WBBSE Madhyamik Optional Instrumental Music key terms

The fundamental sound substance of Indian music, understood as vibration that becomes audible music; distinguished as anahata (unstruck, cosmic) and ahata (struck, produced by effort). All svara and raga arise from nada.

A microtonal interval, the smallest audible pitch step recognised in Indian music; the traditional count is twenty-two shrutis within the saptak. Shrutis are the raw material from which the twelve svarasthanas are selected.

A musical note with definite pitch, named Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni; the seven shuddha svaras plus five vikrit (komal and tivra) forms give twelve svarasthanas in common use.

The octave as a set of seven svaras, Sa to Ni, completed by the upper Sa. Three registers are named: mandra (low), madhya (middle) and tar (high); a performance moves between them.

The traditional oral transmission of music from teacher to disciple through close, long-term personal instruction, where repertoire, style and discipline pass by imitation and correction rather than written text.

A Hindustani notation system using sargam letters with dots and horizontal marks for register, curved lines for meend and symbols for komal, tivra and rests; published through his Gandharva Mahavidyalaya and its examination syllabus.

A Hindustani notation system using Devanagari sargam with lines above or below for upper and lower octave, and separate signs for komal, tivra, meend, kan and gamak; widely used in published bandish and gat collections.

The singing or writing of music using svara syllables (Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni) instead of text; also the name for a fast passage that strings svaras together in a raga's framework.

South Indian notation that writes a composition as text with svara syllables above the sahitya, and marks tala by angas and aksharas; symbols indicate octave, gamaka and the tala cycle in performance.

A melodic framework defined by a fixed set of svaras with rules of ascent, descent, emphasis and ornament, producing a distinct mood; a raga is identified by its aroha, avaroha, pakad and vadi-samvadi.

The prescribed ascending (aroha) and descending (avaroha) order of svaras in a raga. Ascent is often direct while descent may take a crooked path with extra svaras, and this difference helps identify the raga.

A short, characteristic phrase that captures a raga's identity and is used to recognise it instantly. The pakad shows the raga's key svaras, ornament and movement rather than a full scale.

The principal or king svara of a raga, the note given most emphasis and around which the melodic movement revolves. Its position strongly shapes the raga's character and time of performance.

The second most important svara of a raga, the minister to the vadi; usually placed a fourth or fifth away from the vadi. Together the two define the raga's tonal centre of gravity.

The classification of a raga by the number of svaras used in ascent and descent, such as audav (five), shadav (six) and sampurna (seven); a raga may be audav-sampurna, shadav-shadav and so on.

The traditional daily cycle assigning each raga a period of performance, based on mood and svara emphasis; for example Bhairav in the morning, Bhimpalasi in the afternoon and Yaman in the evening.

The rhythmic cycle of Indian music, built from a fixed number of matras divided into vibhags and marked by tali and khali. A tala repeats continuously and supports composition and improvisation.

A single beat or unit of a tala cycle. Matras are counted in sequence, and the first matra of a cycle, called sam, is the point of resolution where melody and rhythm meet.

A bar or section within a tala cycle, grouping a fixed number of matras; Teental has four vibhags of four matras each. Vibhags are marked by clap (tali) or wave (khali).

Tali is a clapped matra marking a stressed vibhag; khali is a waved, unstressed vibhag. The pattern of tali and khali tells the player where the cycle stands and gives the theka its shape.

The first matra of a tala cycle and its point of resolution, marked by a clap. Melodic phrases, tihais and gat sections are designed to land on sam, making it the most important structural beat.

The standard spoken drum syllables (bols) that express a tala's cycle, such as Dha Dhin Dhin Dha in Teental. The theka is what a tabla player recites and plays to keep the cycle.

Tempo, the speed at which a tala cycle is played, usually described as vilambit (slow), madhya (medium) or drut (fast). Laya may be kept even or varied through layakari.

A slow-tempo instrumental composition in a Hindustani raga, usually in a long tala cycle, giving space for broad alaap-style phrases, meend and gradual development before speed increases.

A fast-tempo instrumental composition, often in the same raga and tala as the vilambit gat, featuring short phrases, lively rhythmic play and a closing tihai. It ends a performance.

The slow, expansive gat type associated with the Senia tradition, usually set in a long cycle such as vilambit Teental; it is built for elaborate melodic development rather than speed.

The fast gat type contrasted with maseetkhani, played in drut laya with crisp strokes, rhythmic variation and a concluding tihai; it is the lively closing item of a gat presentation.

A rhythmic phrase repeated three times so that its final note falls on sam. Tihais are used to close a gat, alaap or improvisation and require exact calculation of the remaining matras.

The opening, unmetered expansion of a raga, introducing svaras gradually from the lower register upward without drum accompaniment. It establishes the raga's mood before the metered gat begins.

The section following alaap in which a pulse enters, played on the instrument without tabla; phrases become rhythmically regular and build momentum while the raga's melodic outline continues.

The fast, climactic section of a sitar or sarod performance using rapid repeated strokes on the chikari strings, creating a dense rhythmic texture that leads to the close of the alaap sequence.

The side drone strings on a sitar or sarod, tuned to Sa and sometimes Pa or upper Sa, struck rhythmically to mark the pulse and to build the jhala. They also reinforce the tonic.

A school of music traced to a family or lineage, with its own repertoire, technique and stylistic habits; examples include Gwalior, Kirana, Agra, Jaipur and Senia. Gharanas preserve and transmit style.

A fixed vocal composition in a raga and tala, with text (sahitya) and notated svaras; it is the vehicle for improvisation. Instrumental equivalents are called gat.

A fixed instrumental composition in a raga and tala, played on sitar, sarod, violin or flute. It is usually shorter than a vocal bandish and may be maseetkhani (slow) or razakhani (fast).

A smooth glide from one svara to another, produced by pulling or sliding on string and wind instruments and by voice; it is central to raga expression and is notated with a curved line.

A heavy, ornamented oscillation or shake on a svara, giving vigour to a phrase; common in dhrupad and in sarod and bowed playing. It is distinct from the smooth glide of meend.

Setting the strings or reeds of an instrument to the required pitches before playing, usually to the tonic Sa and its related drone notes; stable tuning is checked by ear and adjusted while playing.