BSEH Secondary Music Instrumental cheat sheet

Saptak = the seven-note register: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni; three registers are mandra (lower), madhya (middle), and taar (upper), each holding the same seven svaras.

Shuddha svaras: Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni. Vikrit svaras: komal Re, Ga, Dha, Ni (lowered semitone) and tivra Ma (raised semitone); Sa and Pa are achala (immovable).

The 12 semitone positions within an octave (Sa=1, Re komal=2, Re=3, Ga komal=4, Ga=5, Ma=6, Ma tivra=7, Pa=8, Dha komal=9, Dha=10, Ni komal=11, Ni=12) are the practical basis for aroha-avaroha and for notating komal/tivra svaras.

Shruti = microtonal pitch division; the classical count is 22 shrutis per saptak. Names of the 22 shrutis (Bharata's tradition) include Chandovati, Dayavati, Ranjani, Raktika, Raudri, Krodha, Vajrika, Prasarini, Priti, Marjani, Kshiti, Rakta, Sandipani, Alapini, Madanti, Rohini, Ramya, Ugra, Kshobhini, Tivra, Kumudvati, Manda.

Svara (literally 'that which shines') is a musical note; nada is sound, and the three nada types are ahata (struck/produced) and anahata (unstruck/cosmic) in the classical two-fold division, with ahat-anahat distinctions used in yoga-music texts.

Saptak is also called saptaka or sur; the note Sa is the tonic (kharaj/sadja) chosen by the performer, so absolute pitch is movable while relative intervals are fixed.

Key vocabulary: alankar (ornamental melodic pattern, also called palta), varna (four types: sthayi, arohi, avarohi, sanchari), murcchana (modal shift of the scale), and vadi-samvadi (sonant-consonant).

Vadi = principal note (king), samvadi = second in importance (queen); anuvadi = supporting notes, vivadi = dissonant/avoided notes. Vadi-samvadi separation is typically 4 or 5 semitone positions (ma-pa or sa-pa type relationships).

Raga is defined by: fixed aroha (ascending) and avaroha (descending) lines, vadi-samvadi, jati (number of notes used), time of day (samay), and characteristic phrases (pakad/chalan).

Jati classification by note count: audav (5), shadav (6), sampurna (7). Combined jatis are named in order aroha-avaroha, e.g. audav-sampurna (Bhoopali is audav-sampurna), shadav-sampurna, sampurna-sampurna.

Raga Bhoopali: aroha Sa Re Ga Pa Dha Sa'; avaroha Sa' Dha Pa Ga Re Sa; all shuddha, no Ma or Ni; vadi Ga, samvadi Dha; jati audav-sampurna; evening (first prahar of night).

Raga Yaman: aroha Sa Re Ga Ma(tivra) Pa Dha Ni Sa'; avaroha Sa' Ni Dha Pa Ma(tivra) Ga Re Sa; tivra Ma only, all else shuddha; vadi Ga, samvadi Ni; sampurna-sampurna; evening (first prahar of night).

Raga Bhairav: komal Re and komal Dha, shuddha Ga, Ma, Pa, Ni; aroha Sa Re(k) Ga Ma Pa Dha(k) Ni Sa'; vadi Dha, samvadi Re; sampurna; morning (first prahar of day).

Raga Bhairavi: all komal Re, Ga, Dha, Ni with shuddha Ma and Pa; sampurna; vadi Ma, samvadi Sa; morning; traditionally the concluding raga of a concert.

Raga Kafi: komal Ga and komal Ni, shuddha Re, Ma, Pa, Dha; vadi Pa, samvadi Re; sampurna; night (second prahar). Raga Khamaj: komal Ni only in aroha, shuddha Ga and Dha; vadi Ga, samvadi Ni; night (third prahar).

Raga Malkauns: aroha Sa Ga(k) Ma Pa Dha(k) Ni(k) Sa'; komal Ga, Ma, Dha, Ni, no Re or Pa in ascent; vadi Ma, samvadi Sa; jati audav-audav; night (third prahar). Raga Darbari Kanada: komal Ga, Dha, Ni; vadi Re, samvadi Pa; night.

Raga Todi: komal Re, Ga, Dha; tivra Ma; shuddha Pa, Ni; vadi Dha, samvadi Ga; morning (second prahar). Raga Marwa: komal Re, tivra Ma, shuddha Ga, Dha, Ni; no Pa; vadi Re, samvadi Dha; late afternoon (fourth prahar).

Matra = one beat-count unit; vibhag = bar/division of the tala; tali = clapped vibhag; khali = empty (unclapped, waved) vibhag; sam = first matra and point of resolution; tali numbers are 1,2,3... while khali is marked 0.

Tala notation is written as a sequence of vibhags with matra counts, e.g. Teentaal = 16 matras in 4 vibhags of 4 (4+4+4+4), tali on 1, 5, 13, khali on 9.

Teentaal (trital): 16 matras, 4+4+4+4; tali 1, 5, 13; khali 9. Theka syllables: Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Tin Tin Ta | Ta Dhin Dhin Dha.

Jhaptaal: 10 matras, 2+3+2+3; tali on 1, 3, 8; khali on 6. Ektaal: 12 matras, 2+2+2+2+2+2; tali 1, 5, 9, 11 and khali 3, 7.

Rupak: 7 matras, 3+2+2, khali on sam (matra 1), tali on 4 and 6. Dadra: 6 matras, 3+3, tali on 1, khali on 4. Keherwa: 8 matras, 4+4, tali 1, khali 5. Deepchandi: 14 matras, 3+4+3+4.

Laya = tempo. Three broad speeds: vilambit (slow), madhya (medium), drut (fast). Relative laya is expressed as barabar (1x), dugun (2x), tigun (3x), chaugun (4x); at dugun the theka syllables double per matra.

Laya relationships: a composition in vilambit rendered at dugun doubles the matra rate; a tihai is a phrase repeated three times that lands on sam, and its total length must equal a whole number of vibhags (commonly 3, 4, or 8 matras).

Tala types: samatal (equal vibhags, e.g. Teentaal, Keherwa), vishama (unequal vibhags, e.g. Jhaptaal, Rupak), and jati-based classification: trisra jati (3 per vibhag), chatusra (4), khanda (5), misra (7), sankirna (9).

Layakari = systematic variation of speed within a tala cycle; common forms are barabar, dugun, tigun, chaugun, and adi (e.g. 3/2 ratio). A tala must have a fixed theka, vibhag pattern, and sam for it to be usable in accompaniment.

Bhatkhande notation (as in Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati) writes svaras as Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni in Devanagari with Latin transliteration equivalents; komal svaras are shown by a horizontal line beneath the letter, tivra Ma by a vertical line above.

In Bhatkhande notation the octave is marked by dots: a dot below the svara = mandra saptak (lower octave); a dot above = taar saptak (upper octave); no dot = madhya saptak.

Bhatkhande uses a vertical bar line (|) to separate vibhags and a double bar (||) at the end of a cycle; sam is shown by the symbol 'x' or a cross, khali by '0', tali by numbers.

Bhatkhande notation writes aroha and avaroha on separate lines, then the composition (sthayi and antara) with theka syllables aligned under matra counts.

Vishnu Digambar Paluskar notation uses a different svara script: svaras are written with Devanagari letters but komal is indicated by a curved stroke and tivra Ma by a specific mark; the system is associated with the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya tradition.

Paluskar notation marks the octave using lines or dots differently from Bhatkhande: mandra with a dot below and taar with a dot above is common to both, but Paluskar's system is more closely tied to the printed Gandharva songbooks and uses the symbols 'S' for sam and '0' for khali.

Both systems agree on: seven shuddha svaras, komal/tivra alterations, three saptaks, and the convention that Sa and Pa are never altered. Differences are mainly in glyphs for komal/tivra and in the layout of tala markers.

Bhatkhande's system is the more widely used in modern textbooks and examination notation; Paluskar's is standard in Gandharva Mahavidyalaya examination papers, so candidates must be able to read both.

Khayal ('imagination') is the dominant Hindustani vocal form; structure: sthayi (first line, in lower/middle register) and antara (second line, upper register), performed with alap, bol-alap, taan, and bol-taan, in vilambit or drut laya.

Khayal types: bada khayal (vilambit, usually with a slow theka in Teentaal or Ektaal) and chhota khayal (drut, often Teentaal or Jhaptaal); gharanas (Gwalior, Kirana, Agra, Jaipur-Atrauli, Patiala) differ in emphasis on bol-banao, taan, or sargam.

Dhrupad is the older, austere form in four parts: sthayi, antara, sanchari, abhog; sung in chautal (12 matras) or dhamar (14 matras); accompanied by pakhawaj; includes alap in syllables (nom-tom) and layakari.

Dhamar is a dhrupad-family form in Dhamar tala (14 matras) with a text on the Holi theme; chautal is 12 matras in 2+2+2+2+2+2 with tali 1,5,9,11 and khali 3,7.

Tarana uses meaningless syllables (nom, tom, ta, na, dir, dara) set to a raga and tala, usually drut laya; it has sthayi and antara but no meaningful text; a related form is tillana (Carnatic).

Bhajan is a devotional song form, usually in Hindi or a regional language, set to simple ragas and talas such as Keherwa (8) or Dadra (6); types include nirgun (formless) and sagun (with form), and the bhakti tradition of Surdas, Kabir, and Tulsidas.

Folk traditions: thumri (semi-classical, romantic, in ragas like Khamaj, Pilu, Bhairavi, often in Dadra or Deepchandi), dadra (semi-classical), tappa (Punjabi, rapid bols), chaiti and kajri (seasonal folk of Bihar/UP), lavani (Maharashtra), and bhatiali (Bengal boatmen's song).

Folk instruments and forms link to regions: Rajasthan's Manganiyar and Langa traditions, Punjab's bhangra with dhol, Gujarat's garba, Assam's bihu with dhol and pepa, and Bengal's baul with ektara and dotara.

Classical four-fold classification (Bharata): tata (stringed), sushira (wind), avanaddha (membrane-covered percussion), ghana (solid, struck - cymbals, jaltarang). Hindustani instruments map onto these groups.

Tata vadya: sitar, sarod, sarangi, esraj, dilruba, tanpura, veena, santoor (struck strings, technically ghana-like but grouped with strings). Sushira: bansuri, shehnai, nagaswaram (South), harmonium (imported, now common). Avanaddha: tabla, pakhawaj, dholak, dhol, nagara. Ghana: jaltarang, manjira, ghatam.

Tanpura: four strings tuned Pa-Sa-Sa-Sa (or Ma-Sa-Sa-Sa), plucked continuously to provide the drone; the jawari (bridge) shapes the overtones; the tanpura has no frets and is tuned to the performer's Sa.

Sitar: fretted, movable curved frets, sympathetic strings (tarab) under the main strings; typically 6-7 main strings and 11-13 sympathetic strings; tuning of main strings commonly Sa-Pa-Sa-Ma(tivra)-Pa or Sa-Pa-Sa-Ga-Pa depending on raga.

Sarod: fretless, metal fingerboard, skin-covered resonator, played with a coconut-shell or horn plectrum (java); no frets means meend and gamak are produced by finger pressure and sliding.

Tabla: dayan (right, treble, tuned to Sa or Pa) and bayan (left, bass, tuned by adjusting the syahi and gatta); the bayan's pitch is bent by heel pressure to produce meend; the syahi (black centre) gives the characteristic tone.

Pakhawaj: barrel-shaped, two heads, used for dhrupad and dhamar; lower, deeper sound than tabla; played with hands, producing bols like dha, dhin, ta, tin, ge, na.

Tuning rules: tanpura and sitar are tuned to the tonic Sa; tabla dayan is tuned to Sa (or Pa in some traditions); bansuri is selected by key (e.g. a 'C' flute gives Sa on a particular hole) and the tonic is chosen by the player's range.

Bansuri: bamboo flute with six or seven finger holes; the tonic is set by closing the three upper holes; shehnai is a double-reed wind instrument (oboe family) associated with auspicious occasions and played by the Bismillah Khan lineage.

Standard khayal performance order: alap (unmetered, introduces raga) → sthayi with theka → antara → bol-alap → taan/bol-taan → tihai → sam. In dhrupad: alap (nom-tom) → dhrupad composition in chautal → layakari → tihai.

Alankar (palta) exercises: practice svaras in ascending/descending patterns such as Sa Re Ga Ma, Re Ga Ma Pa, Ga Ma Pa Dha, etc.; then in all three saptaks; then in jumbled patterns (Sa Ga Re Ma, etc.) to build flexibility and accuracy.

Alankar types: simple (sequential), vakra (zig-zag), and tihai-based; sung in aroha, avaroha, and in both together; always begun from Sa and resolved on Sa.

Tala-keeping: mark sam with a clap, khali with a wave, and other talis with a clap; count matras silently; for Teentaal the pattern is clap (1), clap (5), wave (9), clap (13).

Layakari exercises: barabar (1x) → dugun (2x) → tigun (3x) → chaugun (4x) on the same composition, keeping sam fixed; then adi laya (3/2) and kuadi laya (5/4) for advanced practice.

Tihai construction: choose a phrase, repeat it three times so the last matra falls on sam; total length = 3 × phrase length must be a multiple of the vibhag or tala length; common tihais are 3, 4, 6, or 8 matras long.

Vocal technique: kharaj (lower register) practice, meend (glide), gamak (oscillation), murki (fast turn), and kan (grace note); instrumental equivalents are meend, gamak, and sparsh (hammer-on) on sitar/sarod.

Accompaniment rules: the tabla player follows the vocalist's laya and theka; the tanpura provides the drone; in khayal the tabla enters after the alap; sam must be matched exactly at the end of a tihai or taan.