What alankars are for
An alankar, or palta, takes a short pattern of swaras and walks it up the scale one step at a time, then back down: SRG RGM GMP… in threes. Played every day, they put each swara of a thaat under the fingers, train the ear to hear where each lies, and make the flute's leaps, from any swara to any other, feel near. Every bansuri player's riyaz begins with them.
The ten
- Aaroh and avaroh: the scale up and down.
- Doubled: each swara twice.
- In threes: SRG RGM GMP…
- In fours: SRGM RGMP…
- Leaping: SG RM GP…, a swara skipped.
- Turning back: SRS RGR GMG…
- Weaving: SGRG RMGM…
- Up and back: SRGRS RGMGR…
- Three and home: SRGS RGMR…
- In fives: SRGMP RGMPD…
How to practise them
Hear the alankar once, then play along with it, then without it. Slow it to half speed until every swara is clean and in its place; loop it until it is easy; then raise the tempo a little. Begin in Bilawal, the scale of the shuddh swaras, then take the same pattern through the other thaats, and through the raags you are learning: in a raag, the alankars that fit its swaras are the start of its taans.
In the app, play along and Meend follows you on the swaras as you play, each one lit as it is heard; the tabla or clicks keep the time.