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8.1 The parts of a tana varnam

Name the sections of a tana varnam in order and say what each does.

Pallavi, anupallavi, muktayi swara, charanam, chittaswaras. A varnam is the piece that concentrates a raga into a few minutes, and it is the standard test of whether a student can actually play.

Work through these

  • Name the five sections in order.

    Varnam · Reference
  • Listen to a varnam and follow the sections as they pass.

  • Say which sections carry words and which carry swara names.

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