Aabhog
The fourth stanza of a composition that comes after the sthayi, antara and sanchari. Typically, khayals have only the sthayi and antara, whereas Dhrupads have all 4 stanzas.
Aaghaat
Striking of a note or bol on the sum, which is the 1st beat of the Taal.
Aakaar
Singing using the sound "aa" as in \ä\
Aalaap
A methodical way of singing phrases of a raag to elaborate the raag note by note. The alaps reveal the complete shape of the raag in a gradual manner.
Aandolan
Oscillating a note. Ex. Komal Ga in Darbari Kanada
Aaroh
Notes allowed in the ascent of a raag. Learn more in the Raag Bhairav Part One video
Aashray Raag
Same as Janak Raag. Ex. Raag Asawari
Aavartan
A complete cycle of a Taal from the 1st beat to the last
Aavirbhaav
After showing a Tirobhaav, the act of coming back to the original raag. Watch this video demonstration.
Abhyas Bahutva
In a Raag when a note is said to have Abhyas Bahutva it should be used frequently in phrases and it should be rested on. Learn more.
Achal Swar
Achal means immovable. Sa and Pa notes are called achal because they do not have a sharp or flat version like the other notes.
Alanghan Bahutva
In a Raag when a note is said to have Alanghan Bahutva it cannot be skipped in phrases. It may be brief but it can never be skipped. Learn more.
Alankaar
Another term for palta, which is a pattern of notes used in practice drills. Ex. SRG, RGM, GMP
Alpatva
Alpatva means less amount of. Raag rules suggest which notes have less importance compared to others. Such notes are said to have alpatva. Learn more.
Anabhyas Alpatva
In a Raag when a note is said to have Alpatva by Anabhyas that note should be used briefly in phrases and should not be prolonged. Learn more.
Ang
Ang means shape or form. When a raag X is said to have an ang of raag Y, it means that raag X shows shades of raag Y by using certain phrases from Raag Y. Ex. Raag Bhoopali has a Kalyaan ang. Watch the Raag Bhoopali video to learn more.
Ansh Swar
The note in the raag that must be frequently used. This term was found in ancient texts in the context of Jati Gayan. The term is not used anymore.
Antara
Second stanza of a composition.
Anuvaadi
All the notes of a raag other than the vadi & samvadi. These can be emphasized or downplayed depending on the rules of the raag.
Ati-komal
Ati-komal is a komal note that is slightly lower than the regular komal note. This is a peculiarity of Indian classical music. Certain notes have slight variations in their frequency in certain raags. Ex. See Raag Shree and Darbari Kanada.
Audav
These raags have five notes in the ascent and descent
Avroh
Notes allowed in the descent of a raag sung in order. Watch Raag Bhairav Part One video for a demonstration.
B
Bahutva
Bahutva = plenty of. Raag rules suggest which notes should be given more importance compared to others. Such notes are said to have bahutva. Learn more.
Bandish
A composition in classical music.
Bhaav
Emotion
Bhakti
Devotion
Bhajan
A devotional song in the Hindu religion
Bol
Bol means word. Bols may be in the context of bandish bols, tabla bols or tarana bols.
Bol Aalaap
Alaps sung with a meaningful use of the words in the bandish
Bol Taan
A taan sung with the use of the words in a bandish and that involves a play with the rhythm
Bamayna Bandish
Ba-mayna means two-meanings. A bandish in which the syllables of a bandish cleverly match the notation of the bandish. For eg. if the lyrics of a composition are Nisadin Ram naam, the notation of the melody will be N S D N R M N M. It's essentially a pun!
C
Carnatic or Karnatak Sangeet
The Indian classical music system that is popular in south India.
Chanchal
Chanchal means fickle. A chanchal raag is one in which phrases consist of quick-moving notes. To learn more watch Raag Deshkar
Chalan
Chalan means gait. It defines the movement of the notes in a raag. To learn more watch Raag Sohni
Chaturang
A composition with lyrics consisting of Tarana words, poetic words, sargam and pakhvaj/tabla bols.
D
Daadra
A rhythmic cycle of six beats. This term also suggests a form in Hindustani music, commonly performed in lighter raags such as Khamaj, Mand, Pilu, Pahadi, etc'.
Desi or Deshi
Deshi music was the music of ancient times that was sung outside a temple setting and by ordinary people.
Dhaivat
The full name of the sixth musical note in the octave.
Dhamaar
Dhamaar is a very old style of singing called pakki-hori. This is similar to the Dhrupad in terms of the style of singing and raag development, except that the form is almost invariably sung to the Dhamar Tal, a cycle of 14 beats. A Dhrupad singer also masters Dhamar and it is sung right after Dhrupad. In fact, Dhamar is considered part and parcel of Dhrupad. It generally depicts incidents connected to Holi and romantic situations between Krishna and Radha.
Dhun
A semi-classical light song based on folk music.
Dhrupad
One of the oldest forms of Hindustani classical music.
Drut
Fast tempo
G
Gamak
A way of ornamenting notes. There are fifteen types of Gamaks.
Gandhaar
Full name of the third musical note.
Gayki
Style of singing.
Ghazal
A form of poetry in Urdu language; also a form of semi-classical or light genre
H
Hindustani Sangeet
North Indian classical music.
Hori
A form of Hindustani music sung during Holi, the festival of colors. The words describe Krishna and Gopis in their typical sportive encounters. It is usually set to the taal Dhamar or Deepchandi.
J
Janak Raag
A Janak raag is a root or a parent raag, from which other raags are derived. There are ten such distinct parent raags in Hindustani Classical music. A Thaat is named after the Janak raag and uses the swars in the Janak Raag to define the Thaat. The Thaat system is used to classify raags in Hindustani music. Some examples of Janak raags are Khamaj, Bhairav, Alhaiya Bilawal, etc.
Jasrangi
A type of duet between a male and a female vocalist, who use the principle of moorchhana to sing in two different pitches, usually one in Sa and the other in Ma or Pa. The 2 singers sing the same composition words, however the moorchhana causes them to be in two different raags. This form was invented by Pt. Jasraj.
Jhaala
Extremely fast-paced movements on string instruments at the climax of a raag presentation.
Jhoola
Jhoola means swing. Jhoola is a semi-classical form of a song depicting scenes of baby krishna on a swing.
Jod raag
Jod means joined. A jod raag is created by weaving two raags seamlessly. Ex. Basant-Bahaar, Lalit-Bhatiyar.
Jugalbandi
A duet performance of vocal or instrumental music.
K
Kampan
Vibrating a note.
Kan
A microtone. When singing or playing some notes, a slight touch of another note is added to it. Watch a demonstration in the Raag Darbari Kanada video
Khatkaa
A note sung with a jerk.
Khayal
Khayal bases itself on a repertoire of short songs (two to eight lines). A typical khayal performance uses two songs — the bada khayal in slow tempo (vilambit lay), comprises most of the performance, followed by the chhota khayal (small khayal), in fast tempo (drut lay). A khayal composition is called a bandish.
Komal
hen a swar is sung slightly lower than its shuddh or natural version, it is called Komal (flat).
L
Lakshan Geet
A composition set in a Raag with lyrics that explain the salient features of that raag such as its Vadi, Samvadi, Vivadi, etc. It is an easy way to remember the rules of the Raag in the form of a song.
Langhan Alpatva
In a Raag when a note is said to have Alpatva by Langhan that note should be enitrely skipped in a phrase to stay compliant with the raag. Learn more.
Lay
Tempo
M
Madhya Lay
Medium Tempo
Madhya Saptak
Middle Octave
Madhyam
Full name of the fourth musical note Mak
Mandra Saptak
The lower scale notes of Saptak. In notation It is denoted by a dot under the swar.
Meend
Sliding a note to another note.
Mishra Raag
Some raags such as Kafi, Khamaj and Bhairavi are frequently used in semi-classical forms. At such times, it is acceptable to use specific vivaadi(forbidden) notes to make them sound more aesthetic. Such a version of the classical raag where liberties are taken is called a mishra raag.
Moorchhana
When singing a raag, if you assume a different swar to be your Sa and continue to sing the notes of the current raag, you discover a new raag. Getting into a different raag by transposing the Sa is called Moorchhana. Watch the Lalit video for a demonstration.
Mukhda
This means face. The first line of a composition is called mukhda.
Mukhya Ang or Mukhya Swar Samooh
Mukhya means important. Ang means shape or form. Therefore mukhya ang is a set of phrases that define the raag. Swar Samooh means a group of notes, which essentially is a musical phrase. Raag Chhayanat video shows a demonstration of the term.
Murki
Very quick movements of 2-3 notes used to add beauty to plain notes.
N
Naad
Any sound in the universe that is audible to the human ear is known as Naad. Naad has the following three attributes:
Magnitude (chhotapan, badaapan)
Volume or the loudness of the sound.
Timbre (jaati/gun) - The timbre of a sound helps you recognize the source of the sound. Pitch (unchayi, nichayi)-The pitch of the sound is created by the number of vibrations (andolan)/second. The higher the rate, the higher the pitch.
Nishaad
Full name of the seventh musical note- Also Known as, "Ni".
Nyaas
Every raag defines specific notes that can be rested on for longer periods. These are Nyas swars.
P
Pakad
A key phrase of notes that distinguishes the raag. Watch a demonstration in the Raag Bhairav Part One video.
Pancham
Full name of the fifth musical note. Also Known as, "Pa"
Pandit
A scholarly musician.
Parmel Praveshak Raag
A Raag with notes that overlap 2 thaats. Para-mel means different thaat. Praveshak means entering. Raags have a performing time assigned to them as per the samay chakra or time-theory of raags. Parmel praveshak raags have a time that is around the end of one prahar and the beginning of the next. As prahars change, notes of raags and hence the thaat changes and parmel praveshak raags make this transition smoother. For example, Raag Multani and Jaijaiwanti are parmel praveshak raags.
Poorvaang
(Poorvang, Purvang)
The lower tetra-chord of an octave, which comprises notes Sa to Pa.
Prahar
Prahar is a Sanskrit term for a unit of time, or subdivision of the day, approximately three hours long aligning with the daily cycle of sunrise and sunset. As such, a Prahar can fall either during the day or during the night and the four Prahars of the day start at sunrise while the four Prahars of the night at sunset. Since this art form was born in the Indian peninsula, the first Prahar can be said to start around 6 AM, however, some literature considers it to start around 7 AM. Although globally the time of sunrise and sunset varies a lot, an important aspect to note is that raags are structured to align with moods and circadian cycles can play a role in it.
The four prahars of the day roughly correspond to
- First Prahar 6 am - 9 am
- Second Prahar 9 am - 12 pm
- Third Prahar 12 pm - 3 pm
- Fourth Prahar 3 pm - 6 pm
The four prahars of the night roughly correspond to
- First Prahar 6 pm - 9 pm
- Second Prahar 9 pm - 12 am
- Third Prahar 12 am - 3 am
- Fourth Prahar 3 am - 6 am
This uniform division of time worked in India because locations near the equator have almost equal day and night throughout the year. Every raag has a prescribed prahar to perform, because it's known to create a heightened experience at that time. Watch Raag Puriya Dhanashri to learn more.
Prakaar
Prakaar means type. A raag is a prakaar of another raag when it is derived from a parent raag using one or more of the following strategies:
- Blending in phrases from a different raag but still staying true to the parent family.
- By changing a few swars in the aaroh and/or avroh.
- By changing the vaadi, samvaadi or nyaas swars.
- Changing the tempo and hence the mood.
Examples are Bhairav ke prakaar (types of Bhairav), Malhar ke prakaar, kalyan ke prakaar, kanade ke prakaar. Note that a raag prakaar is different than a Jod raag.
Q
Qawwaali
A form of a muslim devotional song.
R
Raag
See the article What is a Raag. Watch demonstrations in Bhairav Part One and Part Two videos.
Raagmaala
A composition with every line set to a different raag one after the other, like a woven garland (mala) of raags.
Rishabh
Full name of the second musical note Also known as Re.
Riyaz
Practice.
S
Samay
Time: Raags should be performed at a particular time of the day.
Sampoorna Raag
Raags that consist of all the seven notes namely:
"Sa", "Re", "Ga", "Ma", "Pa", "Da", "Ni", "Sa".
Samvaadi
The second most important note of a raag.
Sanchaari
The third stanza of a composition that involve all the regions of the octave.
Typically, khayals have only the sthayi and antara,
Dhrupads have all 4 stanzas. It is one of the four ways of movement of notes (Varna), where notes are sung in a mixed order to make phrases.
Sangeet
Sangeet means music. However, in the Indian arts, vocal, instrumental, and dance art forms are all included in Sangeet because songs bind all these art forms together.
Saptak
An octave. The seven successive notes from Sa to Ni.
Sargam Geet
A composition in a raag with swars and no lyrics.
Shadav Raga
Raags with six notes.
Shadj
Full name of the first musical note, Sa.
Shishya
A student.
Shringar Ras
Shringar Ras is one of the nine emotional states or moods (called Navarasas) in Hindustani classical music. It is the mood that expresses romance, feelings of love, passion, and sensuality. Shringar is not always related to the relationship between a man and a woman. It can also be an expression of the divine love between a devotee and God.
Shruti
Broadly speaking, in an octave, there are 22 different frequencies that are distinctly audible to the human ear. Each of these frequencies is called “Shruti.” In simple words Shruti is the smallest unit of a musical note or musical pitch that the human ear can detect. However, pundits debate on the exact frequency values of these Shrutis, and different melodies often use different frequencies. The twenty-two Shrutis are named as: Tivra, Kumudwati, Manda, Chandobati, Dayabati, Ranjani, Raktika, Raudri, Krodhi, Bajrika, Prasarini, Priti, Manjari, Kshiti, Rakta, Sandi-pini, Alapini, Madanti, Rohini, Ramya, Ugra and Kshovini.
Shuddh Swar
The natural notes of an octave.
Sthaayi
Most khayal compositions have two stanzas: Sthayi and Antaraa. The sthayi often uses notes from the lower octave and the lower half of the middle octave, while the antara ascends to the tonic of the upper octave and beyond before descending and linking back to the sthayi.
This term is also used in a different context. It is one of the four ways of movement of notes (Varna), where notes are repeated.
Sur
Hindi synonym for a musical note or Swar.
Swar
A sung or a played musical note, which by itself, creates a charming sensation on the ear is called “Swar”. In other words, a Shruti that is sung or played becomes a “Swar”. Swars are named as - Shadaj, Rishabh, Gandhar, Madhyam, Pancham, Dhaivat and Nishad and are respectively abbreviated as Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni. Moreover, there are variations of some of these swars. Re, Ga, Dha, Ni have a variation of a slightly lower frequency and are called “Komal” Swars and Ma has a variation of a slightly higher frequency and is called “Teevra" Swar. Sa and Pa don’t have any variations are deemed “Achal”. Together with their variations, there are 12 swars in an octave - Sa, Pa, 2 Re, 2 Ga, 2 Ma, 2 Dha and 2 Ni.
T
Taal
A rhythm cycle that has a fixed number of beats and bols. Ex. Teen taal.
Taar Saptak
Octave higher than the middle octave.
Tappa
A semi-classical form fast and fickle movements of notes.
Tarana
A composition consisting of just syllables instead of words. The words commonly used are : Na, Ta, Re,
Dani, O-dani, Taa-nom, Ya-la-lee, Ya-loom, Ta-daare-dani etc.
Teevra
A swar that is sung slightly higher than its natural version is called Teevra (sharp). In Hindustani music, only the Ma note is Teevra.
Thaat
Raag classification system by notes. There are 10 thaats - Bilawal, Kalyan, Kafi, Khamaj, Bhairav, Poorvi, Marwa, Asavari, Bhairavi, and Todi.
Theka
Theka is the plain way of playing the Taal on a tabla without making any variations.
Thumri
A semi-classical composition usually expressing the shringar ras (romance in union or separation).
Tihaai
A phrase of notes or tabla bols which is repeated three times and ends on the sum.
Tirobhaav
Hearing a hint of another similar raag. Watch this video demonstration.
Trivat or Tirvat
A composition consisting of any three of the following: Pakhavaj/Tabla Bols, Sargam, poetic words and Tarana bols.
U
Ustad
An expert musician.
Uttaraang
The upper tetra-chord of an octave, which comprises the notes M to S'.
V
Vadi
The most important note in a Raag. It should be used frequently and should be dwelt on.
Vakra
A crooked or zigzag pattern of notes in phrases. Ex. Darbari Kanada has a vakra movement of notes in the avroh.
Vakra-Sampoorna
Some raags contain all 7 notes, but their ascent and descent patterns are not linear which makes it difficult to label them as one of the above jatis. Such raags are said to be of Vakra-Sampoorna Jati. Ex. Kedar, Hameer, Kamod
Varjit or Varjya
The note that is forbidden in the raag. Any use of this swar would destroy the beauty of the raag.
Varn
The four ways of moving notes, namely 'Sthayi' (resting on or repeating a note). Aarohi (singing notes in ascending order), Avrohi (designing notes in descending order) and Sanchari (singing notes in any order).
Vikrut Swar
All notes that have a komal (flat) or teevra (sharp) version.
Vilambit
Slow tempo.
Vivadi
The Vivadi note is the one that is not present in the Aroh-Avroh, but certain raags permit the use of certain notes to add to the beauty of the raag. Vivadi notes are more freely used in semi-classical music. Ex. The use of shuddh Ga and shuddh Ni are allowed in Kafi even though these notes are not present in its Aaroh-avroh. See the Kafi video (at 3:28) for a demonstration. A raag doesn't give complete freedom to use any note in any manner as a vivadi swar. It prescribes specific notes used in a specific manner.