PSEB SS Music Vocal cheat sheet

A khayal presentation typically proceeds: alap (unmetered, often with aaroha-avaroha phrases), then vilambit khayal set to a slow taal, then drut khayal in a faster taal; the bandish is the fixed composition serving as the anchor for improvisation.

In vilambit khayal the bandish (cheez) is sung with the sthayi (first line, in the lower/middle register) and antara (second line, in the upper register); improvisation expands from these lines in sequence, not randomly.

Sargam bols are sung using the actual note names (sa re ga ma...), while aakar uses the open vowel 'aa'; bol-bant uses the words of the bandish broken into rhythmic patterns.

The sam is the first beat of a taal and is the point of resolution; a performer signals it by landing the bandish line or a tihai on sam, not by stopping the voice.

A tihai is a phrase repeated three times so that the final note falls on sam; the most common construction is three identical repetitions with the last one adjusted to land on the first beat.

Tala cycles commonly used in vocal performance: teentaal (16 beats, 4 vibhags), ektaal (12 beats, 6 vibhags), jhaptaal (10 beats), roopak (7 beats), and dadra (6 beats) for light compositions like thumri.

A thumri is a light-classical vocal form in a raga-like melodic framework with romantic or devotional text, often in dadra or addha taal, allowing flexible treatment of notes and rhythm; a tarana uses syllabic bols (e.g., 'dha, ta, na, dim') with little textual meaning.

A bhajan is devotional song, often set in simple talas and sung with harmonium and tabla; a ghazal is an Urdu poetic form sung with attention to the couplet structure and the radif/qafiya rhyme scheme.

A raga is defined by a scale (with specified aroha and avaroha), a vadi (most important note), samvadi (second most important), a pakad (characteristic catch-phrase), and a prescribed time of performance; a scale alone is not a raga.

Aroha is the ascending order of notes and avaroha the descending order; many ragas are audav (5 notes), shadav (6 notes), or sampurna (7 notes), and ascent and descent may use different counts (e.g., 5 ascending, 7 descending).

A pakad is a short, identifying phrase that reveals the raga's characteristic movements; it is the most reliable test for distinguishing ragas that share the same scale, such as Bhoopali and Deshkar.

Vadi is the dominant note (amsa) and samvadi the secondary note; anuvadi are the remaining notes and vivadi are notes that are avoided or used only in passing; these roles are fixed per raga, not per performance.

Time-of-day classification: early morning ragas include Bhairav and Todi; afternoon ragas include Multani and Bhimpalasi; evening ragas include Yaman and Puriya; night ragas include Darbari Kanada and Malkauns; late-night ragas include Bihag and Adana.

Ragas are grouped into thaat (ten parent scales in the Bhatkhande system: Bilawal, Khamaj, Kafi, Asavari, Bhairavi, Bhairav, Kalyan, Marwa, Purvi, Todi); a thaat is a theoretical scale, not a performed raga.

Yaman uses teevra Ma and is a Kalyan-thaat raga; Bhairav uses komal Re and komal Dha; Malkauns is audav (Sa ga ma dha ni) and uses komal Ga, Dha, and Ni; Bhairavi uses all komal notes (Re, Ga, Dha, Ni).

A raga may be classified as purva (performed in the first half of the day/night, often with komal Re or Dha) or uttar (second half); this is a broad convention rather than a strict rule for every raga.

Teentaal has 16 matras in 4 vibhags of 4; the tali (clapped) beats are 1, 5, and 13, and the khali (waved) beat is 9; the theka is 'dha dhin dhin dha | dha dhin dhin dha | dha tin tin ta | ta dhin dhin dha'.

Ektaal has 12 matras in 6 vibhags of 2; talis fall on 1, 5, 9, and 11, and khalis on 3 and 7; jhaptaal has 10 matras in 4 vibhags (2+3+2+3) with khali on matra 6.

Roopak has 7 matras in 3 vibhags (3+2+2), but its sam is khali; this makes it unusual among common talas and a frequent exam question.

Laya is the tempo: vilambit (slow), madhya (medium), and drut (fast); laya is measured relative to a standard pulse, and doubling the tempo (barabar to dugun) must keep the tala cycle aligned on sam.

Laya variations: barabar (same speed), dugun (two matras per beat), tigun (three per beat), and chaugun (four per beat); a tihai in dugun is three repetitions of a phrase each lasting a specified number of matras.

In swar-lipi, notes are written as S R G M P D N with komal notes underlined or marked, teevra Ma marked distinctly, and the octave indicated by dots (lower octave below, upper octave above); a horizontal line marks the vibhag division.

In tal-lipi, each matra is numbered and the theka bol is written beneath it; 'X' marks sam, '0' marks khali, and numbers 2, 3, etc. mark the remaining talis; a vertical bar separates vibhags.

A tihai is notated as a phrase repeated three times with the final matra landing on sam; a chakradar tihai is a tihai in which each of the three repetitions is itself a tihai, producing nine statements.

The division of Indian music into Hindustani (north) and Carnatic (south) is conventionally traced to the 13th-14th century with Amir Khusrau, who is credited in tradition with the sitar, tabla, and several forms; the historical record for these attributions is thin and should be stated as tradition, not fact.

The Natyashastra of Bharata (roughly 2nd century BCE to 2nd century CE) is the earliest surviving treatise on Indian music, dance, and drama; the Sangita Ratnakara of Sarangadeva (13th century) is a key later text.

The medieval period saw the emergence of the dhrupad form, associated with the court of Raja Man Singh Tomar of Gwalior (reigned 1486-1516); the Man Kautuhal is attributed to his court and is a landmark of dhrupad-era theory.

Tansen (c. 1500-1589), a court musician of Akbar, is traditionally credited with ragas such as Miyan ki Malhar and Miyan ki Todi; the Seni gharana traces its lineage to him.

The khayal rose to prominence in the 18th century, and the Gwalior gharana is often described as the oldest khayal gharana, emphasizing clear, open-voiced presentation of the bandish and sargam.

Major gharanas and their traits: Gwalior (clear bandish, sargam, straightforward raga development), Kirana (slow, sustained notes, emphasis on alap and meend), Agra (powerful, bol-bant, rhythmic play), Jaipur-Atrauli (complex ragas, layered badhat), Patiala (thumri and light classical), and Rampur-Sahaswan (khayal with strong rhythmic character).

Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande (1860-1936) systematized ragas into ten thaats and published Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati; Vishnu Digambar Paluskar (1872-1931) founded the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya (1901) and developed a notation system for teaching.

The modern period includes Kumar Gandharva's reworking of ragas and folk influences, Bhimsen Joshi's Kirana-style khayal, and the rise of the public concert and recording industry as the main transmission channel alongside the guru-shishya tradition.

The seven shuddha swaras are Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni; komal forms lower Re, Ga, Dha, and Ni by a semitone, and teevra Ma raises Ma by a semitone; Sa and Pa have no komal or teevra form in the standard system.

In terms of semitone positions from Sa: Re = 2, Ga = 4, Ma = 5, Pa = 7, Dha = 9, Ni = 11; komal Re = 1, komal Ga = 3, komal Dha = 8, komal Ni = 10, teevra Ma = 6.

Sargam is the singing of note names; the syllables are Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni, and the upper Sa is sung as a lighter 'Sa' or as 'Sa re ga ma pa dha ni sa' with the last note in the upper octave.

The three octaves are mandra (lower), madhya (middle), and taar (upper); a performer's range is usually described by the madhya Sa and the reachable taar notes.

Comparative pairs to know: Bhoopali (S R G P D, audav, no Ma or Ni) versus Deshkar (same notes, but Pa is vadi and the ascent emphasizes Pa); Bhimpalasi (komal Ga and komal Ni, Ma prominent) versus Dhanashri; Yaman (teevra Ma) versus Yaman Kalyan (both Ma).

Bhairav (komal Re, komal Dha, ascending and descending with slow, oscillating Re) versus Ramkali (same notes but komal Ni added and different pakad); Todi (komal Re, Ga, Dha, teevra Ma) versus Multani (same notes, but Pa is vadi and the pakad differs).

Malkauns (S ga ma dha ni, all komal, no Re or Pa) versus Chandrakauns (same but shuddha Ni); Bageshri (komal Ga and komal Ni, Pa weak) versus Bhimpalasi (similar notes, different vadi and time).

Aroha-avaroha comparison is a standard exam task: write both scales, mark vadi and samvadi, give the pakad, and state the time of day; ragas sharing a scale are separated only by pakad, vadi, and time.

The tanpura is a drone instrument with four strings, tuned to Pa-Sa-Sa-lower Sa (or Ma-Sa-Sa-lower Sa for ragas where Pa is weak or absent); it provides a continuous reference pitch, not a rhythmic accompaniment.

Tanpura strings are plucked in a repeating pattern (often Pa, Sa, Sa, lower Sa) with a characteristic jawari (buzzing) produced by the curved bridge; the player adjusts the thread under the bridge to tune each string.

The tabla pair consists of the dayan (right, treble) and bayan (left, bass); the bayan's pitch is changed by pressing the heel of the hand, and the syahi (black centre) on each drum controls its resonant pitch.

Common tabla bols: dha, dhin, tin, ta, na, ge/ghe, ke, tirakita; 'dha' combines dayan 'na' with bayan 'ge', and the theka of a tala is the standard bol pattern that identifies it.

The harmonium is a free-reed keyboard instrument used for vocal accompaniment; it provides the melodic drone and follows the singer's pitch, and its tuning is set by the performer's Sa rather than fixed to a standard pitch.

A vocal accompaniment ensemble typically has tanpura (drone), tabla (rhythm), and harmonium (melodic support); the singer sets the Sa, and the tabla player tunes the bayan and dayan to match.

The sitar and sarod are plucked melodic instruments associated with instrumental khayal-style performance; the sarangi, a bowed instrument, was historically the main vocal accompaniment before the harmonium became common in the 20th century.

The pakhawaj is the barrel drum associated with dhrupad and is played with a different bol vocabulary from the tabla; the dhol and dholak are folk drums used in Punjabi and regional traditions.

Bhatkhande's notation uses S R G M P D N for shuddha notes, with komal notes marked by a horizontal line beneath and teevra Ma marked by a vertical line above; lower-octave notes carry a dot beneath and upper-octave notes a dot above.

In Bhatkhande swar-lipi, a horizontal line across the page marks the end of a vibhag (section) of the tala, and a double vertical line marks the end of the composition section; the matra numbers are written above the line.

Paluskar's notation uses similar note names but different octave and komal markings; the two systems are not interchangeable without conversion, and exam answers should state which system is being used.

To notate a bandish: write the tala's matra numbers across the top, divide into vibhags, place each syllable of the text under the matra where it is sung, and mark sam, tali, and khali positions.

A sthayi is notated first and typically stays in the lower and middle register; the antara follows and moves into the upper register, often touching the taar Sa.

For a tihai in notation, write the phrase three times and adjust the last repetition so that its final note falls on matra 1 (sam); the preceding repetitions must be shifted earlier by the length of the phrase.

Sargam notation writes the note names as sung, while bol notation writes the tabla bols; a complete composition notation often includes both the melodic line and the theka beneath it.

When notating a composition in a raga, mark the komal/teevra notes correctly, indicate the vadi note if asked, and check that the melodic line uses only the raga's permitted notes in the correct ascending or descending context.

Punjabi folk genres include the bhangra (harvest dance song, traditionally male, with dhol), giddha (women's dance song with boliyan), and jhummar (slower, celebratory dance song).

The boliyan are short, witty couplets sung in giddha and bhangra; they are call-and-response in structure and are a core exam topic in Punjabi folk music.

The tappa and mahiya are Punjabi song forms: the tappa is a fast, rhythmic song with a distinctive rolling melody, and the mahiya is a short romantic couplet form often sung in a slow, lilting style.

The suhag and ghori are wedding songs: suhag is sung for the bride, and ghori for the groom's procession; the dholki and dhol are the main rhythmic accompaniment.

The dhol is a double-headed barrel drum played with sticks (one thick, one thin), and the dholak is a smaller barrel drum played by hand; the tumbi is a single-string plucked instrument associated with Punjabi folk and modern bhangra.

The algoza is a pair of flutes played together, the chimta is a metal tong instrument, and the kartal is a pair of wooden clappers; these are common Punjabi folk instruments.

Regional traditions elsewhere in India include Lavani (Maharashtra), Baul (Bengal), Bihu (Assam), Garba (Gujarat), and Pandavani (Chhattisgarh); each has its own instruments and performance context.

Folk music is transmitted orally and is functional (tied to harvest, wedding, and festival occasions), which distinguishes it from the concert-oriented, raga-based classical tradition.