Technical Terminology of Hindustani Music
What this domain tests
This section checks whether you can define Hindustani music's working vocabulary and use it precisely. Expect matching, short definitions, and questions that ask you to choose the correct term inside a raga or tala context. A definition is not enough: the examiner wants the term attached to the right musical object.
Core terms
- Nada is sound; shruti is a microtonal position, while swara is a selected musical tone. Do not call every shruti a swara.
- Saptak is the seven-note register; mandra, madhya, and tar are lower, middle, and upper registers.
- Vadi is the dominant note, samvadi the second important note, anuvadi a supporting note, and vivadi a dissonant or excluded note in a particular raga.
- Aroha is the ascending path and avaroha the descending path; pakad is a characteristic phrase, not a scale.
- Meend is a glide, kan a grace note, gamak an ornamented oscillation, and murki a quick turn.
Worked example
In Yaman, the vadi is Ga and the samvadi is Ni; tivra Ma is used, and the raga is associated with the first prahar of night. If a question asks why Ga is vadi rather than samvadi, the reasoning is functional: Ga is the most frequently emphasized and resting note, while Ni supports it. Aroha is Sa Re Ga Ma(tivra) Pa Dha Ni Sa; avaroha reverses the path. The phrase Ni Re Ga is a pakad-like identifier, not the aroha.
Traps
Do not confuse vadi with samvadi, aroha with pakad, or shruti with swara. Khali is not silence, and sam is not merely “first beat” in every practical sense-it is the cyclic point of resolution.