Indian classical music was transmitted orally for centuries. A student learned by listening to the guru and repeating – again and again. Eventually, in the early 20th century, Pt. Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande introduced a practical notation system to write things down.
Notes in Bhatkhande notation
The seven swars are written as: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni.
- Komal (flat) notes are often indicated by underlining – e.g. Re.
- Teevra Ma is sometimes written as Ma+.
- A dot below a swar means lower octave (Mandra saptak); a dot above means higher octave (Taar saptak).
Rhythm and taal
Taal (the rhythmic cycle) is shown using bars or vertical lines to mark the Sam (first beat) and important subdivisions. The number of beats in each vibhag (section) may be written above or below, e.g. 4–4–4–4 for Teentaal.
Unlike Western staff notation, Bhatkhande notation does not specify exact durations or absolute pitches. Instead, it captures the skeleton: the sequence of notes, approximate rhythm, and major points where phrases hit the sam.
The finer nuances – meend, microtonal bends, vocal color – are still learned by listening. Notation is a helpful map, but the real territory is in the sound and the tradition.
For Western-trained musicians, you can think of Bhatkhande notation as a kind of detailed lead sheet: enough to remember the composition and raag structure, but not enough to replace a guru or a good recording.