PSEB SS Gurmat Sangeet key terms

The Sikh tradition of singing Gurbani to prescribed raags using traditional stringed and percussion instruments, established by the Gurus as a disciplined devotional and spiritual practice rather than mere entertainment.

Devotional singing of verses from Guru Granth Sahib, normally in the raag assigned to that shabad in the scripture, performed by a kirtani jatha in congregational settings such as the darbar sahib.

A hymn or composition of the Sikh Gurus and Bhagats recorded in Guru Granth Sahib, identified by its raag, mahalla and page number, and sung as a complete unit in kirtan.

A melodic framework of Indian classical music defined by ascending and descending movements, characteristic phrases, dominant and subdominant notes, and a mood, within which Gurbani is composed and sung.

A descriptive introduction to a raag covering its thaat, aroh, avroh, vadi, samvadi, pakad, time of performance and mood, used as the standard format for presenting raag knowledge in written and oral examinations.

A ten-note parent scale system codified by V. N. Bhatkhande, grouping raags by the notes they use; useful for classifying raags but not itself a performable melodic form.

The ascending scale or movement of a raag, showing which notes are taken when rising and which are omitted, and often differing from the descending form.

The descending scale or movement of a raag, indicating the notes used when coming down; contrast with aroh reveals the asymmetrical shape of many raags.

A short, recognisable phrase or set of phrases that captures the essential identity of a raag and is used to identify it and to develop improvisation in performance.

The most important or dominant note of a raag, emphasised in performance and often repeated to establish the raag's character; also called the amsa or sonant.

The second most important note of a raag, usually a fourth or fifth from the vadi, which supports the raag's identity and is stressed at particular points in the performance.

A subordinate or assisting note in a raag that is neither vadi nor samvadi; it fills out the melodic movement without carrying the main emphasis.

A dissonant or excluded note in relation to a given raag, which is avoided or used only in a specific restricted manner and never as a principal note.

A musical note or pitch in Indian music, named Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni, with komal and teevra alterations; the basic building unit of melody and of sargam writing.

The system of naming notes with syllabic abbreviations Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni, used for singing exercises, teaching melodies and writing notation without fixed pitch names.

A natural or unaltered note in the Indian scale, as opposed to komal (flattened) or teevra (sharpened) forms; the seven shuddh notes form the basic bilawal scale.

A flattened note, lower than its shuddh form by a semitone; in Indian notation komal Re, Ga, Dha and Ni are marked with a stroke beneath the syllable.

A sharpened note, higher than its shuddh form by a semitone; in practice only Ma is used in teevra form, marked by a vertical line above the syllable.

Written musical notation showing notes, rhythm, divisions of the cycle and lyric placement, used to record compositions and to teach kirtan in a standardised form.

A single beat or rhythmic unit counted in a taal cycle; the number of matras defines the length of the cycle, such as sixteen in teentaal.

A section or bar of a taal cycle formed by grouping matras, marked in notation by a vertical line or by clap and wave symbols.

The first matra of a taal cycle, marked by a clap and treated as the point of resolution where melody, rhythm and composition come together.

A clap marking a stressed division within a taal cycle; the number and placement of talis help the performer and listener track position in the cycle.

An unstressed division of a taal cycle marked by a wave of the hand rather than a clap, giving a lighter or empty feel to that section.

A rhythmic cycle in Indian music made of a fixed number of matras divided into vibhags, each identified by a name such as teentaal, jhaptaal or the Sikh kirtan taal such as jhap taal.

The standard set of bols or spoken syllables that expresses a taal cycle on a percussion instrument, serving as the reference pattern for keeping time.

A taal of ten matras divided into four vibhags, associated with Sikh kirtan and played on the jori, often used for shabads composed in this rhythmic cycle.

A composition whose text consists of note syllables such as Sa Re Ga Ma, used to teach and demonstrate a raag's melodic shape before applying it to a shabad.

The traditional stringed instruments of Sikh kirtan, including the rabab, saranda and taus, whose use is upheld in the maryada of Gurmat Sangeet.

A plucked stringed instrument with a hollow body and gut or metal strings, played by Guru Nanak's companion Bhai Mardana and regarded as the first instrument of Sikh kirtan.

A bowed stringed instrument of the Sikh tradition with a resonant body and sympathetic strings, associated with Guru Arjan and used for accompanying Gurbani kirtan.

A bowed stringed instrument shaped like a peacock, with a long neck and sympathetic strings, attributed to Guru Hargobind and used in traditional Sikh kirtan.

A pair of drums, the larger providing bass and the smaller treble, developed in the Sikh tradition and used to accompany Gurbani kirtan with theka patterns.

Guru Nanak's lifelong companion, a rababi who accompanied the Guru's travels and sang his compositions on the rabab, establishing the practice of shabad kirtan.

The fifth Sikh Guru, who compiled the Adi Granth, composed the Sukhmani Sahib, and is credited with promoting the saranda and organised kirtan in the darbar.

The lineage of professional Muslim kirtan players, beginning with Bhai Mardana, who preserved and performed shabad kirtan on traditional stringed instruments across generations.

A revered Sikh scholar and scribe of Guru Granth Sahib, whose vaars and kabitt are sung in kirtan and who is a key authority on early Sikh music practice.

The accepted code of conduct and procedure for Sikh religious practice, including rules on how kirtan is performed, which instruments are used and how shabads are rendered.

The correct splitting and pronunciation of a shabad's words so that the line is sung accurately and meaningfully, avoiding distortion of Gurbani during kirtan.

The unmetred, free-rhythm exposition of a raag that introduces its notes and phrases before the composed section begins, establishing mood and melodic identity.