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Article: The GAT: Raaga Yaman and Yaman Kalyan

 
By Haresh Bakshi
 
  In all likelihood, the term 'gat' has been derived from the Sanskrit word 'gati', meaning 'movement'. Let us evolve the definition of a 'gat'.

A gat is played on an instrument. It is played in rhythm, in any taal. The gat is played in a rhythm which can be slow, or fast, or even very fast. The gat is a cyclical, fixed melody in a raga. It is a melodic composition which usually consists of one or two melodic lines. The instruments that play gat-s include all melodic instruments like flute, santoor, sarangi, sarod, sitar, violin etc. In fact any instrument, Indian or not, has to resort to a gat when it starts to play in rhythm.

The improvisation of a raga on an instrument starts with alap, jod and jhala. It is then followed by a gat in slow tempo. It gradually increases in tempo, reaching a break-neck cresdendo. The performance typically ends with a tihai.

A gat is played on the harmonium also. When a gat plays only one line, repeatedly, to work as a reference to the solo performance on the tabla, it is called a lehra. A lehra is usually played on the sarangi or harmonium.

Let us commence this series with a gat, in teental, in the raga Yaman:

  1 2 3 4   5 6 7 8   9  101112  13141516
| - - - - | - - - - | "N R G M | P . R R |

  1 2 3 4   5 6 7 8
| G . G R |"N R S . |
Let us continue this series with a gat, in teental, in the raga Yaman kalyan:
 1 2 3 4   5 6 7 8   9  101112  13141516
| - - - - | - - - - | "N R G M | P M G . |

 1 2 3 4   5 6 7 8
| G m G R |"N R S . |
 

 

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