PSEB SS Music Vocal flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Pakad

A short characteristic phrase that identifies a raga and distinguishes it from others sharing the same scale. It is the most reliable test of raga identity in performance and in exams.

Vadi and samvadi

Vadi is the dominant note of a raga and samvadi the second most important; anuvadi are the remaining notes and vivadi are avoided. These roles are fixed for each raga.

Aroha and avaroha

The ascending and descending orders of a raga's notes. They may use different numbers of notes, so a raga can be audav ascending and sampurna descending, which affects its character.

Thaat system

Bhatkhande's classification of ragas into ten parent scales: Bilawal, Khamaj, Kafi, Asavari, Bhairavi, Bhairav, Kalyan, Marwa, Purvi, and Todi. A thaat is a scale, not a performed raga.

Sam

The first beat of a tala cycle and the point of rhythmic resolution. Performers aim to land the bandish line or a tihai on sam, which is marked X in tal-lipi.

Teentaal theka

A 16-matra cycle in four vibhags of four. Talis fall on 1, 5, and 13, khali on 9, and the theka runs dha dhin dhin dha, dha dhin dhin dha, dha tin tin ta, ta dhin dhin dha.

Laya and its variations

Laya is tempo, classed as vilambit, madhya, and drut. Barabar keeps the base speed, dugun places two matras per beat, tigun three, and chaugun four, all while keeping sam aligned.

Tihai

A phrase repeated three times so that the final note falls on sam. A chakradar tihai is a tihai in which each of the three repetitions is itself a tihai.

Komal and teevra swaras

Komal lowers Re, Ga, Dha, and Ni by a semitone, and teevra raises Ma by a semitone. Sa and Pa have no komal or teevra forms in the standard system.

Semitone positions of swaras

Counting from Sa as 0: komal Re is 1, Re 2, komal Ga 3, Ga 4, Ma 5, teevra Ma 6, Pa 7, komal Dha 8, Dha 9, komal Ni 10, Ni 11.

Bhoopali versus Deshkar

Both use S R G P D with no Ma or Ni, but Bhoopali has Ga as vadi and Deshkar has Pa as vadi. Their pakad phrases differ, which is how they are told apart.

Malkauns

An audav raga using Sa, komal Ga, Ma, komal Dha, and komal Ni, with no Re or Pa. It is a late-night raga and is often compared with Chandrakauns, which uses shuddha Ni.

Yaman

A Kalyan-thaat raga using teevra Ma, with Ga and Ni prominent. It is an evening raga and is one of the first ragas taught, often compared with Yaman Kalyan, which adds shuddha Ma.

Bhairav

An early-morning raga using komal Re and komal Dha, with slow oscillating treatment of Re. It is compared with Ramkali, which adds komal Ni and has a different pakad.

Khayal bandish structure

A bandish has a sthayi in the lower and middle register and an antara in the upper register. Improvisation expands from these lines in sequence, anchored on sam.

Bol-bant

A khayal improvisation technique that breaks the words of the bandish into rhythmic patterns, often associated with the Agra gharana. It contrasts with sargam and aakar improvisation.

Thumri

A light-classical vocal form with romantic or devotional text, often in dadra or addha taal. It permits flexible treatment of notes and rhythm and is linked to the Patiala gharana.

Tarana

A fast vocal form using syllabic bols such as dha, ta, na, and dim rather than meaningful text. It is often performed after a khayal in the same raga.

Dhrupad

An older, austere vocal form associated with the court of Raja Man Singh Tomar of Gwalior. It is accompanied by pakhawaj and emphasizes alap and a fixed composition.

Tansen

A court musician of Akbar, traditionally credited with ragas such as Miyan ki Malhar and Miyan ki Todi. The Seni gharana traces its lineage to him.

Gwalior gharana

Often described as the oldest khayal gharana. It emphasizes clear, open-voiced presentation of the bandish, sargam, and straightforward raga development.

Kirana gharana

A khayal gharana known for slow, sustained notes and emphasis on alap and meend. Bhimsen Joshi is its best-known modern exponent.

Bhatkhande notation

Uses S R G M P D N with komal notes marked by a line beneath and teevra Ma by a line above. Dots mark lower and upper octaves, and vibhags are separated by lines.

Tal-lipi symbols

Matras are numbered, X marks sam, 0 marks khali, and other numbers mark remaining talis. A vertical bar separates vibhags and the theka bol is written under each matra.

Tanpura tuning

Four strings tuned Pa-Sa-Sa-lower Sa, or Ma-Sa-Sa-lower Sa when Pa is weak in the raga. It provides a continuous drone, not a rhythmic accompaniment.

Tabla bols

Dha, dhin, tin, ta, na, ge, ke, and tirakita are common. Dha combines dayan na with bayan ge, and a tala's theka is its identifying bol pattern.

Harmonium in accompaniment

A free-reed keyboard instrument that provides melodic support and follows the singer's Sa. Its pitch is set by the performer rather than fixed to a standard.

Bhangra and giddha

Bhangra is a male harvest dance song with dhol, and giddha is a women's dance song with boliyan. Both are core Punjabi folk genres with call-and-response structure.

Boliyan

Short, witty Punjabi couplets sung in giddha and bhangra. They are call-and-response in structure and are a standard topic in Punjabi folk music exams.

Dhol and dholak

The dhol is a double-headed barrel drum played with two sticks, one thick and one thin. The dholak is a smaller barrel drum played by hand in folk and light music.

Suhag and ghori

Punjabi wedding songs: suhag is sung for the bride and ghori for the groom's procession. The dholki and dhol provide the rhythmic accompaniment.

Roopak tala

A seven-matra cycle in three vibhags of 3+2+2. Its sam is khali rather than tali, which makes it unusual among common talas and a frequent exam question.