Take in the View

Melody: Part 30

The Final Stretch

We will now use what we’ve decoded in the last 3 parts to create unified visual representations of our 5 melodies.

For a refresher on how this is done, have a look at Part 23:

Stirred Together

This part will go over the first 3 melodies while the next part will cover the last 2 melodies.

A quick note on the visual representations: these 5 melodies are much longer than what we’ve visually represented in this series until now, so we’ll be breaking up each melody’s timeline into multiple sections.

Here we go!

Melody 1

Netru Illaatha Maatram (approximately 0:28-0:40 of the linked video), A.R. Rahman:

• Reference audio:

• Pitch:

  Ga Ma Pa Pa Pa Dha, Ma Ga Re, Re Ga Sa,

  Ga Ma Pa Pa Sa' Dha, Ma Ga Re, Re Ga Sa.

• Time:

  TaKaDiMi iKaMi, Ta TaDi, TaDiMi-i-i-i,

  TaKaDiMi iKaMi, Ta TaDi, TaDiMi-i-i-iT.

• Loudness:

  Ha Ya Ya Ha Ha Ya, Ha Ya Ya, Ha Ya Ha,

  Ya Ya Ya Ha Ha Ya, Ha Ya Ya, Ha Ya Ha.

• Visual Representation (in 2 sections, spanning beats 0-8 and 8-16):

  

  Netru Illatha Maatrum, visualised

Melody 2

Jab Se Tumi San Laagali (approx. 1:25-1:36 of linked video), traditional Khayaal composition:

• Reference audio:

• Pitch:

  Ga Re Ga Re Sa Re Sa Dha, Sa Re Ga,

  Pa Pa Pa Pa Dha Pa Ga, Ga Pa Dha Sa',

  Pa Dha Sa', Dha Pa Ga Re Sa.

• Time:

  TaDi TaDi TaDi TaDi, iDi iDi Ta-a,

  Ta TaDi TaDi TaDi, TaDi TaDi,

  TaKaDi, TaKaDiMi TaT.

• Loudness:

  Ha Ya Ha Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya, Ha Ya Ha,

  Ha Ya Ya Ha Ya Ha Ya, Ha Ya Ya Ya,

  Ha Ya Ya, Ha Ya Ya Ya Ya.

• Visual representation (in 2 sections, spanning beats 0-8 and 8-17):

  

  Jab Se Tumi San Laagli, visualised

Melody 3

Symphony No. 25 (approx. 1:34-1:46 of linked video), W.A. Mozart:

• Reference audio:

• Pitch:

  Sa Ni_ Sa, Re Sa Re, Ga Re Ga, Pa Ma Ga Re,

  Sa Ni_ Sa, Re Sa Re, Ga Re Ga, Pa Ma Ga Re,

  Sa Sa' Sa' Sa', Sa' Ni Dha Pa,

  Ma Dha Dha Dha, Dha Pa Ma Ga,

  Re Ma Ma Ma, Ma Ga Pa Sa,

  Ga Re Sa Ni_ Sa.

• Time:

  TaDiMi TaDiMi TaDiMi TaKaDiMi,

  TaDiMi TaDiMi TaDiMi TaKaDiMi,

  TaKaDiMi TaKaDiMi,

  TaKaDiMi TaKaDiMi,

  TaKaDiMi TaKaDiMi,

  TaKaDiMi TaT.

• Loudness:

  Ve Ve Ve, Ve Ve Ve, Ve Ve Ve, Ve Ve Ve Ve,

  Ve Ve Ve, Ve Ve Ve, Ve Ve Ve, Ve Ve Ve Ve,

  Ve Ve Ya Ha Ya Ve Ve Ve,

  Ve Ve Ya Ha Ya Ve Ve Ve,

  Ve Ve Ya Ha Ya Ya Ya Ya,

  Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.

• Visual representation (in 2 sections, spanning beats 0-8 and 8-16):

  

  Symphony No. 25, visualised

Almost There!

We’re close to the end of our sojourn into the basics of melody.

In the next part of the series, we’ll cover the last two melodies (I won’t pull a Fermat, promise¹).

Since the next part will also conclude this series, we’ll devote some space to the larger context within which the entire series sits.

After all the intense melodic activity we’ve been through, it’ll be a welcome cool-down that brings together everything we’ve learnt so far into one grand nutshell.

And if you’re still itching for more, there will be an unguided melody-decoding challenge just for you :)

See you in the next part!

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1. In the words of the mathematician Pierre De Fermat, “Cuius rei demonstrationem mirabilem sane detexi. Hanc marginis exiguitas non caperet.”

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