Basic Training - Alankaar / Paltaa

Question: What are Alankar or Paltaa ?
Answer: Alankars or Paltas are music exercises. Student repeats a group of notes in ascending and descending order with some criteria:

For example:

Alankar 1)  Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni SA
                  SA Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Re Sa

Alankar 2)  SaRe, ReGa, GaMa, MaPa, PaDha, DhaNi, NiSA
                  SANi, NiDha, DhaPa, PaMa, MaGa, GaRe, ReSa

Alankar 3)  SaReGa, ReGaMa, GaMaPa MaPaDha PaDhaNi DhaNiSA
                  SANiDha, NiDhaPa, DhaPaMa, PaMaGa MaGaRe GaReSa

Alankar 4) SaReGaMa, ReGaMaPa,  GaMaPaDha, MaPaDhaNi, PaDhaNiSA
                 SANiDhaPa, NiDhaPaMa, DhaPaMaGa, PaMaGaRe, MaGaReSa

Alankar 5) SaReGaMaPa, ReGaMaPaDha,  GaMaPaDhaNi, MaPaDhaNiSA
                 SANiDhaPaMa, NiDhaPaMaGa, DhaPaMaGaRe, PaMaGaReSA

Alankar 6) SaGa, ReMa, GaPa, MaDha, PaNi, DhaSA
                 SADha, NiPa, DhaMa, PaGa, MaRe, GaSa

Alankar 7) SaGaReSa, ReMaGaRe, GaPaMaGa, MaDhaPaMa, PaNiDhaPa, DhaSANiDha
                 DhaSANiDha, PaNiDhaPa, MaDhaPaMa, GaPaMaGa, ReMaGaRe, SaGaReSa

Important Note: Alankar practice must be done in right way either using harmonium or keyboard so that student recites proper notes as played on harmonium/keyboard.
Alankar - Video

Question: How does practicing Alankar / palta help the music student?
Answer: Reciting palta helps the student gain voice control.
                  It helps to stay in the same scale in which the student starts.
                  It helps to sing proper notes when student has to skip notes
                  because of the Raaga's Structure.

 More Alankars for practice

More Alakars 3: