Carnatic Music Theory for Beginners: Melakartha & Shankarabharanam
A beginner's guide to Carnatic music theory — the Melakartha system and the Shankarabharanam scale — with its history and parallels to Western music. In this lesson, NSM alumnus Raghavan Subramanian explains the basics of Carnatic music theory, its history and its similarities to Western music. This third part of the beginner series focuses on the Melakartha system and the Shankarabharanam scale, helping you connect Indian classical theory to the harmony and scales you already know. 🏫 Courses, Workshops or Private lessons ➡️ https://forms.gle/fsbhFKSgJbZ5xZEr8 ============================= 📹 Our Video Courses (Everything for Life Bundle) ➡️ https://learn-music.nathanielschool.com/ 🎹 Piano Courses & Private Lessons ➡️ https://piano.nathanielschool.com ============================= ▶️ Related Lessons & Playlists 🎵 Music Theory lessons ➡️ https://geni.us/PianoTheory 🎹 All our lessons on Chord Inversions (Playlist) ➡️ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT9ygtrGwGFmfyvMyGWH52EC 👂 Ear Training lessons ➡️ https://geni.us/EarTraining ============================= 🎓 Learn Music with Nathaniel School of Music & Jason Zac ➡️ https://nathanielschool.com 📚 All our YouTube lessons (1000+) by skill level, topic & genre ➡️ https://learning-portal.nathanielschool.com ============================= 💰 Donate on PayPal ➡️ https://geni.us/DonatePayPal 📸 Instagram ➡️ https://instagram.com/jasonzac 📞 Call +91 98454 65411 · 💬 WhatsApp chat +91 77604 56847 📧 Customised & Private Classes ➡️ music@nathanielschool.com 🎧 Listen to Jason Zac Music ➡️ https://riffs.jasonzacmusic.com/ #Shankarabharanam #Melakarta #CarnaticMusic Chapters 00:00 The 72 Melakarta ragas 02:01 Rules behind the finite number of ragas 03:18 Six combinations of Ri and Ga 04:15 Six combinations of Dha and Ni 05:40 Hear the first Melakarta example 06:34 Compare the last Melakarta example 07:59 Find Shankarabharanam in the numbering system 10:49 Change Ma and add 36 to the raga number 11:52 Dorian mode and its Carnatic equivalent 14:11 Mixolydian mode 15:27 Natural minor scale 17:15 Harmonic minor scale 18:02 Melodic minor scale 19:22 Janya ragas and departures from the parent scale 21:23 Explore within a raga’s boundaries
Related lessons
- 5 Elegant Piano Voicing Techniques for Any Chord Progression
Learn 5 voicing techniques on the Piano to play any chord progression using Triads, 7th, 9th, 11th and beyond. Using the vi - ii - V - I jazz chord progression, we learn how to voice chords with 5 methods: using Fifth Chords, Open Seventh…
- 5 Fancy Piano Chord Hacks to Transform a Simple Triad
Make plain major and minor chords sound far more beautiful and exciting with 5 fancy chord-playing styles on the piano. Jason Zac from Nathaniel School of Music teaches 5 fancy chord-playing styles that spice up simple triads and make…
- 5 Piano Chord Techniques That Instantly Sound Pro (Smooth & Organic)
Learn 5 rarely discussed techniques for playing chords professionally on the piano so they sound smooth, dynamic and organic. Jason Zac from Nathaniel School of Music walks you through five chord-playing approaches that most players never…
- 5 Ways to Make Your Piano Arpeggios Sound Melodic & Soulful
Turn plain, mechanical arpeggios into something melodic and soulful with 5 simple tips and techniques on the piano. Jason Zac from Nathaniel School of Music shares 5 tips and techniques to transform your standard arpeggios into something…
- Advanced Piano Chords Over Minor Progressions: Suspended & Quartal (3 of 6)
Learn how to use advanced chords, Suspended, slash, quartal voicing and diminished 7th, over the pre-dominant chord of Minor progressions. Jason Zac from Nathaniel School of Music brings you Part 3 of a 6-part series exploring the Minor…
- Chord Clarity on Piano: Make Muddy Harmony Sound Clean & Open
Give piano chords more clarity by moving the third of a D-major triad into the right hand above a left-hand root and fifth. Compare root-position and slash-bass voicings across registers. Jason Zac from Nathaniel School of Music explains…
Skill Level
Want structured lessons?
Continue with live guidance, feedback and a clear path through the Intermediate Piano Course.