In
Hindustani music
Hindustani classical music is the Indian classical music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent's northern regions. It may also be called North Indian classical music or ''Uttar Bhartiya shastriya sangeet''. The term ''shastriya sangeet'' ...
, a ''pakad'' (Hindi:
पकड़) is a generally accepted musical phrase (or set of phrases) thought to encapsulate the essence of a particular
raga
A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, fro ...
. The pakad contains the melodic theme of the raga, on listening to the pakad a person who knows the raga is usually able to identify it. In many cases, the ragas contain the same
swara
Swara () or svara is an Indian classical music term that connotes simultaneously a breath, a vowel, a note, the sound of a musical note corresponding to its name, and the successive steps of the octave, or ''saptanka''. More comprehensively ...
s (notes), then the pakad also contains information about gayaki or
chalan (the way the notes are to be ordered and played/sung). Usually, the pakad is formed from short convolutions of the
arohana and
avarohana, while in some cases it is quite different from them. The pakad for a particular raga need not be unique, its sole purpose is to clarify what raga it is.
For example, here is a pakad for raga
Yaman, a prominent raga from
Hindustani music
Hindustani classical music is the Indian classical music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent's northern regions. It may also be called North Indian classical music or ''Uttar Bhartiya shastriya sangeet''. The term ''shastriya sangeet'' ...
:
:Ni* Re Ga Ma# Pa, Ma# Ga Re Sa.
An important aspect of a Pakad is Laya. Lay essentially means time, but contextually, it means how time is spent. Lay helps us to place emphasis on specific notes by giving them longer playing time - this helps to properly space apart notes. Without spacing apart notes accordingly, a Raag will fail to show its true characteristics, and this is why a Pakad is important to truly understand a raag.
Hindustani music theory
Carnatic music
Hindustani music terminology
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