The purpose of the workshops is 1) to strengthen correct basic technique on setar and tar and 2) to gain an understanding the dastgah system of Persian music.
Tuning
The ABC system (CDEFGAB) is absolute i.e.
A=440 Hertz
The DoReMi system can be absolute (e.g. Do=C) or reletive (e.g. Do is the
first note)
Persian traditional instruments have usually been tuned relative to the
singer. Besides each note in a
Persian dastgah has a name, DoReMi or ABC has been unnecessary.
In this workshop we'll use the note names, but also the relative Do ReMi
system. However, our Do will be
tuned a half-step lower than C (to B) in order to avoid breaking the delicate
sim-e zard (middle "yellow" string) on tar/setar.
Tar/setar can be tuned differently depending on the dastgah being played. However, it's desirable to have the 1st two strings (the melody strings) tuned in 4th s, so as to be able to more easily play melodies. So usually the melody strings (sim-e sefid & sim-e zard) are tuned to Do-Sol. Sometimes the middle string (sim-e zard) is tuned to Fa, but like mentioned before, this make playing melodies harder. The low strings are usually tuned in unison (i.e. the same an octave apart), but not always. The low strings are tuned to best resonate with the dastgah being played. For example, F&C for Shur rast-kuk, Re&Re for Shur chap-kuk, Do&Mi koron for Segah chap-kuk, F&F for rast panjgah, etc.
Shur (chap-kuk)
Normally tuned to (high to low) Do, Sol,
Re&Re but we can leave the low strings at Do&Do also.
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
|
Shur |
Rohab |
Sarangi |
Salmak |
2nd Rohab |
Dashti |
Gharache |
Razavi |
Hosseini |
|
D |
Ep |
F |
G |
Ap |
A |
Bb |
C |
D |
|
Re |
Mi koron |
Fa |
Sol |
La koron |
La |
Si bemol |
Do |
Re |
The main way uses Dashti (A); the other way uses 2nd Rohab (Ap).
Rhythm
Once a pulse is established (e.g. 60 pulses
per minute), note lengths are relative:
Each note below is half as long (or conversely, twice as fast) as the
note to it's left:
whole note, half note ("sefid"), quarter
note ("siah"), eighth note ("chang"), sixteenth note ("dolla
chang")
The same "melody" (series of notes), therefore, can be played in
different speeds.
This idea is used by Indian musicians whose goal is to be able to play a melody
in 4 or 5 different speeds (each twice as fast as the previous).
Right hand exercises
RL, RLR, RLRL, LRLR, RRL,
LR
Left hand exercises
4 notes: 1111, 1212, 1123
5 notes: 11111, 11123, 12123, 12312
Warmup exercise
In this way, build up to
the highest speed you're comfortable with.
Reverse the above process to arrive at the original speed.
Intervals & Tetrachords
Examples:
the interval
between do & re is a major 2nd (M2)
the interval between do & re bemol is a
minor 2nd (m2)
the interval between do & re koron is a
neutral 2nd (n2)
the interval between do & mi is a major 3nd
(M3)
the interval between do & mi bemol is a
minor 3nd (m3)
the interval between do & mi koron is a
neutral 3nd (n3)
the interval between do & fa is a perfect 4th (P4)
the interval between do & sol is a perfect 5th (P5)
For example, the notes do re mi fa constitute (what we will call) the Mahour daang.
The dastgah concept can best be understood (approximated) by a system of stacked tetrachords.
For example: stacking 3 overlapping tetrachords
of "Mahur" creates a tonal system which
covers much of dastgah-e Mahour
daramad/dad/khavaran area.
sol la si do
re mi fa sol la si-bemol.
We will use this stack/series to play Mahour, so
please practice it on your instrument.
Rhythmic
Cycles
·
A rhythmic cycle consists
of a numbers of beats that keep repeating. Usually one of more of the beats are accented.
For example a famous flamenco 12-beat cycle has accents on 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12.
Accents for many Persian rhythmic cycles (e.g. chahar-pareh, kereshmeh) are
based on the strong syllables of the poetry..
·
There’s a distinction
between the concept of a rhythmic cycle and a measure:
Accents in a rhythmic cycle depend on the poem (or melody), whereas accents in
measure usually fall on beat 1.
For example while 8 beats can be considered a rhythmic cycle of 8 (with accents
as appropriate), it can also be thought of as 2 measure of 4 beats each with accents on the first beat of each
measure (i.e. 1 & 5).
This is an important distinction since Persian melodies that have been made to
fit into a system of measure are likely to be misinterpreted rhythmically by
students (unless they hear them played with the correct accents).
Vocal Radif (Abdollah khan Davami)
Daramad-e Khara (Shur)
Daramad-e Avval (Shur)
Notes from
Ostad Omoumi’s class (June 20, 2004)
·
Let’s think in terms of
systems.
o
Then
§
Persian classical music
= eco-system
§
Dastgah = system
§
Gusheh = subsystem
o
Closed systems are
limited by one or more parameter – Open systems are not.
o
2/3 of gusheh are
closed systems, in that they are limited by the rhythm of a poem, or their melodic
shape (e.g. masnavi, kereshmeh)
·
There are 7 Dastgah
(each consisting of 15-30 gusheh).
There are also smaller systems called Avaz (each consisting of around 10
gusheh).
·
The 7 Dastgah can be
classified into 3 groups:
o
Shur, Nava, Segah
o
Homayoun, Chahargah
o Mahour, Rast va Panjgah
·
Shur, Homayoun, and Mahour are called “sar-dastgah”
(head of system) by Ostad Kasaii.
Also it helps to remember that each group ends with a “numbered” dastgah:
segah (se=3), chahargah (chahar=4), and panjgah (panj=5)
·
Shahed = central/emphasized note of any gusheh
Ist = ending note of any gusheh
In the dar-amad of every dastgah (except Homayoun) the Shahed and Ist are the
same note.
· Let’s make an analogy of a dastgah to a building.
o Each building has a main entrance – this is the dar-amad.
o Each building can have multiple floors – these are the notes.
o The first fllor is the shahed of the daramad of the dastgah.
o
Some floors may be
empty – i.e. there are no gusheh based on that note (e.g. 3rd note
of Shur).
Other floors may house multiple gusheh (e.g. 4th note of Shur)
