DhruvaNada Sound System

Creator:

Ketil Helmersberg
Shivala Florence Morfoisse and
Ramakant Gundecha

WHAT IS GANDHARVA VEDA?

Gandharva Veda is the Vedic Science of Music.
Its origin is the Sama Veda, the second of the four Vedas, which are Shrutis (that which has been heard). The Vedas were not composed by man. They are eternal and uncreated.
Ragas are the musical expressions of the laws of nature that maintain harmony in the universe.
The tuning of the notes of the Ragas is fixed, regardless of the musician's interpretation.
The reason is that the Ragas were not created by man but “cognized” by the ancient Rishis (sages).
Hence the paramount importance of the tuning of the notes in this science.

THE DHRUVANADA SOUND SYSTEM

With DhruvaNada, you can play the most popular traditional scales, or ragas, of Indian classical music in their original form, with the correct intervals between notes. In addition, the program features a complete tampura and a pakhavaj with all the talas, or most common rhythmic patterns in Indian classical music. The program currently contains 40 ragas.

The raga scales have been meticulously digitized over many years of work by the late Ramakant Gundecha and Shivala Florence Morfoisse.

Dhrupad is not only the oldest Indian classical music science, but also the tradition that has most faithfully preserved the knowledge of the original natural scales of the ragas. These scales, although commonly used, have been greatly distorted in modern times due to the influence of Western instruments tuned in equal temperament, such as the harmonium and electronic keyboard. The Dhrupad tradition has always placed great emphasis on the correct tuning of scales.

The purpose of the Dhruvanada software is both to revive and preserve the original classical Indian scales, the science of Gandharva Veda.
Western fixed-pitch instruments such as the piano or harmonium are tuned to a tonal system called the equal temperament scale. In this tonal system, the intervals between notes are artificial because, unlike the natural Indian scales, they are not in tune with the natural harmonic series.

By reviving these scales, or ragas, we aim to restore the original purity of Indian classical music, the science of Gandharva Veda, and thus recover all its power and beauty to harmonize our mind and emotions.

RAMAKANT GUNDECHA

Ramakant Gundecha was renowned as one of India's foremost experts on Dhrupad scales (ragas).

Ramakant and Umakant Gundecha were students of the famous veena player Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar and his brother, the singer Zia Fariduddin Dagar, who were the 19th generation of the famous Dagar family of Dhrupad musicians.

SHIVALA MORFOISSE

Shivala Florence Morfoisse is a professional Dhrupad singer and teacher. She studied at the Paris Conservatory. She was one of the first long-term students of Ramakant and Umakant Gundecha.

HISTORY OF DHRUVANDA

After working as a professional musician in a classical orchestra for three years, Shivala felt strongly that with the equal tempered scale, which has been in common use since the mid-19th century, the world of Western music had taken a wrong turn. She therefore began to study a modern form of Indian classical music called Keyal. See: Indian music and piano - the impossible marriage!

After three years of study, she was still not satisfied, largely because the teachers used the harmonium, a tempered scale instrument introduced into India by the Portuguese. She then met an expert in ethnic music scales who told her that if she wanted to learn the “real thing,” she should find a Dhrupad teacher, because Dhrupad was the musical tradition of India that had most scrupulously preserved the original tuning of Indian classical music scales, and that this tuning was very different from the equal tempered scale.

She went to India and began studying Dhrupad with Ramakant and Umakant Gundecha. From direct experience, she knew immediately that she had found what she was looking for: the music style that was suited to conveying the true spiritual value of music.

Due to the widespread use of equal-tempered instruments in India and the weakening of oral traditions such as Dhrupad, Shivala realized that this knowledge of music scales and ragas, which she found so valuable, was in danger of being lost. She became concerned with finding a way to preserve the correct tuning of the ragas for future generations and make them accessible to the whole world.

She then met Ketil Helmersberg, a former programmer who had also studied music, and they began a dialogue about Dhrupad and musical scales. Inspired by this, Ketil researched the mathematics of natural scales and invented a software program to digitally record Dhrupad scales in the form of correct ratios. He also created DhruvaNada to make Dhrupad scales available to the public.

FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS

The Dhruvanada software can be used with a mouse, computer keyboard, or MIDI keyboard. With a mouse or MIDI keyboard, you can also slide between notes, which is an essential feature of Indian classical music.

You can play in any key, which can also be set precisely, and you can adjust the speed of the tampura and pakhavaj.

Scales / Ragas

Abhogi
Adana
Adbhut Kalyan
Ahir Bhairav
Bageshri
Bhairav
Bhairavi
Bhatiyar
Bhinna Sadja
Bhupali
Bihag
Bilaskhani Todi
Bhimpalasi
Chandra Kauns
Darbari Kanada
Dhani
Dhruva
Gurjari Todi
Hansadhvani
Hindol

Jaunpuri
Jog
Kafi
Kedar
Kirvani
Lalit
Madhmad Sarang
Malkauns
Marva
Megh
Miayn Ki Malhar
Puriya Dhanashree
Rageshree
Sarasvati
Shani
Shyam Kalyan
Shiva Ranjani
Shree
Sohini
Yaman

Talas

Chautala
Adital
Dhamar
Sultala
Sadra
Sulfalta
Tivra

Tampuras

Ma
Pa
Dha
Dha komal
Ni

Sounds

Harmonium
Veena
Flute
Banzuri
Shenai
Electronic zigsag

Read more about Dhrupad here: www.Dhruapdmusic.com

The web-site of the Gundecha Brothers: www.Dhrupad.org

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

The system requires Windows 7 or higher. The resolution of the screen must be minimum 1024 X 600 pixels.