Differences Between Notation for Indian and Western Music

A lot of people wonder what are the basic differences in notation between Indian and Western Music. If you are one of those curious people who wish to learn classical singing online, join the crew because we are going to address this curiosity once and for all. We also thought along the same lines as you and so we started our research. 

That's when we understood that the data is all over the place and there is no definitive answer and that is how we got the idea to create this blog. In this blog, we will discuss all that you need to know when you compare the notations of these two vastly popular genres of music. 

Now, to begin with, let us first get the basics aside:

What is Indian Music? 

Indian music is referred to as the traditional music that finds its roots in India. There are two sub-genres of Indian music: 

• Hindustani music

• Indian Classical or Carnatic music 

Due to Islamic and Persian influence, a part of Indian music was affected, so much so that a new style was developed. This new style was known as Hindustani Music that transitioned to become a sub-genre. The other part of the Indian music that remained unaffected by any foreign influence and followed the traditional style and classical singing was termed Carnatic music. 

What is Western Music? 

Western music came into being in the late 5th century CE, after the fall of the Roman Empire in Europe. Typically, western music is associated with a form of country music popular in the Western United States and Western Canada. 

What is Notation in Music? 

Musical notation refers to the system of representing aurally perceived music that is either played using an instrument or sung in a human voice. The music is represented using symbols that represent every part of a particular composition including specific sounds, the high and low notes, and even the duration of pauses, etc. 

With all the basics settled, let us now move on to the main topic at hand:

The Beginning of Notation

There is a clear contrast between Indian and Western music if we specifically talk about the beginning of notation. Here is how the musical notation began:

In Western Music

The Western musical notation started along with the Western music that began with plainchant in the 8th century CE. It was the first music and musical notation system in Europe. The notation for plainchant was done by monks of the Roman Catholic Church. 

In Indian Music

Music in India was, and is still, taught orally. It is due to this fact that there was no notation for Indian music until the Vedic period when it began for the purpose of learning and teaching. All the music before this period was taught and performed only on the basis of memory in the “Guru Shishya” tradition. 

It would not be wrong to say that most of the Indian musical gems could have been lost due to the absence of notation.

The System of Notation

India and the Western World were way too far to have found a similar notation system. Here are the key differences:

In Western Music

The plainchant notation does not involve the use of a staff. Instead, it used a system of dots and strokes called neuma (or pneuma) that was placed above the text. However, the Western modern notation is quite different from the plainchant notation as, unlike plainchant, it can also express precise pitches or times.

In Indian Music

When it comes to classical Indian singing and other forms of music, there is a mention of three types of notes that were used in the Vedic period, namely Udatta, Anudatta, and Svarita. In the early phase, different types of lines were used as symbols to represent these notes. However, the lines were replaced by numerals after some time. Later on the use of words like Shadja, Rishabh, Gandhar, etc. was noticed along with the use of syllables like Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, etc.

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