Question

The number of Murchhanas (mode of scale) produced from each gramas (tunning system) is:

• A. 21
• B. 24
• C. 7
• D. 17

Hint:

In music theory questions, carefully read what is being asked. "From each" is different from "in total." The number of Murchhanas is directly tied to the number of notes in the parent Grama, which is seven.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This is a technical question from the theory of Indian classical music. It asks about the relationship between two fundamental concepts: 'Grama' and 'Murchhana'.
- A Grama is an ancient parent scale or tuning system, consisting of seven 'swaras' (notes).
- A Murchhana is a melodic scale or mode that is derived from a Grama by shifting the tonic note ('Sa') to each of the other notes of that Grama in succession.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Since a Grama is defined as having seven notes, we can create a new scale starting from each of these seven notes.
By shifting the starting point (the tonic) through all seven notes of the parent scale (Grama), we can produce exactly seven Murchhanas.
For example, if the notes of a Grama are S, R, G, M, P, D, N, the Murchhanas will be:
1. S R G M P D N
2. R G M P D N S
3. G M P D N S R
... and so on, for all seven notes.
The number 21 refers to the total number of Murchhanas from the three ancient Gramas combined (7 from Shadja Grama, 7 from Madhyama Grama, and 7 from Gandhara Grama), but the question asks for the number produced from each Grama.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The number of Murchhanas produced from each Grama is 7.