We hear them around us all the time. In our voices when we speak and in nature, like when birds sing. In musical terms, we call these infinite number of pitches of sounds between the theoretically assigned notes, microtones.
In Western music there are set notes in a scale. Each octave is divided into 12 equal intervals or notes. But drilling deeper, a microtone is a tone that exists in between the keys on a piano. To the Western ear these microtonal pitches may sound “exotic”, but they form the keys that allow Indian ragas to stir emotions. A subtle change in microtone can shift a mood from playful to serious, tugging at a heart string we may have forgotten all about.
Contrary to Western music, in Indian classical music theory there are 22 shrutis in an octave. It is an important concept in Indian music and is the smallest interval of pitch that the human ear can detect. Shruti is a Sanskrit word and literally means “what is heard”. It is important to be aware that Shru (in Sanskrit) does not merely mean “to hear”, but rather to “hear, understand and learn”.
The natural fact is that on 22 specific points on a string, the perception of notes changes. These are very precise points. As described by Pandit Matanga and quoted on the Wikipedia entry (my most reliable source), “Only when the ear understands (the point on the string where perception of the note changes), does that sound become a Shruti”. These 22 shrutis can also be called microtones because they are produced at mathematically defined micro-positions. Used for centuries, they provide the foundation of Indian music.
Last night I was privileged to attend a concert in Mumbai. I am very grateful to have been accompanied (and guided through the Mumbai taxi and train system) by a cheerful group of fellow students and teachers from Vrindaban Gurukul. The event was presented by Banyan Tree Events at Nehru Centre Auditorium in Worli, Mumbai.
My favourite performance was with Rakesh Chaurasia (flute), a mentor to many in our group and nephew of our guruji, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. He was joined by George Brooks (Saxophone) and Gwyneth Wentink (Harp). They were accompanied by Anubrata Chatterjee on Tabla. Please check out their pages for more of their music.
During his introduction, George Brooks highlighted Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia’s ability to “put his heart in his breath” and has aspired throughout his career to do the same, even if only to the smallest degree. Not a small lesson many of us students also aspire to learn from Guruji.
It was a wonderful presentation and example of bridging Eastern music with Western. An expression of all notes. And everything in between. ❤