Gat in Chowtal

Raag

Raag Bhimpalasi

Sa

G#

Duration

2:35

Maker

Shahidali Sitarmakers

This is from the annual event my guruji, my teacher, conducts with all his students. I played Bhimpalasi on the surbahar, the bass sitar, in dhrupad, the older and the slower of the two styles I learn. My performance began with fifteen minutes of aalap, the slow opening before any beat comes in. The recording picks up at the gat that followed, a fixed composition set to chowtal, the twelve-beat cycle dhrupad uses.