Intermediate Level

Core topics Every learner takes these 8

1. Topic 01

   Review of Foundation and Bar Reset

   Check posture, bar contact and the right hand after the break between levels.

   Ready to move on when: Your teacher sees no posture or contact fault in a run of Foundation material.

   Resources: Your Foundation presentation recording · Checklist: posture and hand

2. Topic 02

   Longer Meend and Controlled Arrival

   Glide across two and three swaras and arrive exactly, with no overshoot.

   Ready to move on when: You can play five meends across two swaras and land each one in tune.

   Resources: Demo video, close on the bar · Tanpura track

3. Topic 03

   Gamak on the Slide

   Shake the bar around a swara so it oscillates and the centre stays clear.

   Ready to move on when: You can play gamak on three swaras with the centre swara still audible.

   Resources: Demo video · Reference recording

4. Topic 04

   The First Raga at Depth: Chalan and Two Lines

   Learn the first raga's chalan and phrase families, then hear it played in two slide lines and name what differs.

   Ready to move on when: You can play the chalan from memory and say one way the two recordings treat the raga differently.

   Resources: Demo video · Notation: the chalan · Listening: the raga in two slide lines (suggested)

5. Topic 05

   Alaap in Three Registers

   Extend the alaap into the lower and upper octaves, keeping the raga's movement in each.

   Ready to move on when: You can play a four-minute alaap that visits all three registers and stays in the raga.

   Resources: Demo video · Tanpura track · Reference alaap recording

6. Topic 06

   Rupak: the Seven-Beat Cycle

   Count Rupak, starting on khali, and play phrases inside it.

   Ready to move on when: You can play phrases over a Rupak lehra for four cycles and land on sam.

   Resources: Rupak lehra track · Notes: Rupak theka

7. Topic 07

   Guided Raga Study, Meend-Led

   A guided rehearsal: alaap in the first raga with meend and gamak, corrected live.

   Ready to move on when: Your teacher hears meend and gamak used in place, with no flat arrivals.

   Resources: Your recordings from this module · Tanpura track

8. Topic 08

   Module 2A Review

   Present alaap in three registers with meend and gamak, and phrases in Rupak.

   Ready to move on when: Your teacher closes the module after reviewing your presentation recording.

   Resources: Checklist: what the presentation covers

Electives Your teacher picks 4 of these 6 with you

• Elective

  Meend Across Three Swaras

  One meend that passes through three swaras with each one heard on the way.

  Ready to move on when: You can play three such meends with each passing swara audible on the recording.

  Resources: Demo video · Tanpura track

• Elective

  Phrase Memory and Recall

  Hear a phrase of the raga once, then play it back.

  Ready to move on when: You can play back five phrases your teacher plays, each after one hearing.

  Resources: Phrase recordings for call and response

• Elective

  Notating Ornamented Phrases

  Write meend and gamak into notation so another player could read them.

  Ready to move on when: You can notate three ornamented phrases and your teacher can play them from your sheet.

  Resources: Notes: ornament signs · Notation exercises

• Elective

  Style: Allauddin Khan Paltas Through Vikrit Swaras

  The Maihar palta drills carried through komal and tivra swaras.

  Ready to move on when: You can play three paltas through the vikrit swaras at medium laya, all in tune.

  Resources: Demo video · Notation: the paltas (needs making)

• Elective

  Style: Sitar-Ang Meend Shapes

  The meend shapes of the sitar line, as the Hansa veena plays them: pulled phrases rather than straight glides.

  Ready to move on when: You can play three sitar-ang meend phrases with the shape your teacher sets.

  Resources: Demo video · Listening: a Hansa veena alaap (suggested)

• Elective

  Style: Vocal Alaap Phrasing

  Alaap built the way a singer builds it, breath-length phrases sung first and then played.

  Ready to move on when: You can play a two-minute alaap whose phrases match what you sang first.

  Resources: Demo video · Listening: a vocal alaap in the same raga (suggested)

Core topics Every learner takes these 8

1. Topic 01

   Review of 2A and Ornament Stability

   Check that meend and gamak hold their pitch after a week away from them.

   Ready to move on when: Your teacher hears meend and gamak arrive in tune at the start of the session, cold.

   Resources: Your 2A presentation recording

2. Topic 02

   Bol Patterns: Da Ra Dir Dir

   Right-hand bol patterns built from Da, Ra and Dir, played evenly.

   Ready to move on when: You can play four bol patterns at medium laya with every stroke even.

   Resources: Demo video, close on the right hand · Notation: bol patterns

3. Topic 03

   The Second Raga: Chalan and Its Neighbour

   Learn the second raga (suggested: Bhupali) and the raga it is most often confused with.

   Ready to move on when: You can play the chalan and two phrases that tell it from its neighbour.

   Resources: Demo video · Tanpura track · Notation: chalan

4. Topic 04

   A Razakhani Gat in Teentaal, from Notation

   Learn a drut gat in Teentaal (the gat is the teacher's choice) from its written notation.

   Ready to move on when: You can play the gat from the sheet, then from memory, over a Teentaal lehra.

   Resources: Notation: the gat · Teentaal lehra track · Demo video

5. Topic 05

   Gat Handling: Mukhda and Return

   Leave the gat for a phrase and come back to its mukhda on sam.

   Ready to move on when: You can return to the mukhda on sam after four different phrases.

   Resources: Teentaal tabla track · Demo video

6. Topic 06

   Jod: Pulse Under the Alaap

   Add a steady pulse to the alaap so it becomes jod.

   Ready to move on when: You can play two minutes of jod with the pulse steady throughout.

   Resources: Demo video · Tanpura track

7. Topic 07

   Guided Gat Study

   A guided rehearsal of jod, gat and mukhda returns with the teacher correcting live.

   Ready to move on when: Your teacher hears the gat played through with clean returns.

   Resources: Your recordings from this module · Teentaal tabla track

8. Topic 08

   Module 2B Review

   Present the bol patterns, jod and the gat with returns.

   Ready to move on when: Your teacher closes the module after reviewing your presentation recording.

   Resources: Checklist: what the presentation covers

Electives Your teacher picks 4 of these 6 with you

• Elective

  First Jhala

  Alternate the main string with the chikari in a fast, even pattern.

  Ready to move on when: You can play one minute of slow jhala with the chikari strokes even.

  Resources: Demo video · Notation: jhala pattern

• Elective

  Dadra and a Light Phrase

  Count Dadra and play a light phrase or short dhun inside it.

  Ready to move on when: You can play the phrase over a Dadra lehra for four cycles, landing on sam.

  Resources: Dadra lehra track · Notation: the phrase

• Elective

  Reading a Gat at Sight

  Play an unseen short gat from notation.

  Ready to move on when: You can play an eight-beat gat line you have not seen before at slow laya.

  Resources: Notation: sight-reading lines

• Elective

  Style: Listening: Ali Akbar Khan and the Sarod Line

  Ustad Ali Akbar Khan's sarod, the source of the right-hand vocabulary in the Kabra and Maihar slide lines.

  Ready to move on when: You can name two right-hand patterns in the recording that you now play yourself.

  Resources: Listening: an Ali Akbar Khan gat (suggested, teacher to confirm)

• Elective

  Style: A Masitkhani Gat Played Slow

  A vilambit gat in the sitar manner, as taught in the Mohan veena line.

  Ready to move on when: You can play the gat's sthayi at vilambit laya over a lehra, landing on sam.

  Resources: Notation: the gat (teacher's choice) · Vilambit Teentaal lehra track

• Elective

  Style: Chikari Patterns of the Kabra Instrument

  The chikari strokes that fill and mark the cycle on Pandit Kabra's instrument.

  Ready to move on when: You can play the gat with chikari strokes placed where your teacher marks them.

  Resources: Demo video · Notation: chikari placement (needs making)

Core topics Every learner takes these 8

1. Topic 01

   Review of 2B and Weak Links

   Find the weakest item from 2A and 2B and spend the session on it.

   Ready to move on when: Your teacher hears the weak item fixed in a cold run.

   Resources: Your 2B presentation recording

2. Topic 02

   The Third Raga by Ear and by Rule

   Learn the third raga (suggested: Durga) and tell it by ear from the two you already play.

   Ready to move on when: You can play its chalan and name each of the three ragas from short recorded phrases.

   Resources: Demo video · Tanpura track · Phrase recordings of all three ragas

3. Topic 03

   Vistar: Developing the Gat

   Grow the gat by adding phrases that start from it and return to it, cycle by cycle.

   Ready to move on when: You can play four cycles of vistar on the gat, each returning to the mukhda.

   Resources: Teentaal tabla track · Reference recording

4. Topic 04

   Taan Logic Without Speed

   Build taans as patterns from the raga's swaras and play them slowly before any speed.

   Ready to move on when: You can design and play four taans that stay in the raga and land on sam.

   Resources: Notation: taan patterns · Teentaal lehra track

5. Topic 05

   Time Theory and the That System

   Place the three ragas in their thats and their times of day.

   Ready to move on when: You can name each raga's that and time and explain one rule that places it.

   Resources: Notes: the ten thats and time theory

6. Topic 06

   Playing with Tabla: Trading Phrases

   Take turns with the tabla player: you play a phrase, they answer, both land on sam.

   Ready to move on when: You can trade phrases with tabla for eight cycles without losing sam.

   Resources: Teentaal tabla track with gaps for answers · Demo video

7. Topic 07

   Guided Intermediate Presentation

   Rehearse the Intermediate set with your teacher: alaap, jod, gat with vistar and taans.

   Ready to move on when: Your teacher hears the set once through without a stop.

   Resources: Checklist: the Intermediate presentation

8. Topic 08

   Intermediate Completion and Review

   Present a ten- to fifteen-minute set in one raga.

   Ready to move on when: Your teacher closes Intermediate after reviewing your presentation recording.

   Resources: Checklist: the Intermediate presentation

Electives Your teacher picks 4 of these 6 with you

• Elective

  Meend Inside the Gat

  Place meend inside the gat without losing the beat.

  Ready to move on when: You can play the gat with three meends in place and land on sam each cycle.

  Resources: Teentaal lehra track · Demo video

• Elective

  Layakari: Dugun Phrases Inside Teentaal

  Play phrases at double speed inside the gat's cycle and return to single speed.

  Ready to move on when: You can switch between single and double speed twice in one cycle and land on sam.

  Resources: Teentaal lehra track · Notation: dugun phrases

• Elective

  Allied Ragas by Ear

  Hear ragas that share swaras with the three you play and tell them apart.

  Ready to move on when: You can name four allied ragas from recorded phrases.

  Resources: Phrase recordings of allied ragas

• Elective

  Self-Directed Practice Design

  Write your own week of practice from the module's material and keep to it.

  Ready to move on when: Your teacher accepts your practice plan and your log of one week.

  Resources: Template: practice plan and log

• Elective

  Style: Gayaki and Tantrakari Side by Side

  The singing line and the sarod right hand in one raga, played as two angs and then joined.

  Ready to move on when: You can play one phrase in gayaki ang and the same phrase in tantrakari ang, then a passage that joins them.

  Resources: Demo video · Notation: the paired phrases

• Elective

  Style: Sympathetic Strings in Vistar

  Letting the sympathetic strings ring through vistar, as the chaturangui line uses them.

  Ready to move on when: You can play two cycles of vistar where the sympathetic strings support and never blur the phrase.

  Resources: Demo video · Listening: a chaturangui gat (suggested)