ASSEB HSLC Class 10 Elective Music cheat sheet

Swara: seven shuddha (Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni), five komal (Re Ga Dha Ni, and Ma teevra), total 12 pitch classes; Sa and Pa are achala (immovable), Re Ga Dha Ni have komal variants, Ma has teevra.

Raga defined by: set of swaras (aroha/avaroha), vadi (principal), samvadi (secondary), anuvadi (assisting), vivadi (dissonant), pakad (catch-phrase), and time of day (samay).

Tala: cyclic rhythmic framework measured in matras (beats); vibhag (bars) marked by tali (clap) and khali (wave); sam is beat 1, the point of resolution.

Common talas: Teental 16 matras (4+4+4+4, sam on 1, khali on 9), Jhaptal 10 (2+3+2+3), Rupak 7 (3+2+2, khali on 1), Dadra 6 (3+3), Keherwa 8 (4+4), Adi tal 8 (4+2+2).

Laya: slow (vilambit), medium (madhya), fast (drut); layakari is rhythmic variation such as dugun (double speed) or tigun (triple).

Saptak: mandra (lower), madhya (middle), tar (upper) octaves; avaroha is descending, aroha ascending scale.

Alankar: ornamentation such as meend (glide), kan (grace note), gamak (oscillation), murki (quick turn).

Raga classification: thaat system (Bhatkhande, 10 thaats) and melakarta (Carnatic, 72 melakartas).

Borgeet: devotional songs composed by Srimanta Sankardeva and Madhavdeva, in Assamese and Brajavali, set to specific ragas and talas; sung in Sattras (Vaishnava monasteries).

Ojapali: narrative performance tradition of Assam, with Oja (lead singer) and palis (chorus); forms include Byah Ojapali (Mahabharata/Ramayana stories) and Sukananni Ojapali (Manasa stories).

Bihu geet: songs of the Bihu festival; categories: Bohag Bihu (Rongali, spring), Kati Bihu (Kongali), Magh Bihu (Bhogali); themes of love, nature, and agriculture.

Lokageet: folk songs of Assam such as Bihu geet, Tokari geet, Lakhimi geet, Biya naam (wedding songs), and Aai naam.

North-East traditional music: Naga folk songs, Mizo hla, Khasi duitara songs, Manipuri Pena (string instrument) and Thang-ta rhythms; often pentatonic and community-based.

Instruments of Assam: dhol (drum), pepa (buffalo horn), gogona (jaw harp), taal (cymbals), xutuli (flute), been (bagpipe-like), toka (bamboo clapper).

Sattriya dance and Borgeet are linked; the Khol (barrel drum) and taal accompany Borgeet in Sattra performances.

Goalpariya lokgeet (from western Assam) and Kamrupi lokgeet are distinct regional folk styles.

Bhatkhande notation: swaras written in Devanagari; shuddha as Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni, komal marked with a line below (e.g., Re), teevra Ma with a line above; octaves: mandra with dot below, tar with dot above.

Time values: a swara with no extension = one matra; a horizontal line after a swara extends it (e.g., Sa - = two matras); a comma or vertical line separates vibhags.

Tala notation: matras numbered 1 to n; tali marked with numbers (e.g., 1, 5, 9, 13 for Teental), khali marked with 0; sam is beat 1 and is often circled.

Palta (or palta) is a rhythmic-melodic exercise; notation shows the sequence of swaras over the tala cycle.

In Assamese Sattriya tradition, Borgeet notation uses swara letters and tala names (e.g., Ektaal, Dwaitaal) with specific matra patterns.

Carnatic notation uses sarali varisai and alankaras; tala is shown with angas (laghu, drutam, anudrutam) and aksharas.

Staff notation (Western) is sometimes used for comparative study; Indian notation is relative (Sa is movable) whereas staff is absolute pitch.

Writing a composition: state raga, tala, and laya; then notate sthayi (first line) and antara (second line) with swara and matra alignment.

Srimanta Sankardeva (1449–1568): Assamese saint-reformer, composed Borgeets and Ankiya Naat (one-act plays), introduced Sattriya culture; used Brajavali language.

Madhavdeva (1489–1596): disciple of Sankardeva, composed Borgeets such as 'Borgeet' collection; known for 'Naam Ghosa' and expanding Sattriya music.

Amir Khusrau (1253–1325): introduced qawwali, tarana, and possibly the sitar; associated with Khayal precursor and Indian classical fusion.

Tansen (c. 1500–1586): court musician of Akbar, credited with ragas like Miyan ki Malhar, Darbari Kanada; one of the Navaratnas.

Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande (1860–1936): systematized Hindustani music with 10 thaats, wrote 'Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati' and notation system.

Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar (1872–1931): revived Hindustani music, founded Gandharva Mahavidyalaya (1901), developed notation and music education.

Pandit Ravi Shankar (1920–2012): sitar maestro, global ambassador of Indian classical music, composed film scores and collaborated with Western musicians.

Bishnu Prasad Rabha (1909–1969): Assamese cultural icon, composed Bihu geet and modern Assamese songs, promoted folk music and dance.

Jyoti Prasad Agarwala (1903–1951): Assamese poet, playwright, and music director; composed Bihu geet and introduced Assamese film music ('Joymoti').

Traditional classification (Natya Shastra): tata (string), sushira (wind), avanaddha (membrane/drum), ghana (solid/idiophone).

Hindustani instruments: sitar, sarod, tanpura (drone), tabla (pair of drums), pakhavaj (barrel drum), shehnai (reed wind), bansuri (flute).

Carnatic instruments: veena (string), mridangam (barrel drum), ghatam (clay pot), morsing (jaw harp), nadaswaram (wind).

Assamese instruments: dhol (barrel drum), khol (clay/wood barrel drum for Borgeet), pepa (buffalo horn wind), gogona (bamboo jaw harp), xutuli (clay/bamboo flute), taal (cymbals), been (bagpipe).

Structure: sitar has frets, sympathetic strings (tarab), and gourd resonator; tabla has dayan (right, tuned) and bayan (left, bass).

Role: tanpura provides drone (adharaswara); tabla/mridangam keep tala; sarangi/violin accompany vocalists; flute/sitar take solo roles.

North-East instruments: Pena (Manipur string), Duitara (Khasi string), Naga drum (log drum), Bamboo flute (Mizo).

Instrument care: tabla heads tuned with hammer (hawath); sitar strings replaced regularly; drums kept dry to avoid fungal damage.

Raga presentation structure (Hindustani): alap (unmetered, slow introduction), jod (rhythmic pulse), jhala (fast), then composition (bandish/cheez) in a tala, followed by improvisation (vistar, taan).

Bandish: composed song with sthayi (first section) and antara (second); includes raga name, tala, and composer (vaggeyakara).

Carnatic raga presentation: alapana, tanam, pallavi (composition), niraval (improvisation on a line), swarakalpana (swara improvisation).

Choosing raga for performance: consider time of day (e.g., Bhairav morning, Yaman evening), rasa (mood), and candidate's vocal range.

Tala accompaniment: keep sam clear; use hand gestures (tali/khali) or let tabla player follow; for Borgeet, use khol and taal.

Compositions for exam: learn one vilambit and one drut bandish in a prescribed raga; for Assamese, one Borgeet and one Bihu geet.

Practice techniques: palta (sequences), alankar, and layakari (dugun, tigun) with metronome; record and review.

Stage presence: tuning instruments before performance; acknowledging accompanists; maintaining posture and breath control.

Recognize ragas by pakad (catch-phrase): e.g., Yaman pakad 'Ni Re Ga, Re Sa' with teevra Ma; Bhairav with komal Re and Dha.

Identify talas by clap pattern: Teental (sam 1, tali 5,9,13, khali 9), Jhaptal (sam 1, tali 3,8, khali 6), Rupak (khali 1).

Demonstrate swara: sing/play aroha and avaroha of a raga; show komal/teevra notes clearly.

Explain tala: count matras, show tali/khali with hands, recite theka (bols) of tabla.

Recognize instruments: visually and aurally identify sitar, sarod, tabla, khol, pepa, gogona; state classification and role.

Oral explanation of Borgeet: name composer (Sankardeva/Madhavdeva), raga, tala, and context (Sattra).

Viva questions: define vadi, samvadi, vivadi; difference between Hindustani and Carnatic terms (e.g., raga vs melakarta).

Demonstrate a tala theka: e.g., Teental theka 'Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Tin Tin Ta | Ta Dhin Dhin Dha'.