Yakshagana rÃÂga (Kannada:à ²¯à ²Âà ³Âà ²·à ²Âà ²¾à ²¨ à ²°à ²¾à ²Â, pronounced as yaksha-gaana raaga) refers to melodic modes used in Yakshagana. It is based on pre-classical melodic forms that consist of a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is founded. Yakshagana rÃÂgas have indigenous rÃÂgas and others derived from other forms of music. RÃÂgas in yakshagana are closely associated with a set of melodic forms called mattu. Yakshagana rÃÂgas have their own gamaka. Although yakshagana rÃÂgas share names with rÃÂgas in other Indian music systems, they are compositionally different, with a few exceptions. More than 80 rÃÂgas have been identified to have survived the onslaught of popular and elite musical systems. In Yakshagana tradition, rÃÂgas are associated with different times of the night throughout which Yakshagana is performed.
RÃÂga describes a generalised form of melodic practice. It also records a set of rules for building the melody. Yakshagana rÃÂga follows not only these rules but also certain rhythmic and melodic structures called mattu. RÃÂga specifies the rules for movements up (aaroha [à ¤Âà ¤°à ¥Âà ¤¹]) and down (avroha [à ¤ à ¤µà ¤°à ¥Âà ¤¹]) the musical scale; which swara (notes) should figure more and which should be used more sparingly; which notes to stress more; which notes may be sung with gamaka; phrases to be used; phrases to be avoided; and so on. The result is a framework that can be used to compose or improvise melodies, allowing for endless variation within the set of notes. What makes yakshagana singing different are, among other things, yaksha gamaka, which are distinct sets of notes and also way of approaching a note or rendering a note to form a particular mattu.
More than adhering to stricter scale, yakshagana rÃÂga follows the metre of yakshagana poetry called the Yakshagana Chandhas. The melody is formed from a deep voice formed by controlling muscles as low as pelvic and abdominal muscles. This high pitched singing might have come out of need to reach all audience in a yakshagana bayalata, which is an outdoor activity. Recently singers have adopted softer singing because of the microphone. Some Hindustani rÃÂgas modified to suit yakshagana performance can also be seen (e.g. bhimpalas).
Yakshagana rÃÂgas are rendered but are not elaborated, sung swiftly to suit theatrical performance. Each song may complete within less than a minute, or a few minutes. Therefore, several songs of same rÃÂga used for various plots must be heard to experience the full features of yakshagana rÃÂga.
Unlike in other classical forms yakshagana performance starts with RÃÂga Naati or Chala Naati in late evening (though the actual story or prasanga starts with RÃÂga Bhiravi), and ends with Mohana RÃÂga in early morning.
Yakshagana music has its own gamakas. Yakshagana gamakas are name given to the set of sequence of notes often used in only in yakshagana rÃÂgas. It can also refer to, in popular parlance, inflections applied on notes. These gamakas give a distinct flavor to yakshagana rÃÂgas. These gamakas are learned by training and are among features such as mattu which make yakshagana sound different from other forms of music.
These ragas share names of the ragas of Karnataka Sangeetha but structurally different from them with very few exceptions.