advanced Estimated learning time: 3 h

9.5 Gamakas, and the kinds they are grouped into

Name the main kinds of gamaka and recognise several of them by ear.

A gamaka is what happens to a note rather than which note it is, and the classical texts group them into ten kinds. Different schools count and name them differently, which is a fact about the tradition rather than a disagreement to resolve.

Work through these

  • Read the standard grouping of gamakas into ten kinds.

    Gamaka (music) · Reference
  • Recognise three of them in a recording.

  • Produce two of them on your own instrument or voice.

  • Note where your teacher's names differ from the ones you read.

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Links last checked 30 Aug 2026.

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