Technical Terminology of Hindustani Music (Sangeet Paribhasha)
What Sangeet Paribhasha tests
The terminology paper checks whether you can define a term, place it in the right category, and use it correctly when describing a raga or tala. Learn terms in pairs and groups: nada (ahata/anahata), shruti and swara, raga and thaat, vadi/samvadi/anuvadi/vivadi, aroha/avaroha, pakad/chalan, kan/meend/gamak, sam/tali/khali, matra/vibhag/avartan.
Core distinctions
- Shruti is a microtonal unit; swara is a musical note chosen from shrutis. Do not call komal Dhaivat a shruti.
- Thaat is a scale framework of seven notes used for classification; raga is a melodic entity with aroha, avaroha, vadi, samvadi, pakad and chalan.
- Vadi is the most prominent note, samvadi the second most prominent; anuvadi are supporting notes, vivadi are weak or avoided in the raga's phrases.
- Kan is a grace touch from a neighbouring note; meend is a glide; gamak is a heavy shake; murki is a quick cluster; khatka is a jerky grace. Name the ornament by what the voice does, not by speed alone.
- Sam is matra 1 of an avartan; tali are clapped vibhags; khali is marked by a wave and has weaker rhythmic weight.
Worked example
A question gives the phrase S R G P D P G R S and asks which terms apply. Reasoning: the notes are shuddha S R G P D, with no Ma or Ni, so the raga is pentatonic (audav). If the raga is Bhoopali, vadi is G and samvadi is D; the phrase is in avaroha after reaching D. The glide from D down to P would be meend, while a quick touch of R before G would be kan. This shows how definition and raga analysis are marked together.
Traps
- Defining raga as 'a type of thaat' or thaat as 'a raga'.
- Mixing samvadi with vadi.
- Calling every fast phrase a taan; taan is a planned melodic run, not any quick movement.
- Using 'sur' for shruti and 'beat' for vibhag.