Ri, Ma, Pa, Da). Composed by Purandaradāsa in the 16th century in Kannada. Its restricted note-set lets the student focus on diction and tempo without complex melody — a brilliant pedagogical design.
Instrument note:Sung unaccompanied except for tānpūrā in early lessons. Once the student knows it cleanly, the mṛdaṅgam joins in ṣaṣṭa-laghu (a steady stroke per beat) to introduce ensemble feel — the first time a learner sings 'with the tāḷa' rather than 'against' a clap.
#11
Re Re Śrī Rāmacandra
- Composer
- Performance tradition
- Rāga
- Bhairavi (janya of Mela 20 Natabhairavi)
- Tāla
- Adi
- Language
- Sanskrit
A lakṣaṇa gītam — its sāhityam literally describes the raga it is set in. The lyrics name Bhairavi's parent mela, its svaras (including the characteristic śuddha Da in ārohaṇa and catuśruti Da in avarohaṇa — Bhairavi's signature 'dual-Da'), and its mood. Acts as a musical mnemonic.
Instrument note:Bhairavi's dual-Da is what makes it instantly recognisable. On vīṇā the player slides between the two Da positions on the same fret using string deflection; on flute, the player half-holes the Da hole for one and fully opens for the other. Listening for this single feature is the fastest way to identify Bhairavi by ear.
#12
Kāmākṣī (Bangāru Kāmākṣī)
కామాక్షీ
- Composer
- Śyāmā Śāstri
- Rāga
- Bhairavi
- Tāla
- Misra Chapu (7 beats)
- Language
- Telugu
Śyāmā Śāstri's masterpiece in Bhairavi, Miśra Cāpu (7 beats: 3+4). Each of the eight caraṇas climbs one svara higher (Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Da, Ni, tāra Sa), creating a structural ascent through the octave. It blurs the line between swarajati and full kṛti — and remains the most-studied swarajati in the tradition.
Instrument note:The 3+4 Miśra Cāpu cycle is articulated on the mṛdaṅgam as 'tha-ki-ta tha-ka-dhi-mi' — the first three strokes cluster, the next four flow. Vocalists learn to feel this asymmetric cycle in the body before any tisra-gati or khaṇḍa-gati piece becomes accessible.
#13
Viriboṇi
విరిబోణి
- Composer
- Pacchimiriyam Ādiyappayya
- Rāga
- Bhairavi
- Tāla
- Ata (14 beats)
- Language
- Telugu
The defining Aṭa-tāḷa varṇaṁ in Bhairavi, composed by Pacchimiriyam Ādiyappayya in the late 18th century. Aṭa tāḷa is 14 beats (2 laghus of 5 + 2 drutams of 2). It is the rite-of-passage piece — no Karnatic vocalist can present a public concert without having mastered it. Its anupallavi compresses the entire vocabulary of Bhairavi into eight lines.
Instrument note:An Aṭa-tāḷa varṇaṁ is the supreme test of the mṛdaṅgist's kāḷapramāṇa stability — 14 beats × multiple speeds × variations leaves nowhere to hide. When a vocalist and mṛdaṅgist execute Viriboṇi cleanly together, they have proved they can hold any concert together.
#14
Vātāpi Gaṇapatim
वातापि गणपतिं
- Composer
- Muthuswāmi Dīkṣitar
- Rāga
- Hamsadhwani (audava janya of Mela 29 Shankarabharanam)
- Tāla
- Adi
- Language
- Sanskrit
Muthuswāmi Dīkṣitar's invocation to Gaṇeśa at the Pīluvāyī temple. In Haṁsadhvani — an audava (5-note) janya of Mela 29 Śaṅkarābharaṇam that uses Sa Ri Ga Pa Ni only. The opening kriti of virtually every Karnatic concert. Its tightly built pallavi → anupallavi → caraṇa shows the kriti form at its most architectural.
Instrument note:Haṁsadhvani is one of the few Karnatic ragas that has crossed into Hindustani repertoire (composed by Rāmaswāmi Dīkṣitar, Muthuswāmi's father, in the 18th century). The clean Sa-Ri-Ga-Pa-Ni shape suits the sitar's open strings; Karnatic violinists meanwhile use it as a tutorial in clean fingering with no half-tones.
#15
Endarō Mahānubhāvulu
ఎందరో మహానుభావులు
- Composer
- Tyāgarāja
- Rāga
- Sri (janya of Mela 22 Kharaharapriya)
- Tāla
- Adi
- Language
- Telugu
The fifth and grandest of Tyāgarāja's Pañcaratna kṛtis — the five 'jewels' he composed late in life. In Śrī raga (a janya of Kharaharapriya). The lyrics salute the 'many great ones' who have realised the divine through music; it is sung in chorus every year on Tyāgarāja's ārādhana day in Tiruvayyaru. Its caraṇas each demonstrate a different sañcāra of Śrī raga.
Instrument note:The Pañcaratnas are traditionally performed as a goṣṭhi (group) gānam — sometimes 500+ vocalists in unison. The mṛdaṅgam plays a sober Ādi tāḷa with no embellishment; the violin shadows the vocal line a beat behind, never improvising. This is one of the few Karnatic settings where solo individuality yields to collective devotion.
#16
Bhāvayāmi Gōpālabālam
భావయామి గోపాలబాలం
- Composer
- Tāḷḷapāka Annamācārya
- Rāga
- Yamuna Kalyani (janya of Mela 65 Mechakalyani)
- Tāla
- Khanda Chapu (5 beats)
- Language
- Sanskrit
An Annamācārya sankīrtana from the 15th century — 200 years before the Trinity — that Bālamuraḷīkṛṣṇa adapted into a five-charaṇa kriti in Yamuna Kalyāṇi. Each caraṇa is set in a different raga (Yamuna Kalyāṇi, Bilahari, Kāmbhōji, Yadukulakāmbhōji, Mōhanam) — a rāgamālikā. The sāhityam describes Kṛṣṇa's childhood līlās.
Instrument note:A rāgamālikā composition tests the violinist most of all — within a single piece the player must shift between five different gamaka vocabularies. A vocalist trained on bhajan-style accompaniment will find the rāga changes natural; one trained only on solo kriti can struggle.
#17
Toḍi Rāga Ālāpana
- Composer
- Performance tradition
- Rāga
- Todi (Mela 8 Hanumatodi)
Ālāpana is unmetered, unlyriced exploration of a raga's melodic personality. In Toḍi (Mela 8 Hanumatoḍi), a typical ālāpana takes 5–20 minutes — exploring the mandra-sthāyi gravity of the raga first, then climbing through madhya into tāra, returning each time to the sustained Pa that is Toḍi's emotional centre. No two ālāpanas are ever the same, even by the same musician.
Instrument note:Toḍi on the violin sounds vocal because Karnatic violin is played sitting with the scroll on the ankle — bow strokes mimic the elongated vowels of vocal ālāpana. On bansuri, Toḍi is impossibly difficult: its kampita-heavy Ga and Ni require continuous fine half-holing, which is why a flutist who plays Toḍi cleanly is regarded as a master.
#18
Rāgam-Tānam-Pallavi in Kalyāṇi
- Composer
- Performance tradition
- Rāga
- Kalyani (Mela 65 Mechakalyani)
- Tāla
- Adi (tisra-gati) — common choice
Rāgam (free ālāpana) → Tānam (rhythmic raga-elaboration, no tāḷa, vocalised on 'ā-nam-tha') → Pallavi (a single self-composed line in a chosen tāḷa, subjected to every improvisational technique: niraval, kalpana svara, trikāḷam, rāgamālikā svara). A full RTP in Kalyāṇi can last 60–90 minutes — the traditional centrepiece of a senior musician's concert.
Instrument note:RTP is where the entire ensemble improvises in conversation: vocalist and violinist alternate ālāpana phrases (sāhityam-vādya saṁvāda); the mṛdaṅgist, kañjirā, and ghaṭam exchange tani āvartanam (percussion solo) after the pallavi. A Kalyāṇi RTP demands stamina from every player — there are no rest movements, no orchestral 'breaks'. It is sustained creative exposure for ninety minutes.