Practical Performance: Khayal, Tarana and Bandish
This domain tests your understanding of the composed khayal, its ornamented elaboration, and the tarana as a distinct form.
Khayal
Bada khayal is vilambit and usually set in Ektaal, Tilwada, Jhoomra or Chautal; chhota khayal is drut and usually in Teental, Jhaptal, Ektaal or Rupak. The composition has sthayi, which opens in the lower and middle register, and antara, which moves into the taar saptak. Elaboration uses kan, meend, gamak, murki, khatka, zamzama, bol-banav, bol-taan and taans of the sapat, vakra and chhoot kinds.
Tarana
Tarana sets meaningless syllables such as dhim, tana, dere, na, tom, yalali and yalalom, often drawn from tabla and pakhawaj bols, to a raga and tala. It is normally drut, has sthayi and antara, and is used to close a khayal or a concert. It is not the Carnatic tillana, though the two are related.
Bandish
A bandish, or cheez, is a composed song fixed in raga, tala, laya and text. Its phrase-shapes carry the raga's pakad, and the antara usually touches the upper Sa. Named composers include Sadarang and Adarang of the Seniya tradition, and Faiyaz Khan.
Worked example
A drut piece in Teental reads dhim tana dere na, tom yalali na. No syllable carries meaning and they imitate percussion. Identify it as a tarana, name the tala from its 16-matra 4+4+4+4 frame, and expect the antara to enter the taar saptak. Reasoning: meaninglessness plus percussion syllables is the defining test.
Traps
Giving khayal four sections, when sthayi, antari, sanchari and abhog belong to dhrupad; calling tarana a folk form; forgetting that bada khayal is vilambit and chhota drut; describing the antara as staying in the lower register.