By now you’ve seen many individual concepts – swar, saptak, raag, taal, alankar. Let’s gather them into some big-picture principles that define Indian classical music (ICM), especially the Hindustani tradition.
- Centrality of the tonic (Sa) – Everything revolves around Sa. It is the gravitational center of the music; all other notes are heard in relation to it.
- Raag as the core framework – A performance is not “in C major” or “in D minor” but in a raag, with specific allowed movements, characteristic phrases, and a personality.
- Improvisation within grammar – A huge portion of the performance is improvised, but always within the rules of the raag and the cycle of the taal. Freedom and discipline go hand in hand.
- Microtonal sensitivity (Shruti) – Notes are not fixed at equal temperament frequencies. Singers shade them subtly higher or lower to suit the raag’s mood, producing microtonal nuances called shrutis.
- Ornamentation is essential – Meend, gamak, kan swars, and other alankars are not optional decorations; they are part of the raag’s DNA.
- Time and season – Many raags are linked with specific times of day or seasons (Samay Chakra), reflecting a belief that music and nature are deeply connected.
- Taal as a cyclic, not linear, concept – Rhythm is felt in cycles, not just in bars. The returning sam is a dramatic event that improvisation constantly aims for.
- Guru–Shishya Parampara – Knowledge is traditionally passed down through a close relationship between teacher and student. Even with books and recordings, this personal transmission remains central.
All of these principles combine to create a music that is deeply introspective and spiritual, yet also playful, virtuosic, and open-ended. It can feel like a prayer, a conversation, a dance, and a story – all at once.