WBBSE Madhyamik Optional Instrumental Music cheat sheet

Nada is sound; ahata nada is struck/physical sound, anahata nada is unstruck inner sound. Musical nada is classified as svanita (musical) and anahata in treatises.

Shruti: the smallest perceptible interval; classical theory names 22 shrutis in the saptak (Bharata's Natyashastra), though modern practice uses 12 tempered swaras.

Svara: seven shuddha swaras - Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni. Vikrit swaras: komal Re, Ga, Dha, Ni and tivra Ma; Sa and Pa are achala (immovable).

Saptak: mandra (lower), madhya (middle), tar (upper). Sa of madhya saptak is the reference tonic for notation and tuning.

Sthayi and avarohi order: aroha ascends Sa to Sa; avaroha descends. Komal/tivra positions are fixed relative to Sa, not absolute pitch.

Nada's three qualities per treatises: pitch (tara), loudness (bal), and timbre (varna); svara arises when nada has steady pitch.

Guru-shishya parampara: oral transmission of raga and bandish from teacher to disciple; gharana identity is carried through this lineage.

Svarasthana vs shruti: a svara is a chosen station; shruti is the microtonal unit. Bhatkhande's 10-thaat system groups svarasthanas, not shrutis.

V. D. Paluskar notation: swaras written in Devanagari; shuddha plain, komal underlined below, tivra with a vertical line above; Sa of madhya saptak marked with a dot above.

Paluskar uses horizontal lines (danda) to separate vibhags; a cross (×) marks sam, and figures mark other tali; khali shown by a zero or empty circle.

V. N. Bhatkhande notation: swaras in Devanagari with komal marked by a horizontal stroke below and tivra by a vertical stroke above; saptak marked by dots above (tar) and below (mandra).

Bhatkhande writes compositions in bar-lines with matra numbers 1-16 for Teental; sam is marked ×, khali 0, and tali by numbers 2, 3, 4.

Bhatkhande's notation shows theka/bols beneath the swara line for bandish and gat, allowing tala-aligned recitation.

Carnatic notation: svara names Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Da Ni, with komal equivalents as R1, R2, G1, G2, M1, M2, D1, D2, N1, N2, N3; melakarta number fixes the scale.

Carnatic notation marks tala angas by symbols (laghu |, drutam +, anudrutam U) and writes gamaka signs separately; sahitya (lyrics) is written below svaras.

Both systems are relative: Sa is movable, so notation fixes intervals, not concert pitch. A reader must know the tonic to realise the notation.

Raga lakshana requires: swara set, aroha-avaroha, vadi (king) and samvadi (queen) swaras, pakad (catch-phrase), and time of day; jati describes the count of swaras used in ascent and descent.

Vadi is the most emphasised swara; samvadi is usually a fourth or fifth from it; anuvadi are other swaras; vivadi are dissonant or excluded swaras.

Pakad is a short phrase that identifies the raga; aroha-avaroha alone can be ambiguous (e.g. Bhimpalasi vs Bageshri), so pakad is decisive.

Time cycle: morning ragas include Bhairav, Todi, Asavari; afternoon: Multani, Bhimpalasi; evening: Yaman, Puriya, Marwa; night: Bihag, Darbari, Malkauns; dawn: Lalit, Ahir Bhairav.

Yaman: tivra Ma, all else shuddha, vadi Ga, samvadi Ni, evening; aroha uses Ni-Re-Ga-Re-Pa-Ma-Ga-Re-Sa phrases.

Bhairav: komal Re and komal Dha both in aroha and avaroha, vadi Dha, samvadi Re, morning; andolan on komal Re and Dha is characteristic.

Bageshri: komal Ga and Ni, vadi Ma, samvadi Sa, night; avaroha uses Ma-Ga-Re-Sa and Pa-Dha-Ni-Sa; Re and Dha are weak or omitted in ascent.

Malkauns: komal Ga, Dha, Ni; Sa and Ma and Pa omitted from ascent; vadi Ma, samvadi Sa; late night; sung in a slow, grave tempo.

Matra is one beat-count; vibhag is a bar of matras; tali is a clapped section, khali is a waved (empty) section; sam is matra 1, the point of resolution.

Teental: 16 matras, 4 vibhags of 4; tali on 1, 5, 13; khali on 9; theka: Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Tin Tin Ta | Ta Dhin Dhin Dha.

Jhaptal: 10 matras, vibhags 2+3+2+3; tali on 1, 3, 8; khali on 6; theka: Dhi Na | Dhi Dhi Na | Ti Na | Dhi Dhi Na.

Dadra: 6 matras, 3+3; tali on 1, khali on 4; theka: Dha Dhin Na | Dha Tin Na.

Keherwa: 8 matras, 4+4; tali on 1, khali on 5; theka: Dha Ge Na Ti | Na Ka Dhi Na.

Roopak: 7 matras, 3+2+2; khali falls on sam (matra 1), tali on 4 and 6; theka: Tin Tin Na | Dhin Na | Dhin Na.

Laya: vilambit (slow), madhya (medium), drut (fast); barabar is equal, dugun is double speed, tigun triple, chaugun quadruple relative to theka.

Tihai: a phrase repeated three times so that the last matra lands on sam; computed by dividing the gap before sam into three equal parts.

Sitar: long neck with curved frets (pardas) tied with thread for fine tuning; 6-7 playing strings over a wide javari bridge plus 11-13 sympathetic tarab strings; gourd tumba resonator.

Sitar tuning: first string (baj) to Ma, second to Sa, third and fourth to Sa lower octave, fifth to Pa; tarab tuned to the raga's swaras. Frets are moved for komal/tivra swaras.

Sarod: fretless metal fingerboard, skin-covered resonator, 4-6 main strings plus chikari and tarab; played with a coconut-shell or horn plectrum (java); meend and gamak by finger pressure.

Violin (Hindustani/Carnatic): tuned Sa-Pa-Sa-Pa or Sa-Sa-Sa-Pa in fifths; held against the chest or shoulder; continuous bowing with gamaka and slides replace frets.

Bansuri: six or seven holes, closed at one end; Sa fixed by the flute's length; tuning checked by matching Sa and Pa; maintenance requires drying and oiling to prevent cracks.

Tabla: dayan (right, tuned to Sa or Pa by tapping the syahi and gatta) and bayan (left, bass, glissando by heel pressure); syahi is the black tuning patch; head laced with chot and gatta.

Harmonium: reed instrument with bellows; tuning by filing reeds; Sa chosen per singer; maintenance includes reed cleaning and bellows-leather care.

Esraj/Dilruba: bowed with a bow, frets on esraj, sympathetic strings; tuning to Sa-Pa-Sa; bowing technique with slow strokes for alap-like sustain.

Vilambit gat: slow tempo, wide meend and alap-like phrases, usually in Teental or Tilwada; establishes raga before drut gat.

Drut gat: fast tempo, compact phrases, tihai and jhala-like chikari patterns; often in Teental, Jhaptal, or Roopak.

Maseetkhani gat: vilambit gat in Teental, 16 matras, structured with sthayi and antara, attributed to Masit Khan; played with vistar and meend.

Razakhani gat: drut gat in Teental attributed to Raza Khan; short, rhythmic, with tihai and chikari; follows maseetkhani in a performance.

Sthayi is the first section of a gat/bandish, set in the lower/middle register; antara is the second, in the upper register up to tar Sa.

Tihai types: damdar (with pause), bedam (without pause), and nauhar; all repeat a phrase three times ending on sam.

Bandish in vocal music has sthayi, antara, and sometimes sanchari and abhog; instrumental gat has sthayi and antara only.

Notation of a gat must show: tala, matra numbers with sam marked ×, the swara line, and the theka bols aligned beneath.

Alaap: unmetered (anishrit) exposition of raga using slow phrases, meend, and kan; no tala; explores aroha, avaroha, and vadi swara.

Jod: metered but unpulsed (or pulse-only) section after alaap, introducing rhythm without tabla; played with a steady gat-like pulse on the instrument.

Jhala: fast concluding section using chikari strings (Sa, Pa) in repeated strokes over the gat; builds to a climax before the tihai.

Gat presentation order: alaap, jod, jhala, then vilambit gat with tabla, vistar, tihai, then drut gat and jhala.

Sight-reading: read the swara line first, identify raga from pakad, then align to tala by counting matras to sam before playing.

Reproduction of notation: write swaras with correct komal/tivra marks and saptak dots, then add vibhag lines and sam/tali/khali symbols.

Tala accompaniment: the tabla player follows the gat's tali-khali and anticipates tihai; the soloist signals sam by a head or hand cue.

Viva-voce: be ready to sing/play the aroha-avaroha and pakad of any prescribed raga, and to state its vadi, samvadi, and time.

V. N. Bhatkhande (1860-1936): systematised Hindustani ragas into 10 thaats, wrote Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati, and founded the first music college (Marris College, Lucknow, 1926).

V. D. Paluskar (1872-1931): revived Hindustani classical music, founded Gandharva Mahavidyalaya (Lahore 1901, Bombay later), and devised the Paluskar notation system.

Amir Khusrau (13th century): credited in tradition with introducing the sitar's precursor and the tabla's precursor, and with qawwali; claims are traditional, not documented.

Tansen (c. 1500-1589): court musician of Akbar, associated with ragas Miyan ki Malhar, Miyan ki Todi, Darbari Kanada; his tomb is in Gwalior.

Gharana: a stylistic lineage; major ones include Gwalior, Agra, Jaipur-Atrauli, Kirana, Patiala (vocal); Senia, Maihar, Imdadkhani (instrumental).

Instrument makers: the Senia family of Jaipur and the Rikhi Ram family of Delhi are associated with sitar making; Miraj is a historic centre for string instruments.

Allauddin Khan (c. 1862-1972): founder of the Maihar gharana, teacher of Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan; multi-instrumentalist.

Listening/viva: identify raga by pakad and time, identify tala by theka, and name the gharana from stylistic markers such as meend use and gat structure.

Nada is sound; ahata nada is struck/physical sound, anahata nada is unstruck inner sound. Musical nada is classified as svanita (musical) and anahata in treatises.

Shruti: the smallest perceptible interval; classical theory names 22 shrutis in the saptak (Bharata's Natyashastra), though modern practice uses 12 tempered swaras.

Svara: seven shuddha swaras - Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni. Vikrit swaras: komal Re, Ga, Dha, Ni and tivra Ma; Sa and Pa are achala (immovable).

Saptak: mandra (lower), madhya (middle), tar (upper). Sa of madhya saptak is the reference tonic for notation and tuning.

Sthayi and avarohi order: aroha ascends Sa to Sa; avaroha descends. Komal/tivra positions are fixed relative to Sa, not absolute pitch.

Nada's three qualities per treatises: pitch (tara), loudness (bal), and timbre (varna); svara arises when nada has steady pitch.

Guru-shishya parampara: oral transmission of raga and bandish from teacher to disciple; gharana identity is carried through this lineage.

Svarasthana vs shruti: a svara is a chosen station; shruti is the microtonal unit. Bhatkhande's 10-thaat system groups svarasthanas, not shrutis.

V. D. Paluskar notation: swaras written in Devanagari; shuddha plain, komal underlined below, tivra with a vertical line above; Sa of madhya saptak marked with a dot above.

Paluskar uses horizontal lines (danda) to separate vibhags; a cross (×) marks sam, and figures mark other tali; khali shown by a zero or empty circle.

V. N. Bhatkhande notation: swaras in Devanagari with komal marked by a horizontal stroke below and tivra by a vertical stroke above; saptak marked by dots above (tar) and below (mandra).

Bhatkhande writes compositions in bar-lines with matra numbers 1-16 for Teental; sam is marked ×, khali 0, and tali by numbers 2, 3, 4.

Bhatkhande's notation shows theka/bols beneath the swara line for bandish and gat, allowing tala-aligned recitation.

Carnatic notation: svara names Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Da Ni, with komal equivalents as R1, R2, G1, G2, M1, M2, D1, D2, N1, N2, N3; melakarta number fixes the scale.

Carnatic notation marks tala angas by symbols (laghu |, drutam +, anudrutam U) and writes gamaka signs separately; sahitya (lyrics) is written below svaras.

Both systems are relative: Sa is movable, so notation fixes intervals, not concert pitch. A reader must know the tonic to realise the notation.

Raga lakshana requires: swara set, aroha-avaroha, vadi (king) and samvadi (queen) swaras, pakad (catch-phrase), and time of day; jati describes the count of swaras used in ascent and descent.

Vadi is the most emphasised swara; samvadi is usually a fourth or fifth from it; anuvadi are other swaras; vivadi are dissonant or excluded swaras.

Pakad is a short phrase that identifies the raga; aroha-avaroha alone can be ambiguous (e.g. Bhimpalasi vs Bageshri), so pakad is decisive.

Time cycle: morning ragas include Bhairav, Todi, Asavari; afternoon: Multani, Bhimpalasi; evening: Yaman, Puriya, Marwa; night: Bihag, Darbari, Malkauns; dawn: Lalit, Ahir Bhairav.

Yaman: tivra Ma, all else shuddha, vadi Ga, samvadi Ni, evening; aroha uses Ni-Re-Ga-Re-Pa-Ma-Ga-Re-Sa phrases.

Bhairav: komal Re and komal Dha both in aroha and avaroha, vadi Dha, samvadi Re, morning; andolan on komal Re and Dha is characteristic.

Bageshri: komal Ga and Ni, vadi Ma, samvadi Sa, night; avaroha uses Ma-Ga-Re-Sa and Pa-Dha-Ni-Sa; Re and Dha are weak or omitted in ascent.

Malkauns: komal Ga, Dha, Ni; Sa and Ma and Pa omitted from ascent; vadi Ma, samvadi Sa; late night; sung in a slow, grave tempo.

Matra is one beat-count; vibhag is a bar of matras; tali is a clapped section, khali is a waved (empty) section; sam is matra 1, the point of resolution.

Teental: 16 matras, 4 vibhags of 4; tali on 1, 5, 13; khali on 9; theka: Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Tin Tin Ta | Ta Dhin Dhin Dha.

Jhaptal: 10 matras, vibhags 2+3+2+3; tali on 1, 3, 8; khali on 6; theka: Dhi Na | Dhi Dhi Na | Ti Na | Dhi Dhi Na.

Dadra: 6 matras, 3+3; tali on 1, khali on 4; theka: Dha Dhin Na | Dha Tin Na.

Keherwa: 8 matras, 4+4; tali on 1, khali on 5; theka: Dha Ge Na Ti | Na Ka Dhi Na.

Roopak: 7 matras, 3+2+2; khali falls on sam (matra 1), tali on 4 and 6; theka: Tin Tin Na | Dhin Na | Dhin Na.

Laya: vilambit (slow), madhya (medium), drut (fast); barabar is equal, dugun is double speed, tigun triple, chaugun quadruple relative to theka.

Tihai: a phrase repeated three times so that the last matra lands on sam; computed by dividing the gap before sam into three equal parts.

Sitar: long neck with curved frets (pardas) tied with thread for fine tuning; 6-7 playing strings over a wide javari bridge plus 11-13 sympathetic tarab strings; gourd tumba resonator.

Sitar tuning: first string (baj) to Ma, second to Sa, third and fourth to Sa lower octave, fifth to Pa; tarab tuned to the raga's swaras. Frets are moved for komal/tivra swaras.

Sarod: fretless metal fingerboard, skin-covered resonator, 4-6 main strings plus chikari and tarab; played with a coconut-shell or horn plectrum (java); meend and gamak by finger pressure.

Violin (Hindustani/Carnatic): tuned Sa-Pa-Sa-Pa or Sa-Sa-Sa-Pa in fifths; held against the chest or shoulder; continuous bowing with gamaka and slides replace frets.

Bansuri: six or seven holes, closed at one end; Sa fixed by the flute's length; tuning checked by matching Sa and Pa; maintenance requires drying and oiling to prevent cracks.

Tabla: dayan (right, tuned to Sa or Pa by tapping the syahi and gatta) and bayan (left, bass, glissando by heel pressure); syahi is the black tuning patch; head laced with chot and gatta.

Harmonium: reed instrument with bellows; tuning by filing reeds; Sa chosen per singer; maintenance includes reed cleaning and bellows-leather care.

Esraj/Dilruba: bowed with a bow, frets on esraj, sympathetic strings; tuning to Sa-Pa-Sa; bowing technique with slow strokes for alap-like sustain.

Vilambit gat: slow tempo, wide meend and alap-like phrases, usually in Teental or Tilwada; establishes raga before drut gat.

Drut gat: fast tempo, compact phrases, tihai and jhala-like chikari patterns; often in Teental, Jhaptal, or Roopak.

Maseetkhani gat: vilambit gat in Teental, 16 matras, structured with sthayi and antara, attributed to Masit Khan; played with vistar and meend.

Razakhani gat: drut gat in Teental attributed to Raza Khan; short, rhythmic, with tihai and chikari; follows maseetkhani in a performance.

Sthayi is the first section of a gat/bandish, set in the lower/middle register; antara is the second, in the upper register up to tar Sa.

Tihai types: damdar (with pause), bedam (without pause), and nauhar; all repeat a phrase three times ending on sam.

Bandish in vocal music has sthayi, antara, and sometimes sanchari and abhog; instrumental gat has sthayi and antara only.

Notation of a gat must show: tala, matra numbers with sam marked ×, the swara line, and the theka bols aligned beneath.

Alaap: unmetered (anishrit) exposition of raga using slow phrases, meend, and kan; no tala; explores aroha, avaroha, and vadi swara.

Jod: metered but unpulsed (or pulse-only) section after alaap, introducing rhythm without tabla; played with a steady gat-like pulse on the instrument.

Jhala: fast concluding section using chikari strings (Sa, Pa) in repeated strokes over the gat; builds to a climax before the tihai.

Gat presentation order: alaap, jod, jhala, then vilambit gat with tabla, vistar, tihai, then drut gat and jhala.

Sight-reading: read the swara line first, identify raga from pakad, then align to tala by counting matras to sam before playing.

Reproduction of notation: write swaras with correct komal/tivra marks and saptak dots, then add vibhag lines and sam/tali/khali symbols.

Tala accompaniment: the tabla player follows the gat's tali-khali and anticipates tihai; the soloist signals sam by a head or hand cue.

Viva-voce: be ready to sing/play the aroha-avaroha and pakad of any prescribed raga, and to state its vadi, samvadi, and time.

V. N. Bhatkhande (1860-1936): systematised Hindustani ragas into 10 thaats, wrote Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati, and founded the first music college (Marris College, Lucknow, 1926).

V. D. Paluskar (1872-1931): revived Hindustani classical music, founded Gandharva Mahavidyalaya (Lahore 1901, Bombay later), and devised the Paluskar notation system.

Amir Khusrau (13th century): credited in tradition with introducing the sitar's precursor and the tabla's precursor, and with qawwali; claims are traditional, not documented.

Tansen (c. 1500-1589): court musician of Akbar, associated with ragas Miyan ki Malhar, Miyan ki Todi, Darbari Kanada; his tomb is in Gwalior.

Gharana: a stylistic lineage; major ones include Gwalior, Agra, Jaipur-Atrauli, Kirana, Patiala (vocal); Senia, Maihar, Imdadkhani (instrumental).

Instrument makers: the Senia family of Jaipur and the Rikhi Ram family of Delhi are associated with sitar making; Miraj is a historic centre for string instruments.

Allauddin Khan (c. 1862-1972): founder of the Maihar gharana, teacher of Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan; multi-instrumentalist.

Listening/viva: identify raga by pakad and time, identify tala by theka, and name the gharana from stylistic markers such as meend use and gat structure.

Nada is sound; ahata nada is struck/physical sound, anahata nada is unstruck inner sound. Musical nada is classified as svanita (musical) and anahata in treatises.

Shruti: the smallest perceptible interval; classical theory names 22 shrutis in the saptak (Bharata's Natyashastra), though modern practice uses 12 tempered swaras.

Svara: seven shuddha swaras - Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni. Vikrit swaras: komal Re, Ga, Dha, Ni and tivra Ma; Sa and Pa are achala (immovable).

Saptak: mandra (lower), madhya (middle), tar (upper). Sa of madhya saptak is the reference tonic for notation and tuning.

Sthayi and avarohi order: aroha ascends Sa to Sa; avaroha descends. Komal/tivra positions are fixed relative to Sa, not absolute pitch.

Nada's three qualities per treatises: pitch (tara), loudness (bal), and timbre (varna); svara arises when nada has steady pitch.

Guru-shishya parampara: oral transmission of raga and bandish from teacher to disciple; gharana identity is carried through this lineage.

Svarasthana vs shruti: a svara is a chosen station; shruti is the microtonal unit. Bhatkhande's 10-thaat system groups svarasthanas, not shrutis.

V. D. Paluskar notation: swaras written in Devanagari; shuddha plain, komal underlined below, tivra with a vertical line above; Sa of madhya saptak marked with a dot above.

Paluskar uses horizontal lines (danda) to separate vibhags; a cross (×) marks sam, and figures mark other tali; khali shown by a zero or empty circle.

V. N. Bhatkhande notation: swaras in Devanagari with komal marked by a horizontal stroke below and tivra by a vertical stroke above; saptak marked by dots above (tar) and below (mandra).

Bhatkhande writes compositions in bar-lines with matra numbers 1-16 for Teental; sam is marked ×, khali 0, and tali by numbers 2, 3, 4.

Bhatkhande's notation shows theka/bols beneath the swara line for bandish and gat, allowing tala-aligned recitation.

Carnatic notation: svara names Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Da Ni, with komal equivalents as R1, R2, G1, G2, M1, M2, D1, D2, N1, N2, N3; melakarta number fixes the scale.

Carnatic notation marks tala angas by symbols (laghu |, drutam +, anudrutam U) and writes gamaka signs separately; sahitya (lyrics) is written below svaras.

Both systems are relative: Sa is movable, so notation fixes intervals, not concert pitch. A reader must know the tonic to realise the notation.

Raga lakshana requires: swara set, aroha-avaroha, vadi (king) and samvadi (queen) swaras, pakad (catch-phrase), and time of day; jati describes the count of swaras used in ascent and descent.

Vadi is the most emphasised swara; samvadi is usually a fourth or fifth from it; anuvadi are other swaras; vivadi are dissonant or excluded swaras.

Pakad is a short phrase that identifies the raga; aroha-avaroha alone can be ambiguous (e.g. Bhimpalasi vs Bageshri), so pakad is decisive.

Time cycle: morning ragas include Bhairav, Todi, Asavari; afternoon: Multani, Bhimpalasi; evening: Yaman, Puriya, Marwa; night: Bihag, Darbari, Malkauns; dawn: Lalit, Ahir Bhairav.

Yaman: tivra Ma, all else shuddha, vadi Ga, samvadi Ni, evening; aroha uses Ni-Re-Ga-Re-Pa-Ma-Ga-Re-Sa phrases.

Bhairav: komal Re and komal Dha both in aroha and avaroha, vadi Dha, samvadi Re, morning; andolan on komal Re and Dha is characteristic.

Bageshri: komal Ga and Ni, vadi Ma, samvadi Sa, night; avaroha uses Ma-Ga-Re-Sa and Pa-Dha-Ni-Sa; Re and Dha are weak or omitted in ascent.

Malkauns: komal Ga, Dha, Ni; Sa and Ma and Pa omitted from ascent; vadi Ma, samvadi Sa; late night; sung in a slow, grave tempo.

Matra is one beat-count; vibhag is a bar of matras; tali is a clapped section, khali is a waved (empty) section; sam is matra 1, the point of resolution.

Teental: 16 matras, 4 vibhags of 4; tali on 1, 5, 13; khali on 9; theka: Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Tin Tin Ta | Ta Dhin Dhin Dha.

Jhaptal: 10 matras, vibhags 2+3+2+3; tali on 1, 3, 8; khali on 6; theka: Dhi Na | Dhi Dhi Na | Ti Na | Dhi Dhi Na.

Dadra: 6 matras, 3+3; tali on 1, khali on 4; theka: Dha Dhin Na | Dha Tin Na.

Keherwa: 8 matras, 4+4; tali on 1, khali on 5; theka: Dha Ge Na Ti | Na Ka Dhi Na.

Roopak: 7 matras, 3+2+2; khali falls on sam (matra 1), tali on 4 and 6; theka: Tin Tin Na | Dhin Na | Dhin Na.

Laya: vilambit (slow), madhya (medium), drut (fast); barabar is equal, dugun is double speed, tigun triple, chaugun quadruple relative to theka.

Tihai: a phrase repeated three times so that the last matra lands on sam; computed by dividing the gap before sam into three equal parts.

Sitar: long neck with curved frets (pardas) tied with thread for fine tuning; 6-7 playing strings over a wide javari bridge plus 11-13 sympathetic tarab strings; gourd tumba resonator.

Sitar tuning: first string (baj) to Ma, second to Sa, third and fourth to Sa lower octave, fifth to Pa; tarab tuned to the raga's swaras. Frets are moved for komal/tivra swaras.

Sarod: fretless metal fingerboard, skin-covered resonator, 4-6 main strings plus chikari and tarab; played with a coconut-shell or horn plectrum (java); meend and gamak by finger pressure.

Violin (Hindustani/Carnatic): tuned Sa-Pa-Sa-Pa or Sa-Sa-Sa-Pa in fifths; held against the chest or shoulder; continuous bowing with gamaka and slides replace frets.

Bansuri: six or seven holes, closed at one end; Sa fixed by the flute's length; tuning checked by matching Sa and Pa; maintenance requires drying and oiling to prevent cracks.

Tabla: dayan (right, tuned to Sa or Pa by tapping the syahi and gatta) and bayan (left, bass, glissando by heel pressure); syahi is the black tuning patch; head laced with chot and gatta.

Harmonium: reed instrument with bellows; tuning by filing reeds; Sa chosen per singer; maintenance includes reed cleaning and bellows-leather care.

Esraj/Dilruba: bowed with a bow, frets on esraj, sympathetic strings; tuning to Sa-Pa-Sa; bowing technique with slow strokes for alap-like sustain.

Vilambit gat: slow tempo, wide meend and alap-like phrases, usually in Teental or Tilwada; establishes raga before drut gat.

Drut gat: fast tempo, compact phrases, tihai and jhala-like chikari patterns; often in Teental, Jhaptal, or Roopak.

Maseetkhani gat: vilambit gat in Teental, 16 matras, structured with sthayi and antara, attributed to Masit Khan; played with vistar and meend.

Razakhani gat: drut gat in Teental attributed to Raza Khan; short, rhythmic, with tihai and chikari; follows maseetkhani in a performance.

Sthayi is the first section of a gat/bandish, set in the lower/middle register; antara is the second, in the upper register up to tar Sa.

Tihai types: damdar (with pause), bedam (without pause), and nauhar; all repeat a phrase three times ending on sam.

Bandish in vocal music has sthayi, antara, and sometimes sanchari and abhog; instrumental gat has sthayi and antara only.

Notation of a gat must show: tala, matra numbers with sam marked ×, the swara line, and the theka bols aligned beneath.

Alaap: unmetered (anishrit) exposition of raga using slow phrases, meend, and kan; no tala; explores aroha, avaroha, and vadi swara.

Jod: metered but unpulsed (or pulse-only) section after alaap, introducing rhythm without tabla; played with a steady gat-like pulse on the instrument.

Jhala: fast concluding section using chikari strings (Sa, Pa) in repeated strokes over the gat; builds to a climax before the tihai.

Gat presentation order: alaap, jod, jhala, then vilambit gat with tabla, vistar, tihai, then drut gat and jhala.

Sight-reading: read the swara line first, identify raga from pakad, then align to tala by counting matras to sam before playing.

Reproduction of notation: write swaras with correct komal/tivra marks and saptak dots, then add vibhag lines and sam/tali/khali symbols.

Tala accompaniment: the tabla player follows the gat's tali-khali and anticipates tihai; the soloist signals sam by a head or hand cue.

Viva-voce: be ready to sing/play the aroha-avaroha and pakad of any prescribed raga, and to state its vadi, samvadi, and time.

V. N. Bhatkhande (1860-1936): systematised Hindustani ragas into 10 thaats, wrote Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati, and founded the first music college (Marris College, Lucknow, 1926).

V. D. Paluskar (1872-1931): revived Hindustani classical music, founded Gandharva Mahavidyalaya (Lahore 1901, Bombay later), and devised the Paluskar notation system.

Amir Khusrau (13th century): credited in tradition with introducing the sitar's precursor and the tabla's precursor, and with qawwali; claims are traditional, not documented.

Tansen (c. 1500-1589): court musician of Akbar, associated with ragas Miyan ki Malhar, Miyan ki Todi, Darbari Kanada; his tomb is in Gwalior.

Gharana: a stylistic lineage; major ones include Gwalior, Agra, Jaipur-Atrauli, Kirana, Patiala (vocal); Senia, Maihar, Imdadkhani (instrumental).

Instrument makers: the Senia family of Jaipur and the Rikhi Ram family of Delhi are associated with sitar making; Miraj is a historic centre for string instruments.

Allauddin Khan (c. 1862-1972): founder of the Maihar gharana, teacher of Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan; multi-instrumentalist.

Listening/viva: identify raga by pakad and time, identify tala by theka, and name the gharana from stylistic markers such as meend use and gat structure.

Nada is sound; ahata nada is struck/physical sound, anahata nada is unstruck inner sound. Musical nada is classified as svanita (musical) and anahata in treatises.

Shruti: the smallest perceptible interval; classical theory names 22 shrutis in the saptak (Bharata's Natyashastra), though modern practice uses 12 tempered swaras.

Svara: seven shuddha swaras - Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni. Vikrit swaras: komal Re, Ga, Dha, Ni and tivra Ma; Sa and Pa are achala (immovable).

Saptak: mandra (lower), madhya (middle), tar (upper). Sa of madhya saptak is the reference tonic for notation and tuning.

Sthayi and avarohi order: aroha ascends Sa to Sa; avaroha descends. Komal/tivra positions are fixed relative to Sa, not absolute pitch.

Nada's three qualities per treatises: pitch (tara), loudness (bal), and timbre (varna); svara arises when nada has steady pitch.

Guru-shishya parampara: oral transmission of raga and bandish from teacher to disciple; gharana identity is carried through this lineage.

Svarasthana vs shruti: a svara is a chosen station; shruti is the microtonal unit. Bhatkhande's 10-thaat system groups svarasthanas, not shrutis.

V. D. Paluskar notation: swaras written in Devanagari; shuddha plain, komal underlined below, tivra with a vertical line above; Sa of madhya saptak marked with a dot above.

Paluskar uses horizontal lines (danda) to separate vibhags; a cross (×) marks sam, and figures mark other tali; khali shown by a zero or empty circle.

V. N. Bhatkhande notation: swaras in Devanagari with komal marked by a horizontal stroke below and tivra by a vertical stroke above; saptak marked by dots above (tar) and below (mandra).

Bhatkhande writes compositions in bar-lines with matra numbers 1-16 for Teental; sam is marked ×, khali 0, and tali by numbers 2, 3, 4.

Bhatkhande's notation shows theka/bols beneath the swara line for bandish and gat, allowing tala-aligned recitation.

Carnatic notation: svara names Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Da Ni, with komal equivalents as R1, R2, G1, G2, M1, M2, D1, D2, N1, N2, N3; melakarta number fixes the scale.

Carnatic notation marks tala angas by symbols (laghu |, drutam +, anudrutam U) and writes gamaka signs separately; sahitya (lyrics) is written below svaras.

Both systems are relative: Sa is movable, so notation fixes intervals, not concert pitch. A reader must know the tonic to realise the notation.

Raga lakshana requires: swara set, aroha-avaroha, vadi (king) and samvadi (queen) swaras, pakad (catch-phrase), and time of day; jati describes the count of swaras used in ascent and descent.

Vadi is the most emphasised swara; samvadi is usually a fourth or fifth from it; anuvadi are other swaras; vivadi are dissonant or excluded swaras.

Pakad is a short phrase that identifies the raga; aroha-avaroha alone can be ambiguous (e.g. Bhimpalasi vs Bageshri), so pakad is decisive.

Time cycle: morning ragas include Bhairav, Todi, Asavari; afternoon: Multani, Bhimpalasi; evening: Yaman, Puriya, Marwa; night: Bihag, Darbari, Malkauns; dawn: Lalit, Ahir Bhairav.

Yaman: tivra Ma, all else shuddha, vadi Ga, samvadi Ni, evening; aroha uses Ni-Re-Ga-Re-Pa-Ma-Ga-Re-Sa phrases.

Bhairav: komal Re and komal Dha both in aroha and avaroha, vadi Dha, samvadi Re, morning; andolan on komal Re and Dha is characteristic.

Bageshri: komal Ga and Ni, vadi Ma, samvadi Sa, night; avaroha uses Ma-Ga-Re-Sa and Pa-Dha-Ni-Sa; Re and Dha are weak or omitted in ascent.

Malkauns: komal Ga, Dha, Ni; Sa and Ma and Pa omitted from ascent; vadi Ma, samvadi Sa; late night; sung in a slow, grave tempo.

Matra is one beat-count; vibhag is a bar of matras; tali is a clapped section, khali is a waved (empty) section; sam is matra 1, the point of resolution.

Teental: 16 matras, 4 vibhags of 4; tali on 1, 5, 13; khali on 9; theka: Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Tin Tin Ta | Ta Dhin Dhin Dha.

Jhaptal: 10 matras, vibhags 2+3+2+3; tali on 1, 3, 8; khali on 6; theka: Dhi Na | Dhi Dhi Na | Ti Na | Dhi Dhi Na.

Dadra: 6 matras, 3+3; tali on 1, khali on 4; theka: Dha Dhin Na | Dha Tin Na.

Keherwa: 8 matras, 4+4; tali on 1, khali on 5; theka: Dha Ge Na Ti | Na Ka Dhi Na.

Roopak: 7 matras, 3+2+2; khali falls on sam (matra 1), tali on 4 and 6; theka: Tin Tin Na | Dhin Na | Dhin Na.

Laya: vilambit (slow), madhya (medium), drut (fast); barabar is equal, dugun is double speed, tigun triple, chaugun quadruple relative to theka.

Tihai: a phrase repeated three times so that the last matra lands on sam; computed by dividing the gap before sam into three equal parts.

Sitar: long neck with curved frets (pardas) tied with thread for fine tuning; 6-7 playing strings over a wide javari bridge plus 11-13 sympathetic tarab strings; gourd tumba resonator.

Sitar tuning: first string (baj) to Ma, second to Sa, third and fourth to Sa lower octave, fifth to Pa; tarab tuned to the raga's swaras. Frets are moved for komal/tivra swaras.

Sarod: fretless metal fingerboard, skin-covered resonator, 4-6 main strings plus chikari and tarab; played with a coconut-shell or horn plectrum (java); meend and gamak by finger pressure.

Violin (Hindustani/Carnatic): tuned Sa-Pa-Sa-Pa or Sa-Sa-Sa-Pa in fifths; held against the chest or shoulder; continuous bowing with gamaka and slides replace frets.

Bansuri: six or seven holes, closed at one end; Sa fixed by the flute's length; tuning checked by matching Sa and Pa; maintenance requires drying and oiling to prevent cracks.

Tabla: dayan (right, tuned to Sa or Pa by tapping the syahi and gatta) and bayan (left, bass, glissando by heel pressure); syahi is the black tuning patch; head laced with chot and gatta.

Harmonium: reed instrument with bellows; tuning by filing reeds; Sa chosen per singer; maintenance includes reed cleaning and bellows-leather care.

Esraj/Dilruba: bowed with a bow, frets on esraj, sympathetic strings; tuning to Sa-Pa-Sa; bowing technique with slow strokes for alap-like sustain.

Vilambit gat: slow tempo, wide meend and alap-like phrases, usually in Teental or Tilwada; establishes raga before drut gat.

Drut gat: fast tempo, compact phrases, tihai and jhala-like chikari patterns; often in Teental, Jhaptal, or Roopak.

Maseetkhani gat: vilambit gat in Teental, 16 matras, structured with sthayi and antara, attributed to Masit Khan; played with vistar and meend.

Razakhani gat: drut gat in Teental attributed to Raza Khan; short, rhythmic, with tihai and chikari; follows maseetkhani in a performance.

Sthayi is the first section of a gat/bandish, set in the lower/middle register; antara is the second, in the upper register up to tar Sa.

Tihai types: damdar (with pause), bedam (without pause), and nauhar; all repeat a phrase three times ending on sam.

Bandish in vocal music has sthayi, antara, and sometimes sanchari and abhog; instrumental gat has sthayi and antara only.

Notation of a gat must show: tala, matra numbers with sam marked ×, the swara line, and the theka bols aligned beneath.

Alaap: unmetered (anishrit) exposition of raga using slow phrases, meend, and kan; no tala; explores aroha, avaroha, and vadi swara.

Jod: metered but unpulsed (or pulse-only) section after alaap, introducing rhythm without tabla; played with a steady gat-like pulse on the instrument.

Jhala: fast concluding section using chikari strings (Sa, Pa) in repeated strokes over the gat; builds to a climax before the tihai.

Gat presentation order: alaap, jod, jhala, then vilambit gat with tabla, vistar, tihai, then drut gat and jhala.

Sight-reading: read the swara line first, identify raga from pakad, then align to tala by counting matras to sam before playing.

Reproduction of notation: write swaras with correct komal/tivra marks and saptak dots, then add vibhag lines and sam/tali/khali symbols.

Tala accompaniment: the tabla player follows the gat's tali-khali and anticipates tihai; the soloist signals sam by a head or hand cue.

Viva-voce: be ready to sing/play the aroha-avaroha and pakad of any prescribed raga, and to state its vadi, samvadi, and time.

V. N. Bhatkhande (1860-1936): systematised Hindustani ragas into 10 thaats, wrote Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati, and founded the first music college (Marris College, Lucknow, 1926).

V. D. Paluskar (1872-1931): revived Hindustani classical music, founded Gandharva Mahavidyalaya (Lahore 1901, Bombay later), and devised the Paluskar notation system.

Amir Khusrau (13th century): credited in tradition with introducing the sitar's precursor and the tabla's precursor, and with qawwali; claims are traditional, not documented.

Tansen (c. 1500-1589): court musician of Akbar, associated with ragas Miyan ki Malhar, Miyan ki Todi, Darbari Kanada; his tomb is in Gwalior.

Gharana: a stylistic lineage; major ones include Gwalior, Agra, Jaipur-Atrauli, Kirana, Patiala (vocal); Senia, Maihar, Imdadkhani (instrumental).

Instrument makers: the Senia family of Jaipur and the Rikhi Ram family of Delhi are associated with sitar making; Miraj is a historic centre for string instruments.

Allauddin Khan (c. 1862-1972): founder of the Maihar gharana, teacher of Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan; multi-instrumentalist.

Listening/viva: identify raga by pakad and time, identify tala by theka, and name the gharana from stylistic markers such as meend use and gat structure.