RBSE SS Sitar key terms

A long-necked plucked lute of North Indian classical music, distinguished by movable curved frets, sympathetic strings, and a gourd resonator, used for both solo performance and accompaniment.

A lineage or school of performance transmitted through family or disciple succession, carrying a recognizable style of technique, repertoire, and interpretation. Sitar lineages include the Imdadkhani and Maihar traditions.

A sitar school rooted in the Etawah tradition of Imdad Khan, emphasizing sustained gayaki-inflected playing, systematic alap, and refined stroke work. Associated with Inayat Khan, Vilayat Khan, and later exponents.

An instrumental lineage centred on the Etawah region, whose sitar and surbahar players shaped the modern sitar idiom. It is often treated as the parent tradition of the Imdadkhani school.

A school associated with Allauddin Khan and his disciples, blending instrumental virtuosity with deep raga knowledge. Its sitar exponents are known for powerful strokes and expansive presentation of raga.

A sitar player and composer who brought the instrument to global audiences, composed for film and orchestra, and developed a widely followed teaching approach emphasizing clarity of raga and tone.

An Imdadkhani sitar player celebrated for a vocal-derived gayaki style, individual tuning conventions, and refined meend, whose influence shaped modern sitar aesthetics and repertoire.

A sitar player of the Imdadkhani lineage, son of Imdad Khan, noted for carrying the family style forward and for recordings that document early twentieth-century sitar practice.

The idiomatic stroke-and-phrase character of an instrumental tradition, as distinct from vocal style. Sitar bajs differ in stroke weight, ornament preference, and rhythmic density.

A manner of instrumental playing that imitates vocal music, using continuous slides, subtle oscillations, and breath-like phrasing. On sitar it is closely tied to meend and slow, expressive alap.

A large bass sitar with a longer neck and heavier strings, played slowly and often without tabla, used to present expansive alap in low registers. Its technique informs sitar alap practice.

The gourd resonator of a sitar, usually at the lower end, whose size and finish affect depth and sustain. Some instruments carry a second smaller tumba for balance.

The long wooden neck of the sitar, onto which frets, nut, and pegbox are fitted. Its straightness and material quality strongly influence intonation and playability.

A curved metal fret of the sitar, tied to the neck with cord and movable for tuning adjustment. Its curvature allows strings to be pulled for meend across wide intervals.

The flat, carefully shaped bridge of a sitar over which main and sympathetic strings pass. Its contour and width govern tone colour, sustain, and the characteristic buzzing resonance.

Additional strings tuned to raga pitches that vibrate in resonance with the played strings, enriching the sound. Their tuning is adjusted for each raga before performance.

The process of setting main and sympathetic strings to the pitches required by the raga and by the player's chosen tonic. Stable tuning depends on bridge condition, peg fit, and string age.

A wire plectrum worn on the index finger of the playing hand, used to strike sitar strings. Its shape and fit determine stroke clarity, speed, and the quality of jhala.

A musical pitch as used within a scale or raga, identified by its degree and by its position relative to the tonic. Sitar players distinguish stable and oscillating swars when shaping a raga.

A parent scale of seven notes from which ragas are derived in the Bhatkhande classification. Ragas sharing a that differ in their actual phrase behaviour and in which notes they emphasize.

A melodic framework defined by a set of pitches, characteristic phrases, ascending and descending paths, and rules of emphasis and ornament. Performance unfolds a raga rather than merely playing its scale.

A classification of a raga by how many notes it uses in ascent and descent, such as five, six, or seven. Mixed jatis occur when the two directions differ in note count.

The principal or most emphasized note of a raga, around which its phrases gravitate and where resolution feels most complete. Its placement shapes the raga's emotional character.

The second most important note of a raga, usually a fourth or fifth from the vadi, providing contrast and support. Together with the vadi it anchors the raga's phrase structure.

The ascending and descending paths of a raga, showing which notes are used in each direction and in what order. These paths may differ, and they guide the shaping of alap and gat.

The characteristic phrase movement of a raga, showing how its notes are actually combined and ornamented in performance. Chalan, more than scale, identifies a raga in practice.

A short, recognisable catch-phrase that captures the identity of a raga. Players use it to establish the raga quickly and to test whether an improvisation remains within its boundaries.

Tempo, understood as the rate of rhythmic events against a metrical cycle. It may be slow, medium, or fast, and may be varied systematically through layakari.

A metrical cycle of fixed beats, divided into groups, used to organise rhythm in performance. Each tala has characteristic claps, waves, and a decisive first beat.

The first and most important beat of a tala cycle, where major phrases and cadences resolve. Sitar players plan gat variations and tihais to land precisely on sam.

The standard spoken pattern of strokes that identifies a tala, as played on tabla. It provides the reference against which sitar phrases are placed in accompanied performance.

The systematic manipulation of tempo relationships, such as playing two, three, or four units against one beat. It demonstrates rhythmic control and is common in gat expansions.

A rhythmic figure of a phrase repeated three times so that its final note falls on a targeted beat, usually sam. It is a standard device for closing a section of improvisation.

A notation system using Indian note names with symbols for octave, duration, and beat marks, widely used to write ragas and compositions. It records pitch and rhythm but not fine ornament.

An alternative Indian notation system using abbreviations and its own symbols for duration and register, associated with Vishnu Digambar Paluskar's teaching tradition. It is common in vocal and instrumental primers.

The opening, unmetred unfolding of a raga, introducing its notes, phrases, and emphasis without rhythmic accompaniment. It typically proceeds from low register upward and is central to sitar presentation.

The section following alap in which a steady pulse is introduced on the strings, often without tabla. It builds momentum and prepares the listener for metrical playing.

A fast, brilliant concluding section built on rapid repeated strokes across strings, usually over a rhythmic cycle. It showcases stroke speed and ends the performance with high energy.

An instrumental composition in a raga set to a tala, serving as the frame for improvisation. Sitar gats appear in styles such as masitkhani and razakhani and may include composed variations.

A slow or medium gat in a dignified style, traditionally linked to Masit Khan and usually set in a sixteen-beat cycle. It favours broad phrasing and is followed by rhythmic expansion.

A lively gat style associated with Raza Khan, typically faster and set in a sixteen-beat cycle, with a lighter, more rhythmic character suited to brisk variation.

A fast composition using syllabic sounds rather than meaningful text, set to a tala. On sitar it is rendered instrumentally, with the syllables guiding rhythmic articulation.

A rhythmic melodic phrase used in instrumental improvisation, often developed in sequences over the tala. Todas are a core building block between gat statements.

A continuous glide from one pitch to another, produced on sitar by pulling the string across a curved fret. It is the main means of expressive, vocal-like phrasing.