Music Vocabulary

a genre of music performed by hereditary specialists - originally in Sufi ritual contexts

a complete cycle of a tala

a plucked, fretless string instrument played by Baul musicians

a barrel-drum used in the dhrupad genre of Hindustani music; it pre-dates the tabla

dominant language family of South India

a hereditary group of music professionals of Western Rajasthan

a bowed instrument of North India

Urdu for "gathering"; a session or assembly for listening to music or poetry

a prominent Carnatic tala with eight beats in the cycle

a bowed instrument associated with Langa musicians of Western Rajasthan

a dance and music genre that originated in rural Punjab; later diaspora S.Asian youth culture

dominant language family of northern regions of South Asia, branch of Indo-European language

item of tabla repertoire, meaning "foundation"; pattern with fixed set of strokes

Keyboards, cellos, and harps are examples of

a genre of Hindustani music of the "semi-classical" type - based on love poetry

in Hindustani music, the composed section of an instrumental performance

in Carnatic music, 72 "parent" ragas; comprised of 7 notes; permutations of 12 svaras

most common drum, a small barrel drum held horizontally, played with both hands, north India

"consisting of seven"; an octave

in Carnatic music, a long improvised genre in a raga performance

a single-stringed instrument associated with bhangra music

an honorific term or title from the Sanskrit language, denoting scholar or master

a term for Hindu devotional songs or chants - meaning "praising"

A genre of Hindustani classical music traceable to the sixteenth century

in Hindustani music, the term for singing while using svara names

this is an example of Dravidian language

hour-glass-shaped "pressure drum" played by specialists in Kerala, largely in temple contexts

pitch; musical tone in Indian classical music

the oldest scriptures of Hinduism; four canonical texts, composed in Sanskrit in Vedic era

ornaments, such as slides/turns, used in a raga - particularly in Hindustani music

sect centered in Bengal, draws from bhakti & Sufi thought, practice ecstatic song and dance

Dholaks, Djuns, and bongos are examples of

a bowed instrument associated with Manganiar musicians of Western Rajasthan

the Hindi-language film industry, largely based in Mumbai

devotion to a deity who is "without characteristics", beyond description

Islamic mysticism; the Chishti order is known for using sama' listening to music

from Urdu, a couplet; a sequence of these make up a ghazal

in Carnatic music, the term for groupings of beats in a tala cycle, marked by hand actions

a major genre of the Carnatic concert repertoire, many composed by the "Trinity" composers

pitch intervals smaller than half-steps

the predominant vocal genre of Hindustani music today

Sanskrit epic of ancient India, main story of a great war, told in theater/dance/song

two-piece hand drum, predominant drum of North Indian classical music

the term for a beat in the tala system

in Hindustani music, "face" - the phrase that begins the composition; serves as anchor also

a concert instrument of Carnatic music; fretless plucked instrument played like a slide guitar

a hereditary group of music professionals of Western Rajasthan

plucked string instrument, a wide neck without frets, prominent Hindustani concert instrument

the classical music system of South India

the pitch from which a scale is build; in Indian classical music, Sa

the string drone instrument of classical Indian music

the preeminent drum of Carnatic concert music

a genre of Hindustani music of the "semi-classical" type - based on love poetry

rhythmic cycles and the system of rhythmic cycles in Indian classical music

"spicy", refers to films in which various types of plots are mixed for mass appeal

a single-stringed drone instrument of rural music

a method to teach pitch, "do re mi fa sol la ti" are spoken as pitches are sung

a fourteen-beat tala cycle of Hindustani music, used in the dhrupad genre

in Hindustani music, the first beat of the tala cycle and central focal point of melodic lines

melody in which a number of pitches are sounded over a single syllable or instrumental stroke

this is an example of Indo-Aryan language

in Indian music theory, microtonal divisions of scale; subtle nuance of a pitch

the Tamil-language film industry, named after a neighborhood in Chennai

music performed in a Sufi ritual context

in Hindustani music, the first section of an instrumental and dhrupad performance, non-composed

the most common drum type in South Asia - includes dholak, dhol, and mridangam

a small hand-pumped organ used throughout South Asia and the diaspora

in Hindustani music, fixed sequence of drum strokes express a tala cycle; spoken as syllables

Tubas, clarinets, and saxophones are all examples of

a large barrel-drum usually played with sticks, especially associated with Punjab

religion founded in Punjab in the 15th century

Bells, clappers, and cymbals are all examples of

in Hindustani music, "household" - the stylistic lineage in which one has learned

"music technical works"; field of Indian music theory, preserved in Sanskrit text

a performance venue and promotional organization for Indian rock & alternative music in Mumbai

a 14th century Sanskrit music theory text, the premier text of the medieval period

the classical music system of India

a drum of Kerala, played in groups in temple and processional contexts

plucked string instrument, long fretted neck, prominent concert instrument of Hindustani music

an important genre of Urdu poetry it is metered, rhyming composed in a series of coupletes

a rhythm played on the dhol and performed in the Sufi ritual contexts

rod-shaped metal clappers common in rural music in South Asia

the melodies and the melodic system of Indian classical music

a Sanskrit text on theater, dance, and music, dating from as early as the 1st century BCE

a Hindu devotional song

in Hindustani music, fast running improvisations, especially in khyal and instrumental music

the three sections of a kriti composition; in Carnatic music

teacher and disciple, from the Sanskrit language

in Carnatic music, a small frame drum, like a tambourine, held in left hand, played with right

a tone sounding continually as a background to a performance