Every order of four neighbouring notes: twenty-four of them

Merukhand

· 24 patterns

All 24 merukhand orders of four neighbouring notes, from Sa Re Ga Ma to Ma Ga Re Sa, each playable on the harmonium.

Re Ma Sa Ga · Ga Pa Re Ma

Order 11 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Merukhand is permutation practice, the same group of notes sung in every order, and the work is remembering which note comes next. Four neighbouring notes, each used once, have twenty-four orders, enough for straight runs, leaps, reversals and phrases that start above the bottom of the group; seven would give five thousand and forty, a count rather than a plan. This page writes out all twenty-four, from Sa Re Ga Ma to Ma Ga Re Sa, each climbed a step at a time through the scale and mirrored on the way down, and each plays on the harmonium in any thaat.

Look for orders that begin above their lowest note; recognising the four pitches will not choose the first one for you.

Each order moves through neighbouring four-note windows of the scale. A phrase that starts on the window's second note still belongs to the same four, and its first sung note has not become the lowest.

Re Sa Ma Ga · Ga Re Pa Ma

SaPaSa′the way upthe way down
Find the lowest note in each phrase; its first sung note sits one step above it.

Start with the straight order, then exchange its last two positions, then try meru-2143, which starts on the second note; hear that opening pitch before singing. Stay with one window until it comes twice without the display.

Sa Re Ga Ma · Re Ga Ma Pa

SaPaSa′the way upthe way down

Sa Re Ma Ga · Re Ga Pa Ma

SaPaSa′the way upthe way down
Exchange only the last two positions, and listen for the new turn without letting the earlier notes move.

All twenty-four are set in Keherwa, two cells to its eight matras. Practise the joins, the last note of one phrase into the first of the next, without a pause between them.

one phrase the next · a heavy bar is a vibhag, × is sam

Compare the notes on either side of the bar; the cell restarts, but the pitch stays the same.

The straight order is also Bhatkhande's fours, and meru-1324 shares its cell with an interlocking-thirds palta.

Sa Ga Re Ma · Re Ma Ga Pa

SaPaSa′the way upthe way down

Sa Ga Re Ma · Re Ma Ga Pa

SaPaSa′the way upthe way down
Trace both paths; a merukhand order and a palta of interlocking thirds ask for the same movements.

Try the fully reversed order early, where each phrase falls while the windows rise. Save meru-2413, with its repeated changes of direction, for a day with time for a slow count.

Ma Ga Re Sa · Pa Ma Ga Re

SaPaSa′the way upthe way down

Re Ma Sa Ga · Ga Pa Re Ma

SaPaSa′the way upthe way down
Follow the falling cells through rising windows before tackling the changes of direction in number 11.

Start with Sa Re Ga Ma · Re Ga Ma Pa, Sa Re Ma Ga · Re Ga Pa Ma and Re Sa Ma Ga · Ga Re Pa Ma.

All 2424

Sa Re Ga Ma · Re Ga Ma Pa

Order 1 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Use the straight order to establish the four-note window before rearranging it. Two cells fill Keherwa's eight matras. The likely slip comes between windows, where the next starting point is lower than the note just sung. Practise that join rather than only the smooth run inside each cell. Keep the fourth note complete, then move on without a waiting beat.

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Sa Re Ma Ga · Re Ga Pa Ma

Order 2 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

The last two positions exchange places, interrupting an otherwise familiar upward expectation. Each four-note cell takes half of Keherwa. The voice may quietly restore the straight run, especially as the tempo rises. Speak the displayed order over four steady counts, then sing it on one window. Join a second window only when the changed ending no longer needs a last-second correction.

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Sa Ga Re Ma · Re Ma Ga Pa

Order 3 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

The two rising skips are joined by a reversal that needs its own clear count. Two cells occupy Keherwa's eight matras. Do not let the middle movement blur into a straight climb or become shorter than the leaps. Practise one window slowly in sargam, then in aakar, listening for four distinct destinations without four separate pushes of breath.

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Sa Ga Ma Re · Re Ma Pa Ga

Order 4 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Sa Ma Re Ga · Re Pa Ga Ma

Order 5 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Sa Ma Ga Re · Re Pa Ma Ga

Order 6 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Re Sa Ga Ma · Ga Re Ma Pa

Order 7 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Re Sa Ma Ga · Ga Re Pa Ma

Order 8 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

The phrase begins above its lowest member, drops, then makes its widest leap. Two four-note cells fit Keherwa. Starting automatically on the window's bottom note changes the whole exercise before the difficult part arrives. Play the opening pitch alone, hear it silently, then sing the cell. Keep counting through the central leap rather than pausing to locate its destination.

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Re Ga Sa Ma · Ga Ma Re Pa

Order 9 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Re Ga Ma Sa · Ga Ma Pa Re

Order 10 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Re Ma Sa Ga · Ga Pa Re Ma

Order 11 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Every move changes direction, so the mind has little help from a familiar run. Give each four-note cell four of Keherwa's eight matras. The central drop can become an approximate landing followed by a correct final note. Isolate that drop first, then restore the phrase at a slow pulse. Use one window until the order stays intact without visual rescue.

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Re Ma Ga Sa · Ga Pa Ma Re

Order 12 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Ga Sa Re Ma · Ma Re Ga Pa

Order 13 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Ga Sa Ma Re · Ma Re Pa Ga

Order 14 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Ga Re Sa Ma · Ma Ga Re Pa

Order 15 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Ga Re Ma Sa · Ma Ga Pa Re

Order 16 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Ga Ma Sa Re · Ma Pa Re Ga

Order 17 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Ga Ma Re Sa · Ma Pa Ga Re

Order 18 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Ma Sa Re Ga · Pa Re Ga Ma

Order 19 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Ma Sa Ga Re · Pa Re Ma Ga

Order 20 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Ma Re Sa Ga · Pa Ga Re Ma

Order 21 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Ma Re Ga Sa · Pa Ga Ma Re

Order 22 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Ma Ga Sa Re · Pa Ma Re Ga

Order 23 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order

Ma Ga Re Sa · Pa Ma Ga Re

Order 24 · set in Keherwa · difficulty

Each phrase descends while the successive four-note windows move upwards. Keeping those two directions distinct is the task. Two cells fill Keherwa's eight matras. The join can start too low if the voice continues descending by habit. Practise the last note of one cell into the first of the next, then sing both complete cells with the count unchanged.

Open in the harmoniumMerukhand: the 24 orders of four notes, numbered in dictionary order