Kriti Class 8 Chapter 5, Discovering the Elements of Music, opens the Music section with Matanga’s definition of rāga from the Bṛihaddēśhī, followed by vocal warm-ups, Sanskrit metre, Carnatic Konnakkol, Hindustani tabla parans and ensemble singing.
What Kriti Class 8 Chapter 5 Covers
Elements of music: melody (rāga), rhythm (tāla) and lyrics (sāhitya).
Vocal exercises: range practice in the lower register (mandra saptak) with patterns like S Ṇ Ḍ P, extended to the higher register (tāra saptak); flexibility drills with sargam in Teentāla sung slowly and then faster; and harmony warm-ups sung in thirds by two groups at once, building on the canons of Grade 7.
Sanskrit verse and metre: reciting the Rudra Yāmala verse ‘Oṁkāraṁ bindu-saṁyuktaṁ’ and a śhloka in Anuṣhṭup chhand.
Rhythm in Carnatic and Hindustani music: the konnakkol phrase ThaKaDhiMi ThaKaJhaNu (4 + 4 = 8 akṣharas) recited in Ādi tāla at three speeds, then sung as swaras. On the tabla side: recalling the bols of Ektāl, reciting the Saraswati Paran by Swami Pagal Das, and practising ek gun, dugun, tigun and chaugun.
Leading an ensemble: groups of 15–20 take roles such as conductor to perform a song together, ending with the patriotic song ‘Jayati Jayati Bhārata Mātā’.
Exercises in Chapter 5
- Circle Time discussion prompts and Assessment rubrics at the end of the chapter.
Read Kriti Class 8 Chapter 5 Online
More Chapters
- Previous: Chapter 4: Applause and Advice
- Next: Chapter 6: Musical Instruments
- All Art chapters and the other Class 8 books: Class 8 NCERT books 2026-27
- All Class 1 to 12 NCERT Textbooks: NCERT Books PDF (Class 1–12)
- Every book chapter by chapter: NCERT chapter wise PDF
FAQ
What is konnakkol?
The spoken rhythm language of Carnatic music, such as the phrase ThaKaDhiMi ThaKaJhaNu recited in Ādi tāla.
What do dugun, tigun and chaugun mean?
Reciting 2, 3 or 4 bols per beat; ek gun is one bol per beat.