A chakra comprising concentric circles to understand music, be it Hindustani, Carnatic, or Western.
That’s exactly what L.S. Ramesh from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras has created.
His chart depicts the exact notes that make up a musical scale.
Ramesh, who visited Bengaluru recently, calls the chart ‘Saraswati 72-Melakarta Chakra’.
Its minimalistic design helps even the uninitiated understand the basic points that make up musical scales across classical genres.
Although the 72 parent scales in Carnatic music called the ‘Melakarta ragas’ were coded in the 15th century by musicologist Venkatamakhi, stepping on the right notes to arrive on these scales were not easy lessons that the uninitiated could follow.
Mr. Ramesh has used dots on a keyboard to indicate the exact placement of a note or a swara in his chakra .
“It simplifies the way in which this chakra can be used, even laymen can play on the keyboard to understand their flow,” he explains.
“For example, if the Shankarabharana raga is played referring to the keyboard dots on the chakra chart, the Hindustani equivalent as the Bilawal raag or the Western C-major scale is simultaneously understood. This chart is for understanding the common notes shared in classical scales,” said Mr. Ramesh, who is based in Chennai. So, be it the 72 parent scales of the Carnatic, the major 10 thaats of the Hindustani raag system created and categorised by Pt. Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande in the early 20th century, or the four major scales of Western music, the elementary ascending and descending notes of that scale are indicated in the chakra .
“I have provided indicative points for one octave on a keyboard, be it ragas as Natabhairavi or its equivalent C-harmonic minor,” he adds.
It took Mr. Ramesh six years of research to delve into the nucleus of these classical genres and come up with keyboard dot indications for comprehension.
“When we dedicated this chakra to vocalist M. Balamuralikrishna, who as a child had sung the 72 parent scales of the Carnatic music, he said our endeavour would reach laymen trying to understand the basics,” Mr. Ramesh said.
“Actor Kamal Haasan, who was initiated into Western music on the piano a few months ago, said the chakra chart was going to be his guide,” Mr. Ramesh added.
He sells the 14-inch chakra for about Rs. 500 and a major portion of the proceeds go to orphanages.
He has used dots on a keyboard to indicate the exact placement of a swara in his chakra
