The Music Dictionary
World Music and Hindustani Terms
Terms from Hindustani, Carnatic and other musical traditions, each in its own terms. Hindustani words follow the Bhatkhande convention.
Hindustani music
- Adi tala
- The most common tala in Carnatic music: a cycle of eight aksharas, a laghu of four followed by two drutams of two. Hindustani Tintal, by contrast, has sixteen matras.
- Alap
- The slow, unmetered opening of a Hindustani raga performance, where the raga is unfolded note by note without a beat.
- Andolan
- A slow, gentle swing of a swara in Hindustani music, as on komal Re and komal Dha in raga Bhairav.
- Avartan
- A complete cycle of a tala, from sam round to the next sam.
- Bansuri
- A side-blown bamboo flute widely used in South Asian musical traditions.
- Bhairav
- A morning raga of Bhairav thaat. It uses komal Re and komal Dha with the other swaras shuddha. Its vadi is Dha and its samvadi is Re.
- Gamak
- In Hindustani music, a strong, rapid shake between swaras, heavier than andolan. It is a hallmark of dhrupad.
- Gharana
- A lineage of Hindustani music, passed from teacher to student, with its own way of singing or playing.
- Jor
- The second stage of a Hindustani raga exposition, after alap, where a steady pulse appears without drum accompaniment.
- Kan
- A grace note in Hindustani music: a light, quick touch of another swara on the way into the main one.
- Komal
- Flat, in Hindustani music: the lowered form of Re, Ga, Dha or Ni, a half step below the shuddha form. Bhatkhande notation marks it with a line below the swara.
- Matra
- A single count of a tala cycle in Hindustani music. Tintal has sixteen matras and Dadra six.
- Meend
- A smooth glide from one swara to another in Hindustani music, sounding every pitch on the way. On the sitar it is made by pulling the string sideways.
- Raga
- In Indian classical music, a melodic framework defined by its notes, characteristic phrases, emphasized tones, and mood.
- Rasa
- In Indian aesthetics, the emotional flavor that a performance or artwork evokes in the listener.
- Riyaz
- Daily, disciplined practice in Hindustani music, such as long notes against the tanpura, alankars and raga phrases.
- Sa
- Shadja, the tonic of Hindustani music. Every swara is heard and named from Sa, and each singer chooses its pitch to suit the voice.
- Sam
- The first matra of a tala cycle, where each avartan begins and where the music comes back to land.
- Shruti
- Any of the twenty-two small intervals into which Indian theory divides the octave. In everyday use it also means the drone, or the pitch chosen for Sa.
- Sitar
- A South Asian plucked string instrument with sympathetic strings and a distinctive resonant sound.
- Swara
- A note of Indian music. The seven shuddha swaras are Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni.
- Tala
- A cyclic rhythmic framework in South Asian classical music, with distinctive accents and subdivisions.
- Tali
- A clap that marks a vibhag of a tala. It is written X at sam and with numbers, such as 2 and 3, after it.
- Tanpura
- A plucked drone instrument supporting pitch reference and resonance in Indian classical music.
- Thaat
- A North Indian system classifying ragas through representative parent scales.
- Theka
- The basic pattern of tabla bols that identifies a tala, played through every cycle.
- Tivra
- Sharp, in Hindustani music: the raised form of Ma, a half step above shuddha Ma. Yaman uses tivra Ma. Bhatkhande notation marks it with a short vertical line above.
- Vibhag
- A section of a tala cycle. A clap or a wave of the hand marks its first matra.
- Yaman
- An evening raga of Kalyan thaat. It uses tivra Ma with the other swaras shuddha. Its vadi is Ga and its samvadi is Ni.
Carnatic music
- Gamaka
- In Carnatic music, the ornamenting of a swara by oscillation, glide or deflection. Gamakas are central to how each ragam sounds.
- Kriti
- A major composed song form in Carnatic classical music.
- Melakarta
- A systematic classification of parent scales in Carnatic music theory.
- Mridangam
- A double-headed barrel drum, the main percussion instrument of Carnatic music. It is played with the hands on both heads and tuned to the performer's Sa.
- Ragam
- The Carnatic word for raga: a melodic framework with its own swaras, phrases and gamakas.
- Talam
- The Carnatic word for tala, the repeating cycle of beats. Its beats are counted in aksharas and shown with claps, finger counts and waves.
Other traditions
- Afrobeat
- A Nigerian-origin popular style combining West African grooves with jazz, funk, and political expression.
- Andalusian music
- The classical music of North Africa traced to medieval Muslim Spain (al-Andalus), performed as suites called nuba.
- Angklung
- An Indonesian shaken bamboo instrument tuned to particular pitches.
- Bhangra
- A Punjabi dance and music tradition with influential modern popular forms.
- Bordun
- A sustained drone tone, especially in European folk-music contexts.
- Carnatic music
- A major South Indian classical tradition emphasizing raga, tala, composition, and improvisation.
- Cengkok
- Characteristic melodic elaboration patterns in Javanese gamelan performance.
- Daf
- A frame drum used in musical traditions across parts of West and Central Asia.
- Dhrupad
- A North Indian classical vocal tradition noted for measured elaboration and serious presentation.
- Djembe
- A goblet-shaped West African hand drum with varied strokes and ensemble roles.
- Duduk
- An Armenian double-reed woodwind recognized for its warm, breathy tone.
- Gagaku
- Japanese court music and dance with a long history of ceremonial performance.
- Gamelan
- An Indonesian ensemble of tuned gongs, metallophones, and drums whose layered parts are framed by recurring gong cycles.
- Ghazal
- A poetic form frequently set to music across Persianate and South Asian traditions.
- Griot
- A hereditary or professional oral historian and musician in several West African societies.
- Hindustani music
- A major North Indian classical tradition organized around raga and tala.
- Hocketing
- Interlocking melody built by several players each sounding only some notes, as in Andean panpipe, Central African, and Balinese music.
- Khali
- The “empty” vibhag of a tala, marked with a wave of the hand and written 0. The cycle keeps going through it.
- Kora
- A West African bridge-harp played in complex melodic and accompaniment patterns.
- Koto
- A Japanese plucked zither with movable bridges and varied tuning systems.
- Kpanlogo
- A Ghanaian drum-and-dance tradition associated with Ga communities.
- Kulintang
- A gong-chime ensemble tradition associated with several Southeast Asian communities.
- Maqam
- A melodic modal framework in numerous West Asian and North African traditions.
- Mbira
- A family of African lamellophones with tuned metal keys plucked by the thumbs and sometimes the index finger.
- Morna
- A Cape Verdean song tradition associated with lyricism and expressive vocal delivery.
- Noh
- A Japanese theatrical tradition combining chant, instruments, dance, and highly stylized drama.
- Oud
- A short-necked fretless lute central to many Middle Eastern musical traditions.
- Qawwali
- A South Asian Sufi devotional performance tradition combining poetry, singing, and rhythmic drive.
- Samba
- A family of Brazilian musical and dance practices with diverse rhythmic forms.
- Santoor
- A hammered dulcimer used in several Asian musical traditions, including Kashmiri music.
- Shakuhachi
- A Japanese end-blown bamboo flute with expressive pitch and breath techniques.
- Taqsim
- An improvised instrumental exploration of a maqam in several Middle Eastern traditions.
- Tar
- A long-necked lute found in several Iranian and Caucasian musical traditions.
- Timbila
- A xylophone ensemble tradition associated especially with Chopi communities in Mozambique.
- Tinikling
- A Philippine dance tradition performed with rhythmic movements between bamboo poles.
- Tuvan throat singing
- Singing from Tuva in southern Siberia in which one singer sounds a drone and a whistling overtone melody at the same time.
- Udu
- A Nigerian-origin clay vessel percussion instrument producing resonant air and body sounds.
- Zurna
- A powerful double-reed wind instrument used in parts of Eurasia and North Africa.
- Zydeco
- A Louisiana Creole music tradition blending dance rhythms with accordion and other instruments.
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