BSEB Inter Music study guide
BSEB Inter Music · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) Intermediate Music is the Class 12 elective in Hindustani music offered under the Bihar Board's +2 curriculum. It suits students who have already studied music at the secondary level or who have trained privately in vocal or instrumental performance and want board certification to continue into a university music degree, a teacher-training route, or performance and teaching work. The BSEB Inter Music study guide has 7 sections and about 2,535 words.
01Swara, Raga, Tala and Notation: The Grammar the Paper Tests
This domain is the grammar section of Hindustani music: what a swara is, what makes a raga, what a tala measures, and how all three are written down. BSEB asks you to use the terms, not just define them - decode a notation line, count notes to fix a jati, or name a vadi.
395 words, about 2 min02Prescribed Ragas: Structure, Aroha–Avaroha, Pakad and Chalan
This is the highest-scoring domain: expect direct questions on aroha–avaroha, pakad, vadi–samvadi, jati, thaat and samay, and phrase-based questions that ask you to name the raga. Aroha and avaroha in board notation, with komal/tivra signs intact.
501 words, about 3 min03Tala and Rhythm: Matras, Tali–Khali, Laya and Layakari
Tala questions are numerical. You will be asked to count matras, place tali and khali correctly, write a theka in vibhags, expand a cycle at dugun, or show where a tihai lands on sam.
354 words, about 2 min04History of Indian Music: Treatises, Composers and Musicians
History answers are marked for precision: which treatise, which author, which contribution. Dates matter less than correct attribution.
326 words, about 2 min05Musical Forms: Khayal, Dhrupad, Tarana, Bhajan and Folk Traditions
Form questions ask you to classify a piece and justify it - structure, tala, tempo and language. Oldest surviving classical form, sung to pakhawaj.
275 words, about 1 min06Practical Performance of Prescribed Ragas and Talas
The practical paper marks structure and control: how you unfold a raga, how you place a composition on sam, and how cleanly you articulate komal and tivra swaras. Aalap: unmetered raga introduction from the vadi area, using the pakad.
300 words, about 2 min07Notation Writing, Raga–Tala Identification and Listening
This domain combines writing and recognising: notate a bandish correctly, name a raga from a phrase, name a tala from theka bols, and describe what you hear using the right vocabulary. One column per matra; a Teental line holds exactly 16 columns, closed by at vibhags and × at sam, 0 at khali.
384 words, about 2 min