UPMSP Intermediate Instrumental Music key terms

The foundational sound or acoustic vibration from which all music arises; Indian theory distinguishes anahata nada (unstruck, internal sound) from ahata nada (struck or produced sound such as instrumental notes).

The smallest perceivable interval of pitch in Indian music theory; traditional texts describe twenty-two shrutis within the octave, used to locate and distinguish the twelve scale degrees.

A single musical note or pitch position in the scale, named Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni; each svar may be shuddha (natural) or vikrit (altered) in Hindustani practice.

The set of seven scale degrees forming one octave; Hindustani music recognises mandra (lower), madhya (middle) and taar (upper) saptaks as registers of performance.

The ascending order of notes that defines how a raga rises from its lower register to its upper register; the ascent may skip or omit notes that appear in the descent.

The descending order of notes in a raga; because descent often includes notes omitted in ascent, avaroha is essential for identifying the raga's full melodic shape.

The principal or most emphasised note of a raga, around which phrases cluster and which receives the greatest dwell time; it is sometimes called the raga's king.

The second most important note of a raga, usually a fourth or fifth from the vadi; it supports the principal note and helps shape the raga's characteristic phrases.

A supporting or subordinate note in a raga that is neither the vadi nor the samvadi; it fills out phrases but is not a main point of emphasis.

A dissonant or excluded note in relation to a particular raga; it is generally avoided in that raga and its appearance would signal a wrong or mixed melodic form.

A crooked or zigzag melodic movement in which the notes of a raga are not taken in straight ascending or descending order but turn back and forth in characteristic patterns.

A short, memorable phrase or set of phrases that captures a raga's identity; performers use the pakad to recognise a raga quickly and to anchor improvisation.

The characteristic gait or movement of a raga, describing how its phrases proceed in ascent and descent, including typical turns, rests and emphases.

A melodic framework with a defined scale, ascent, descent, emphasised notes and characteristic phrases, used as the basis for improvisation and composition in Indian music.

A parent scale of seven notes from which ragas are grouped in Hindustani theory; ten thaats are commonly listed, and a raga may borrow notes not found in its thaat.

The classification of a raga by the number of notes used in ascent and descent, such as audav (five), shadav (six) and sampurna (seven), giving combinations like audav-sampurna.

The metrical cycle of Indian music, built from a fixed number of beats grouped into vibhags and marked by claps, waves and other hand gestures that guide the performer.

A single beat or unit of time in a tala cycle; the number of matras determines the length of the cycle, for example sixteen in Teentaal.

A section or bar within a tala cycle, containing a set number of matras; vibhags are marked by claps (tali), waves (khali) or silent gestures.

A clap or tapped gesture marking a stressed vibhag of a tala; the number and position of talis help the performer keep the cycle and identify its important beats.

A wave of the hand marking an unstressed section of a tala cycle, often the third vibhag in Teentaal; khali contrasts with tali and helps orient the performer within the cycle.

The first and most important beat of a tala cycle, marked by a clap; melodic and rhythmic phrases conventionally resolve on sam, making it the point of arrival.

The tempo or speed of rhythmic movement in performance; Hindustani practice distinguishes vilambit (slow), madhya (medium) and drut (fast) laya.

A sixteen-matra tala divided into four vibhags of four matras each, with talis on beats 1, 5 and 13 and khali on beat 9; it is widely used for instrumental compositions.

A ten-matra tala divided into four vibhags of two, three, two and three matras, with talis on beats 1, 3 and 8 and khali on beat 6.

A twelve-matra tala divided into six vibhags of two matras each, with talis on beats 1, 5, 9 and 11 and khali on beats 3 and 7.

The class of stringed instruments, also called chordophones, in which sound is produced by vibrating stretched strings; the group includes plucked and bowed instruments.

The class of wind instruments, or aerophones, in which sound is produced by vibrating a column of air; examples include bansuri, shehnai and harmonium.

The class of percussion instruments with a stretched membrane, or membranophones, such as tabla, pakhawaj and dholak, sounded by striking the skin.

The class of solid, non-membrane percussion instruments, or idiophones, that sound when the body of the instrument itself vibrates, such as jaltarang, manjira and ghatam.

A long-necked plucked stringed instrument with movable frets and sympathetic strings, associated with Hindustani classical music and widely used for raga performance.

A fretless plucked lute with a metal-covered fingerboard and sympathetic strings, known for its deep tone and continuous gliding phrases in Hindustani instrumental music.

A transverse bamboo flute of Hindustani music, played by blowing across a side hole; it is a sushir vadya and is closely associated with the sound of Krishna's flute.

A double-reed wind instrument with a wooden body and flared bell, played in North Indian classical and ceremonial music; it is a sushir vadya with a piercing, reedy tone.

A long-necked drone instrument with four or more strings, plucked continuously to provide a steady tonic reference against which a performer tunes and improvises.

An instrumental composition in Hindustani music, set in a tala and usually framed by aroha and avaroha phrases; it may be performed in vilambit or drut laya.

The opening, unmetred section of a raga performance in which the performer unfolds the raga slowly without percussion, establishing its notes and mood.

The section following alap in instrumental performance, where a steady pulse is introduced without tabla accompaniment, building momentum before the composed gat begins.

A smooth glide from one note to another produced on stringed and wind instruments by sliding or continuous pitch change, an important expressive device in raga performance.

A technique of producing a heavy, oscillating or jerking movement between notes, giving force and ornamentation to a raga phrase on instruments and voice.