Chapter 8: Indian Classical Music

Barhat

"Growth," specifically in a raga.

Jhaptal

A 10-beat Hindustani tala

Tintal

A 16-beat Hindustani tala

Dhol

A barrel-shaped drum on which powerful rhythms are played in traditional punjabi bhangra tunes.

Mrdangam

A double-headed drum often used as the rhythmic accompaniment in the Karnatak tradition.

Guru

A mentor

Sufism

A mystical form of Islam which believes that music serves as a pathway to communication with the divine.

Tambura

A plucked chordophone often used as the principal drone-providing instrument in both the Karnatak and the Hindustani traditions.

Vina

A plucked chordophone often used as the solo melodic instrument in the Karnatak tradition.

Sitar

A plucked chorodphone often used as the solo melodic instrument in the Hindustani tradition. Also the primary instrument of Ravi Shankar.

A. R. Rahman

A renowned Indian composer and music director for Bollywood films, as well as Western films like Slumdog Millionaire. Composed "Barso Re" for the movie Guru.

Raga

A self-contained and complete melodic system that serves as the basis for all the melodic materials in any composition or performance created in that system.

Alap

A slow and abstract movement that begins a Hindustani raga performance.

Playback singer

A vocalist who sings the songs that are included in Bollywood films, but who does not appear on screen.

Khali

A wave gesture used when keeping tal. Literally translates as "empty."

Vedic chant

According to some (including Ravi Shankar), these Hindu rituals are the source of Indian classical music, though there is no musicological evidence to support the claim.

Tihai

An ending rhythmic cadence in which the same pattern is played three times in succession, generating complex rhythmic relationships with the underlying tala cycle in the process.

Jor

An intermediary section that serves as a musical bridge between the alap and the gat.

Vedas

Ancient, seminal Hindu scriptures written in the Sanskrit language.

John McLaughlin

British jazz guitarist who studied Indian music, including with Ravi Shankar, and formed syncretic bands like Mahavishnu Orchestra and Shakti.

George Harrison

British musician who learned how to play the sitar from Ravi Shankar, and is responsible for songs like "Norwegian Wood," and "Within You, Without You."

Yehudi Menuhin

Classical violinist who undertook serious Indian classical music studies in the 1950s and introduced the Western world to Ravi Shankar.

Jhala

Concluding section in the form of a standard Hindustani raga performance, characterized by fast tempos, tempo accelerations, and great rhythmic intensity.

Bombay Dub Orchestra

Created by Garry Hughes and Andrew T. Mackay, this group comprised several of India's top musicians. Creators of the song "Monsoon Malabar."

Sindhi-Bhairavi

Generally classified as light classical or semi-classical, this raga is usually played in the morning, and is associated with calmness and femininity.

Bhajan

Hindu devotional songs and hymns from which Indian classical music is likely to have originated.

Gharana

Indian "musical families" that have preserved, cultivated, and developed the different "schools" of traditional raga performance in India and beyond.

John Coltrane

Jazz saxophonist who took a few lessons from Ravi Shankar, though mostly taught himself Indian classical music. Composer of "India."

Tabla

Not to be confused with the Egyptian instrument of the same name, this pair of drums serves as the rhythmic accompaniment in the Hindustani tradition.

Bhangra

Originally a punjabi folk style, this type of music is now commonly found in Bollywood films.

Qawwali

Originating in Punjab, this type of music involves powerful and emotional singing along with compelling rhythms from drums and handclaps.

Keeping tal

Provides a visual system for differentiating the relative strengths and functions of beats within a tala's metric cycle.

Alla Rakhar

Ravi Shankar's Muslim tabla player.

Nada Brahma

The "Sound of God," which singers of Indian classical music attempt to replicate.

Sympathetic resonance strings

The 13 thin strings that run underneath the others in a sitar.

Theka

The basic, "skeletal" drumming pattern that defines the tala

Hindustani

The classical music tradition of north India. It has more Islamic influence and is more Internationally known.

Karnatak

The classical music tradition of south India. It has less Islamic influence and emphasizes singers rather than musicians.

Sam

The first best of each tala cycle, which simultaneously functions as the last beat of the preceding cycle.

Maihar

The gharana in which Ravi Shankar was taught.

Bayan

The larger, lower-pitched drum of the tabla.

Gat

The main part of a Hindustani raga performance. It is signified by the entry of a skeletal drum pattern, which soon becomes a full-on rhythmic accompaniment part.

Hinduism

The majority faith in India.

Tala

The rhythmic framework of a raga performance, and especially the metric cycle in which the music is grounded.

Dahina

The smaller, higher-pitched drum of the tabla (also sometimes called tabla).

Vadi

The tonic pitch of a raga

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

This man internationally popularized qawwali music.

Baqawathar

the Sanskrit word for musician, which literally translates to "he who sings the praises of God."