BSEB Matric Music cheat sheet

Naad is sound; ahata naad (struck, audible) is musical sound, anahata naad is unstruck and inaudible. Musical naad needs the qualities of pitch, loudness and timbre.

Shruti = the smallest perceptible interval of pitch. Bharata's Natyashastra describes 22 shrutis per saptak; modern practice treats 12 swaras as the working set placed on these shrutis.

Shuddha swaras: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni. Vikrit swaras: komal Re, Ga, Dha, Ni (one shruti lower) and tivra Ma (one shruti higher than shuddha Ma). Sa and Pa are achala (immovable).

Saptak = the seven-note series. Mandra (lower), Madhya (middle) and Tar (upper) saptak; a note above Tar Sa is Atitar. The same swara name repeats in each saptak at double frequency.

Alankar = palta, a systematic pattern exercise. Types include straight order (Sa Re Ga Ma), reverse (Sa Ni Dha Pa), skip patterns (Sa Ga Re Ma), and vakra patterns that turn back on themselves.

Thaat (Bhatkhande's ten) is a scale-classification scheme, not a raga: Bilawal, Khamaj, Kafi, Asavari, Bhairavi, Bhairav, Kalyan, Marwa, Purvi, Todi. Raga is a melodic entity with vadi, pakad and time; thaat is only the parent scale.

Aroha is the ascending and avaroha the descending order of a raga; both may differ (e.g. in Khamaj-type ragas a note is often skipped or made oblique in aroha).

Vadi = principal note, samvadi = second in importance; their interval relation (usually a fourth or fifth) shapes the raga's character. Anuvadi are other notes; vivadi are dissonant to the raga.

Prescribed ragas for Bihar Matric music typically include Yaman, Bhairav, Bhairavi, Bihag, Khamaj, Kafi, Alhaiya Bilawal, Durga and Des; know each raga's aroha, avaroha, pakad, vadi-samvadi, jati and time.

Yaman: thaat Kalyan, tivra Ma, all others shuddha; aroha Ni Re Ga Ma(tivra) Dha Ni Sa; vadi Ga, samvadi Ni; sampurna-sampurna; evening (first prahar of night).

Bhairav: thaat Bhairav, komal Re and komal Dha, both oscillated (andolan); vadi Dha, samvadi Re; morning, second prahar of day; often sung with a slow, grave gait.

Bhairavi: thaat Bhairavi, all four komal (Re Ga Dha Ni); vadi Ma, samvadi Sa; sampurna; traditionally sung at the close of a concert; used for thumri and bhajan as well.

Bihag: thaat Bilawal; both Ma shuddha and tivra Ma appear; vadi Ga, samvadi Ni; night, third prahar; pakad phrases use Ga Ma(tivra) Ga and Ni Sa Ga.

Khamaj: thaat Khamaj, komal Ni in avaroha, shuddha Ni in aroha; vadi Ga, samvadi Ni; jati shadav-sampurna; late night, third prahar.

Kafi: thaat Kafi, komal Ga and komal Ni; vadi Pa, samvadi Sa; night; closely linked to folk and thumri idiom, with strong use of Pa and oblique phrases.

Alhaiya Bilawal: thaat Bilawal, both Ni shuddha and komal Ni used; vadi Dha, samvadi Ga; morning, second prahar; often elaborated with nominal (name) phrases such as 'Alhaiya'.

Matra = one beat-count; vibhag = a bar/section of the tala; tali = clap marking a vibhag; khali = wave (empty) marking a vibhag; sam = first matra and main resolution point; tali-khali pattern defines the tala's shape.

Teentaal: 16 matras, 4 vibhags of 4; tali on 1, 5, 13; khali on 9; theka 'Dha Dhin Dhin Dha / Dha Dhin Dhin Dha / Dha Tin Tin Ta / Ta Dhin Dhin Dha'.

Ektaal: 12 matras, 6 vibhags of 2; tali on 1, 5, 9, 11; khali on 3 and 7; used for khayal and dhrupad.

Jhaptaal: 10 matras, 4 vibhags (2+3+2+3); tali on 1, 3, 8; khali on 6; common in khayal and tarana.

Rupak: 7 matras, 3 vibhags (3+2+2); khali on sam (matra 1), tali on 4 and 6 - the unusual tala where sam is khali.

Keharwa: 8 matras, 2 vibhags of 4; tali on 1, khali on 5; used for bhajan, folk and light forms. Dadra: 6 matras, 2 vibhags of 3; tali on 1, khali on 4.

Laya = tempo: vilambit (slow), madhya (medium), drut (fast). Barabar, dugun, tigun and chaugun are layakari - two, three and four matras per beat respectively.

Dhrupad talas: Chautal 12 matras (4+4+2+2), Dhamar 14 matras (5+2+3+4), Sul 10 matras, Tivra 7 matras. Theka recitation (padhant) must match the tali-khali pattern.

Bhatkhande notation: swaras written in Devanagari letters; mandra saptak marked with a dot below, tar saptak with a dot above; komal swaras underlined; tivra Ma shown with a vertical line or distinct mark.

Bhatkhande uses horizontal lines and vertical bars to divide vibhags; sam is marked with the symbol 'x' (or a cross), khali with '0', and tali with the vibhag number.

Paluskar notation: swaras written in a different script style with komal notes shown by a curved stroke beneath and tivra Ma marked above; saptak indicated by dots above/below.

In both systems a dash or comma extends the previous note for additional matras; a blank space separates phrase groups; avagraha (S) indicates a held note.

Bhatkhande's Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati (four volumes) systematised the ten-thaat scheme; Paluskar's system spread through the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya and its published notation.

Notation of a composition records: raga, tala, laya, the sthayi and antara, and the matra-wise placement of each swara. Theka is written separately in bols (Dha, Dhin, Tin, Ta, Na, Ge, Ke).

Bhatkhande notation marks tala divisions with a vertical line at each vibhag and writes the tali/khali symbols above the line; Paluskar notation similarly divides the tala but uses its own signs for tali and khali.

In both systems a meend (glide) is shown by a curved line joining two swaras; kan swara (grace note) is written small beside the main note; murki and khatka are notated as grouped small notes.

Bharata's Natyashastra (c. 2nd century BCE–2nd century CE) is the earliest surviving treatise covering naad, shruti, grama, murchhana and jati, the forerunners of raga.

Matanga's Brihaddeshi (c. 8th–9th century) is the first text to use the term 'raga' and to distinguish marga (classical) from desi (regional) music.

Sarngadeva's Sangita Ratnakara (13th century) codified raga, tala, prabandha and the desi ragas; it is the major bridge between ancient and medieval theory.

Amir Khusrau (13th century) is traditionally credited with the sitar/tabla legends, tarana, qawwali and Persian-influenced forms; historical attribution is uncertain and should be stated as tradition.

Tansen (c. 1500–1586), court musician of Akbar, is associated with Miyan ki Malhar, Miyan ki Todi, Darbari Kanada and Mian ki Sarang; the Senia gharana traces descent from him.

Pt. Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande (1860–1936) created the ten-thaat system, wrote Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati and Kramik Pustak Malika, and convened the All India Music Conferences.

Pt. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar (1872–1931) founded the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya (1901, Lahore) and developed a notation system and a structured syllabus for music teaching.

Rabindranath Tagore composed Rabindra Sangeet; Swami Haridas is linked by tradition to the dhrupad tradition and to Tansen's training; Sadarang and Adarang were major khayal composers in the Mughal court.

Dhrupad: oldest surviving classical vocal form; four vanis (Gauri, Nauhar, Khandar, Dagar); sthayi, antara, sanchari, abhog; usually with pakhawaj; strict, nom-tom alap.

Khayal: sthayi and antara as core; alap in vilambit khayal (bada khayal) followed by drut khayal (chhota khayal); uses taan, bol-taan, sargam and gamak; accompanied by tabla.

Tarana: textless or syllable-based composition using bols such as 'dir da ni ta na', 'ya la li', set in a raga and tala; sung in drut laya, often after khayal.

Thumri and dadra: light classical forms in Khamaj, Kafi, Bhairavi and Pilu; emphasis on bol-banao, bandish ki thumri versus bol-banao thumri; text-centred and expressive.

Bhajan: devotional song, usually in Keharwa or Dadra tala; nirgun (e.g. Kabir, Surdas's Krishna bhakti is sagun) and sagun categories; simple ragas and easy laya.

Folk forms of Bihar: Chaiti (sung in Chait month), Sohar (childbirth songs), Kajari (monsoon), Jhumar, Nachari, Barahmasa, Sohar-Khilauna and Maand; often in regional dialects such as Bhojpuri and Maithili.

Sohar is sung at childbirth, Sumangali at weddings, and Samdaun/Bidesia on departure themes; Jat-Jatin is a Mithila folk form and Jhijhiya is a Mithila devotional folk dance.

Composition (bandish/cheez) structure: sthayi (first half, in purvang), antara (second half, in uttarang), and for dhrupad additionally sanchari and abhog; the sam is the resolution point of the composition.

Fourfold classical classification: tata (string, struck or plucked), sushir (wind), avanaddha (membrane-covered drums) and ghan (solid, struck - metal, wood, stone).

Tata vadya examples: sitar, sarod, tanpura, veena, sarangi (bowed), dilruba, esraj, santoor (struck strings), guitar. Tanpura provides the drone (Sa-Pa or Sa-Ma).

Sushir vadya examples: bansuri (bamboo flute), shehnai, nagaswaram, harmonium (reed), pungi, sankh (conch). Sound is produced by air passing a reed or edge.

Avanaddha vadya examples: tabla, dagga, pakhawaj, dholak, nagara, dhol, mridangam, khol (used in Odisha/Bengal kirtan). Sound comes from a stretched membrane.

Ghan vadya examples: jaltarang (water-tuned bowls), manjira, ghungroo, kartal, chimta, ghanta. Sound comes from the body of the instrument itself.

Tabla: right-hand drum with syahi (black tuning paste) and chat; dagga/bayan is the left bass drum; strokes include Dha, Dhin, Na, Ta, Tin, Ge, Ke, Tirakita.

Sitar has movable frets and sympathetic strings (tarab); sarod is fretless with a metal fingerboard; pakhawaj is the dhrupad drum, barrel-shaped, with both heads tuned by gatta.

Harmonium is a sushir (free-reed) instrument widely used for accompaniment and drone in Bihar; it is not a tata instrument despite having keys and metal reeds.

Performance order for a khayal: alap (raga introduction), vilambit khayal with sthayi-antara, taan/bol-taan improvisation, then drut khayal; end on sam.

Prescribed ragas to prepare with full detail: Yaman, Bhairav, Bhairavi, Bihag, Khamaj, Kafi, Alhaiya Bilawal, Durga and Des - aroha, avaroha, pakad, vadi-samvadi, time, jati.

Prescribed talas to demonstrate on hand and by padhant: Teentaal (16), Ektaal (12), Jhaptaal (10), Rupak (7), Keharwa (8), Dadra (6), plus Chautal (12) and Dhamar (14) for dhrupad.

Oral viva questions typically ask: define naad and shruti; difference between raga and thaat; vadi-samvadi; aroha-avaroha of a named raga; theka of a named tala; names of tali-khali matras.

Demonstrate theka with correct tali (clap) and khali (wave) positions; sam must be shown clearly, and layakari in barabar, dugun and chaugun should be shown on the tala.

Be able to sing the sthayi and antara of at least one bandish in each prescribed raga, and to identify a raga from a sung pakad phrase.

Identify instruments by sight and name their class: sitar/sarod/tanpura = tata; bansuri/shehnai/harmonium = sushir; tabla/pakhawaj/dholak = avanaddha; jaltarang/manjira = ghan.

Vocal viva may ask for the time of day of a raga and its prahar: e.g. Bhairav second prahar of day, Yaman first prahar of night, Bihag third prahar of night, Bhairavi end of concert.