6.6 The naghma-ye kashal in Rag Bairami

The naghma-ye kashal in Rag Bairami

The naghma-ye kashal in Rag Asa

Fingering chart for the Bairami mode

Bairami is the most common mode in Afghan music but the Bairami scale does not fit comfortably onto the rubab’s fretboard. One solution to this problem is to transpose Bairami up by a whole-tone. This scale is called Bairami Rekap, i.e. Bairami played from Re. This also necessitates retuning the shahtar (long drone) normally tuned to Sa up a whole tone to Re. Some adjustments to the sympathetics are also required.

Suggested tuning:
Sa Re Ga Ma Pe De Na Sa1 Re1 Ge1 Ma1 Pe1 De1 Ni1 Re2
arui Re Ga Ma Pe De Na Sa1 Re1
amrui Re1 Sa1 Na De Pe Ma Ga Re

This naghma in Bairami was the first piece I learned from Ustad Mohammad Omar in 1973. It has the four parts: astai, antara, bhog and sanchari. Astai and antara are closely related. The composition has two unusual features: the astai played dulai, played at double speed, and the antara also played dulai. There are three paltas to be interposed between statements of the sanchari. Two of these (paltas 2 and 3) are very similar to paltas 1 and 3 in Ustad Mohammad Omar’s Yeman. There are several other versions of the naghma in Bairami, one played by Rahim Khushnawaz in Chapter 7. The shakl phrases given here are from sitar player Narendra Bataju.

Complete performance

shakl

1. Ma Re Ga Re
2. Ma Pe Ga Re
3. Ma Pe De Ma Pe Ga Re
4. Re Ma Re Ga Re
5. Ga Sa Re Ma Pe De
6. Ma Pe Na De
7. Re Ma Pe De Ma Pe Ga Re
8. Ga Sa Re Ma Pe De
9. Sa1 De Na De
10. Ma Pe Sa1 Na De
11. Re Ma Pe Na De
12. Ma Pe De Na De Ma Pe Ga Re
13. Ma Pe Na Sa1 Re1
14. Na De Sa1 Na De
15. Re Ma Pe De Sa1 Na De
16. Pe De Na De Ma Pe Ga Re
17. Sa Re Ma Pe Na Sa1 Re1
18. Ga1 Re1 Na De Ma Pe Ga Re

astai

Re PePe Ma Pe
Pe NaNa De Pe
Ma Ge Ma Pe
Ma Ga Re Re

antara

Re NaNa De Na
Pe De Na Sa1
De NaNa Pe Na
De Pe Ma Ma

astai du lai

RePe MaPe -Na DePe
MaGe MaPe MaGa Re
RePe MaPe -Na DePe
MaGe MaPe MaGa Re

antara - du lai

ReNa DeNa PeDe NaSa1
DeNa PeNa DePe Ma
ReNa DeNa PeDe NaSa1
DeNa PeNa DePe Ma

bhog

De De Na Na
De DePe MaGe Ma
ReGa SaRe MaPe De
MaPe MaGa ReSa Re

sanchari

Ge Ge Ge Ge
Ma Ma Pe Pe
Ma Ma Ga Ga
Re Re Sa Re

palta 1

SaRe MaGe MaPe MaGe
MaDe PeMa GeMa NaDe
GeMa DePe GeMa PeMa
ReGa MaGa SaRe GaRe

palta 2

ReGa MaPe DeNa Sa1Re1
Sa1Na DePe MaGa Re
Re1Sa1 NaDe PeMa GaRe
Re1Sa1 NaDe PeMa GaRe

palta 3

ReGa MaGa MaPe MaPe
DePe DeNa DeNa Sa1Na
Sa1Re1 Sa1Na Sa1Na DeNa
DePe DePe MaPe MaGe
MaGa ReGa ReSa Re
MaPe NaSa1 Re1 Re1
MaPe NaSa1 Re1 Re1
MaPe NaSa1 Re1 Re1

seh

Re Re Re Re
Ga Ga Pe Pe
MaPe NaSa1 Re1 MaPe
NaSa1 Re1 MaPe NaSa1
Re
X

Alternative 16 matras astai and related antara (also from Ustad Mohammad Omar)

astai

Re MaMa Ge Ma
Re GaGa Sa Re
Sa Ma Ga Re
Sa Re NaNa Sa

For technical reasons no video is currently available for the performance of this antara

antara

Re NaNa De Na
Pe De Sa1 Na
De Pe GeMa DaPe
Ma Ga Re Sa