Roles of the notes.

Notes come together to form a Raga. A raga should have at least 5 notes. This is what we have learned about the roles of notes in a Raga. Apart from this, a note can play very different kinds of roles in a Raga. They can be pointed down as-

Omitted Note-A Raga many a times can be without a Note. For example, if a Raga has 6 Notes in it, then one note is omitted. Many a times, Raga may get its mood completely changed just by omitting a single note. In conventional terminology, it is called as Varjya Swar.

King Note- Conventionally, this is called as Vadi Swar. It is used for making a hault. It is the note which is most dominantly used in a Raga. Many a times, it happens that two Raga may have same notes but they can be easily distinguished because they have different King Notes which results in absolutely different mood.

Minister Note- Traditionally, it is called as Samvadi Swar. It is also dominantly used in a Raga, but less than the king note.

Guest note- Some times, a particular note is used very little, just as if it takes a guest entry. Such note can entirely transform the ambience just by its presence for a second. This note should not be used casually, but very very rarely.    

More about Raga-

What is a Raga?

Rules for a Raga