Glossary

The words you will hear from teachers of Hindustani music, and see on this site, in plain English.

Alap

The slow, unmetred opening of a raga performance, where its notes are introduced one at a time, with no rhythm cycle.

Andolan

Andolan: a slow, gentle sway on the note under the wavy line, leaning towards a neighbouring note and back without quite reaching it. How it is written

Aroha / Avaroha

A raga's ascent and descent: the notes it takes going up and coming down, which are often not the same.

Bansuri

The bamboo transverse flute of North India, with six or seven finger holes, named by the note it gives as Sa.

Guru / Shishya

Teacher and student. In the guru-shishya tradition the student learns by listening to the teacher and copying, phrase by phrase, which is how this site works.

Kan swar

Kan swar: the small note is touched very lightly just before the main note. The main note carries the beat. How it is written

Khatka

Khatka: a quick turn round the note in brackets: the note above, the note, the note below, then the note again. (Sa) is Re Sa Ni Sa. How it is written

Komal

A line under a note: komal, the flat form of Re, Ga, Dha or Ni. How it is written

Meend

Meend: “~” before a note means slide into it from the note before, smoothly, without a break. How it is written

Murki

Murki: a quick, light flourish of the small notes, played just before the main note. How it is written

Pakad

A short phrase that captures a raga, by which a listener recognises it.

Raga

A melodic framework: a set of notes with its own ascent and descent, important notes, characteristic phrases, mood and time of day. Much more than a scale.

Riyaz

Daily, dedicated practice. Musicians speak of doing their riyaz the way athletes speak of training.

Sadhana

Devoted, disciplined practice over a long time, pursued as a path in itself.

Saptak

An octave of seven notes: mandra (lower), madhya (middle) and taar (upper). How it is written

Sargam

The names of the seven notes, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni, used to sing and write music, like do re mi with a movable do.

Shuddha

Natural: a note in its basic form, neither komal nor tivra.

Swara

A note. The seven swaras are Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni.

Tanpura

The long-necked drone instrument that sounds Sa and Pa (or Ma) continuously behind a performance, so every note is heard against Sa.

Thaat

One of ten parent scales into which Bhatkhande sorted the ragas of North India. Yaman belongs to Kalyan thaat.

Tivra

A tick over Ma: tivra Ma, a semitone above shuddha Ma, as in Raga Yaman. How it is written

Vadi / Samvadi

A raga's most important note, which it dwells on (vadi), and the second most important, usually a fourth or fifth away (samvadi).