Introduction to Rāga Bhūpāli: Chanting with Narada
Bhakti Yoga
•
27m
The word Bhūp literally means ‘The King’. Rāga Bhūpāli is a Hindustani classical raga. It is a pentatonic scale (uses 5 notes in ascending and descending scale). Most of the songs in this raga are based on Bhakti rasa. Rāga Bhūpāli, Raga Yaman, and Raga Bhairav tend to be the three basic ragas of Hindustani music, learnt first by its students.
The aroha (ascending scale) and avaroha (descending scale) of Raga Bhupali are as follows:
• Aroha: S R G P D Ṡ
• Avaroha: Ṡ D P G R S R
The vadi (dominant note) of Raga Bhupali is Gandhar, and the samvadi (subdominant note) is Rishabh. The raga is typically sung in the first prahar of the night (between 6 pm and 9 pm).
Some famous compositions in Raga Bhupali include:
• "Guru Charanaa" by Yogi Hari
• "Man Tarpat Hari Darshan Ko Aaj" by Tansen
• "Vande Gurudev" by Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers
Raga Bhupali is a beautiful and haunting raga that is often used to express emotions of love, longing, and devotion. It is a popular raga for both vocal and instrumental music.
Here are some tips for singing Raga Bhupali:
• Pay attention to the correct pronunciation of the swaras (notes).
• Use a lot of gamak (microtones) to add beauty and expression to your singing.
• Practice singing the raga slowly at first, and then gradually increase your speed.
• Experiment with different vocal techniques, such as vibrato and meend (slides).
With practice, you will be able to sing Rāga Bhūpāli beautifully and expressively.
Learn more about Narada Williams
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