India Vocab

Front 1

the collection of guidelines for a particular melodic improvisation

Back 1

Raga

Front 2

precomposed raga songs or themes in North India

Back 2

Bandish

Front 3

precomposed raga songs or themes in South India

Back 3

Gitam

Front 4

cycles of beat groups that form the basis for meter in Indian music

Back 4

Tala

Front 5

a particular school of vocal or instrumental performance

Back 5

Gharana

Front 6

a transverse bamboo flute

Back 6

Bansri

Front 7

plucked lute-zither, drone instrument with 4 open strings

Back 7

Tambura

Front 8

pair of drums, one with a metal body, the other wooden, played with the fingers and palms

Back 8

Tabla

Front 9

plucked lute with large frets running over 13 sympathetic strings, 5 melody strings & 2 drone strings

Back 9

Sitar

Front 10

bowed fiddle with 3 gut melody strings, 35 sympathetic strings

Back 10

Sarangi

Front 11

an ancient plucked stick-zither

Back 11

Bin

Front 12

name of the Western portable organ that sometimes accompanies singers during Indian music performance

Back 12

Harmonium

Front 13

a single drum with 2 heads

Back 13

Mrdangam

Front 14

the specialized reed organ that can substitute for a tambura

Back 14

Sruti Box

Front 15

means sympathetic strings

Back 15

Taraf

Front 16

a construction used by musicians that demonstrates the ascending version of a scale

Back 16

Arohana

Front 17

a construction used by musicians that demonstrates the descending version of a scale

Back 17

Avarohana

Front 18

In South India a theorist named Venkatamakhi enumerated all of the possible 7-note scales into this system

Back 18

Melakarta

Front 19

The secondary principle tone of a particular raga that is often used as a cadence pitch

Back 19

Samvadi

Front 20

the characteristic ornamentation that helps distinguish one raga from another

Back 20

Gamak

Front 21

The principle tone which performers tend to dwell on during a performance of a raga

Back 21

Vadi

Front 22

The detailed representation of a ragas characteristic rising and falling melody

Back 22

Chalan

Front 23

melodic motives associated with a particular raga

Back 23

Pakar

Front 24

A system for Hindustani music of 32 seven-note scales

Back 24

That

Front 25

the name for pitch in Indian music

Back 25

Svara

Front 26

specific feelings that art can express; 9 forms

Back 26

Rasa

Front 27

paintings that depict certain scenes that illustrate the mood of a raga

Back 27

Ragamala

Front 28

the grouping of beats in North India

Back 28

Vibhag

Front 29

the groupings of beats, also called the tala cycle,is known as this in South India

Back 29

Avarta

Front 30

the 1st beat of a cycle and is often stressed to signify the completion of a rhythmic cycle

Back 30

Sam

Front 31

In South India this pattern of bols are memorized by the drummer to provide a basis for improvised accompaniment

Back 31

Sokattu

Front 32

the empty beat within a rhythmic cycle

Back 32

Khali

Front 33

The name for the syllables used as mnemonic devices to memorize drum patterns

Back 33

Bols

Front 34

devotional islamic songs sung by Qawal

Back 34

Qawwali

Front 35

popular South Indian gnere, often forms the centerpiece for a concert, uses a verse/refrian form

Back 35

Kriti

Front 36

light classical North Indian genre, texts concren love, often short ending pieces for concerts

Back 36

Thumri

Front 37

majestic North Indian genre, begins with an alap using neutral syllables, progresses to a metered section featuring light ornaments of a precomposed text

Back 37

Dhrupad

Front 38

virtuosic South Indian form, has very little text, is almost entirely free improvisation

Back 38

Ragam-tanam-pallavi

Front 39

most prominent North Indian genre, highly ornamented, light romantic texts, features fast scalar runs and scat sections

Back 39

Khyal

Front 40

fast scat sections that add excitement at the end of certain vocal performances

Back 40

Tarana

Front 41

popular devotional songs that close South Indian concerts

Back 41

Bhajan

Front 42

religious musicians that combine Hindu mysticism and Islam with notions of living simply

Back 42

Bauls

Front 43

caste of Muslim folk musicians

Back 43

Langa