BSEB Inter Music cheat sheet
BSEB Inter Music · Keep the key ideas within reach.
Hindustani Music Theory: Swara, Raga, Tala, and Notation
Swara: seven shuddha (natural) notes: Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni; five vikrit (altered): komal Re, Ga, Dha, Ni and tivra Ma.
Saptak: three octaves: mandra (lower), madhya (middle), tar (upper); notation uses dots below/above for mandra/tar.
Raga defined by: aroha (ascending), avaroha (descending), pakad (catch phrase), vadi (sonant), samvadi (consonant), and time of day.
Tala: cyclical rhythm defined by matra (beats), vibhag (divisions), tali (clap), khali (wave), and theka (mnemonic syllables).
Notation systems: Bhatkhande (swara lipi with bar lines and tal signs) and Paluskar (use of numerals and symbols); both indicate octave, duration, and tala.
Ten thata (parent scales) in Bhatkhande system: Bilawal, Khamaj, Kafi, Asavari, Bhairavi, Bhairav, Purvi, Marwa, Kalinga, Todi.
Raga classification: thata (scale-based) and raganga (characteristic phrase-based); jati: sampurna (7 notes), shadava (6), audava (5).
Vadi–samvadi relationship: vadi is most emphasized note; samvadi (usually a fourth or fifth away) is second most emphasized; both define raga's personality.
Prescribed Ragas: Structure, Aroha-Avaroha, Pakad, and Characteristic Phrases
Yaman (Kalyan thata): aroha: Sa Re Ga Ma(tivra) Pa Dha Ni Sa; avaroha: Sa Ni Dha Pa Ma(tivra) Ga Re Sa; vadi: Ga, samvadi: Ni; time: evening.
Bhairav (Bhairav thata): aroha: Sa Re(komal) Ga Ma Pa Dha(komal) Ni Sa; avaroha: same; vadi: Dha, samvadi: Re; time: early morning.
Bhoopali (Bilawal thata): aroha: Sa Re Ga Pa Dha Sa; avaroha: Sa Dha Pa Ga Re Sa; vadi: Ga, samvadi: Dha; time: evening; pakad: Ga Re Sa, Dha Pa Ga Re Sa.
Bageshri (Kafi thata): aroha: Sa Ga Ma Pa Ni Sa; avaroha: Sa Ni Dha Ma Pa Dha Ga Re Sa; vadi: Ma, samvadi: Sa; time: late night.
Todi (Todi thata): aroha: Sa Re(komal) Ga(komal) Ma(tivra) Pa Dha(komal) Ni Sa; avaroha: same; vadi: Dha, samvadi: Ga; time: late morning.
Bhimpalasi (Kafi thata): aroha: Sa Ga Ma Pa Ni Sa; avaroha: Sa Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Re Sa; vadi: Ma, samvadi: Sa; time: late afternoon.
Pakad (catch phrase) identifies raga: e.g., Yaman: Ni Re Ga Ma(tivra) Pa; Bhairav: Ga Ma Pa Dha(komal) Pa; Bhoopali: Ga Re Sa Dha Pa Ga Re Sa.
Raga time cycle: morning ragas (Bhairav, Todi), afternoon (Bhimpalasi), evening (Yaman, Bhoopali), night (Bageshri, Malkauns).
Tala and Rhythmic Theory: Prescribed Talas, Laya, and Notation
Teental: 16 matras, 4 vibhags of 4; tali: 1,5,13; khali: 9; theka: dha dhin dhin dha / dha dhin dhin dha / dha tin tin ta / ta dhin dhin dha.
Jhaptal: 10 matras, 5 vibhags of 2; tali: 1,3,8; khali: 6; theka: dhi na / dhi dhi na / ti na / dhi dhi na.
Ektaal: 12 matras, 6 vibhags of 2; tali: 1,5,9,11; khali: 3,7; theka: dhin dhin / dha ge ti ra ki ta / tu na / ka ta / dhin dhin / dha ge ti ra ki ta.
Rupak: 7 matras, 3 vibhags (3+2+2); tali: 1,4,6; khali: 1 (sam is khali); theka: tin tin na / dhin na / dhin na.
Keherwa: 8 matras, 2 vibhags of 4; tali: 1,5; khali: none; theka: dha ge na ti / na ka dhi na.
Laya: slow (vilambit), medium (madhya), fast (drut); laya measured in matras per minute; layakari: 1x (barabar), 2x (dugun), 3x (tigun), 4x (chaugun).
Tala notation: sam marked 'X', khali '0', tali numbered; vibhag separated by vertical lines; matra counted from sam.
Tala structure: avartan (one full cycle), sam (first beat), tali (clap), khali (wave), and theka (syllables).
History of Indian Music and Contributions of Composers and Musicians
Bharata's Natyashastra (c. 200 BCE–200 CE) earliest treatise on music, dance, and drama; describes nada, shruti, and grama.
Sarngadeva's Sangita Ratnakara (13th century) systematized raga and tala; defines 264 shritis and raga classification.
Amir Khusrau (13th century) credited with introducing Persian elements, sitar, and tabla; also composed qawwali and khayal precursors.
Tansen (16th century) master of dhrupad, court musician of Akbar; credited with creating ragas Miyan ki Malhar, Miyan ki Todi, Darbari Kanada.
Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande (1860–1936) created the ten-thata system and wrote Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati; standardized notation.
Vishnu Digambar Paluskar (1872–1931) founded Gandharva Mahavidyalaya (1901) and developed a notation system using numerals.
Onkar Nath Thakur, Faiyaz Khan, Abdul Karim Khan, and Allauddin Khan shaped 20th-century khayal, sarod, and instrumental traditions.
Sangeet Natak Akademi (1952) and All India Radio (1936) institutionalized music education and broadcasting.
Musical Forms and Composition: Khayal, Dhrupad, Tarana, Bhajan, and Folk Traditions
Dhrupad: oldest Hindustani vocal form; four parts: sthayi, antara, sanchari, abhog; performed with rudra veena or pakhawaj; style: gaya.
Khayal: romantic vocal form; two parts: sthayi (first line) and antara (second line); types: vilambit (bada) and drut (chhota); ornamentation: taan, murki, gamak.
Tarana: rhythmic vocal composition using mnemonic syllables (dha, ta, na, etc.) instead of meaningful text; often in drut laya; similar to tillana in Carnatic music.
Bhajan: devotional song; forms: nirgun (formless) and sagun (with form); composers: Mirabai, Kabir, Tulsidas, Surdas; usually in simple talas like keherwa.
Folk traditions: Rajasthan (Manganiyar, Langa), Punjab (Bhangra), Bengal (Baul), Maharashtra (Lavani), Gujarat (Garba), Assam (Bihu).
Thumri: semi-classical romantic form; texts in Braj or Awadhi; associated with Banaras and Lucknow gharanas; talas: dadra, keherwa, jhaptal.
Ghazal: Urdu poetic form sung in semi-classical style; themes of love and separation; talas: dadra, rupak.
Qawwali: Sufi devotional music; uses harmonium, tabla, dholak; originated from Amir Khusrau's tradition.
Practical Vocal or Instrumental Performance of Prescribed Ragas and Talas
Raga presentation: alap (unmetered exploration), jod (rhythmic pulse), jhala (fast), then composition in tala; vocal: nom-tom alap in dhrupad.
Khayal performance: alap, sthayi, antara, taan patterns (sapat, kut, halak, murki), and tihai; accompanied by tabla and harmonium/sarangi.
Tala accompaniment: tabla player follows theka, provides laya, and plays tihai at sam; vocalist signals sam with hand gesture.
Instrumental performance: sitar/sarod: alap, jod, jhala, gat in teental or jhaptal; bansuri: similar but with breath control.
Practice talas: teental (16), jhaptal (10), ektaal (12), rupak (7), keherwa (8); learn theka and recite with hand claps.
Laya control: practice vilambit (slow) to drut (fast) with metronome; layakari exercises: barabar, dugun, tigun, chaugun.
Raga practice: learn aroha-avaroha, pakad, and characteristic phrases; practice in prescribed time; use tanpura for drone.
Performance etiquette: start with alap, end with tihai on sam; respect gharana style; tune instruments to Sa.
Notation Writing, Identification of Ragas and Talas, and Listening/Appreciation
Notation symbols: swara letters (S R G M P D N), komal indicated by underline, tivra by vertical line, octave by dots above/below.
Duration: single letter = one matra; two letters joined = two matras; dash = elongation; bracket = group.
Tala notation: sam = X, khali = 0, tali = 1,2,3; vibhag lines; write theka syllables under each matra.
Raga identification: listen for vadi, pakad, and characteristic phrases; note aroha-avaroha and time of day.
Tala identification: count matras and vibhags; identify tali/khali pattern; recognize theka syllables.
Listening: identify alap, jod, jhala; recognize composition type (dhrupad, khayal, tarana); note instruments and ensemble.
Critical appreciation: evaluate intonation (sur), rhythm (laya), expression (bhava), and adherence to raga grammar.
Notation exercise: write a simple composition (e.g., Yaman khayal) in Bhatkhande notation with tala markings.