aalaap/alap slow melodic phrase, first movement in a raga presentation

aamad arriving gracefully at sam

aaroha/aroha ascent

aas creating an illusion of one swar at the end of another

addha a variant of teentaal

alankar melodic shape, lit. ornament

alankarik taan with a regular pattern to it

andolan an alankar involving slow up-and-down movement of pitch around one swar (cf. kampan)

antaraa secondary part of bandish, stanza

avaroha decsent

avartan cycle of taal

badhat step-by-step unfolding of a raga

bandish precomposed khyal song, tukda etc.

bhari the part of a taal in which the baayan (left drum) is not silent, opposite of khaali(2)

bol a sound played on tabla, sitar etc., a spoken syllable representing such sound, or word of a bandish

bol a sound played on tabla, sitar etc. or a spoken syllable representing such sound

bol-alap alap using words of the bandish

bol-taan taan using words of the bandish

chalan of a raga, way of movement of the melody

chaturang a khyal bandish in which words, sargam, tabla bols and sitar bols make up the lyrics

chaugun quadruple laya

dhaivat the swara dha

dhrupad an older style of singing a raga, a bandish in dhrupad style

drut fast, much faster than the tempo of human heartbeat

dugun double laya

durbal swar a swar used sparingly (in a given raga) lit. weak

ektaal a taal of 12 beats divided 2-2-2-2-2-2

gamak an alankar involving up-and-down movement of pitch from one swar to another

gandhar the swara ga

jati category of ragas based on number of notes used odav (5), shadav (6) or sampoorna (7)

kampan an alankar involving quick up-and-down movement of pitch around one swar (cf. andolan)

kan a very short note at the beginning of another, an alankar (lit. particle)

khaali 1. a waive signaling start of an unstressed khanda of a taal, 2. the part of a taal in which the baayan (left drum) is silent

khanda a division of a taal, bar (aka vibhaag)

khatka a quick, jerky phrase of a few swaras used as a highlight (cf. murki)

khyaal/khyal the contemporary style of singing a raga, a bandish in khyal style

komal flat

laya explicit or implicit pulse or tempo

maatraa basic unit of taal, beat

madhya 1. (in) the middle octave, 2. laya similar to that of human heartbeat, medium tempo

madhyam the swara ma

mandra (in) the lower octave, one octave lower

meend a smooth glide from one swar to another

mukhda the part of a bandish leading to sam (lit. face)

murki a quick phrase of 2-3 swaras used as decoration (cf. khatka)

naad/naada sound with a ring

nishad the swara ni

nomtom alap using syllables like ri, da, na, tom with a discernable pulse

odav pentatonic jati

pakad identifying phrase of a raga (lit. handle)

pancham the swara pa

poorvanga/purvanga the range of swaras sa-re-ga-ma-pa

poorvanga/purvanga-pradhan a raga which blossoms as high as madhya pa

rishabh the swara re

sam the first and most important maatraa of a taal

sampoorna heptatonic jati

samva(a)di the second most important swara in a raga (lit. responder)

sankeerna mixed jati, e.g. odav-sampoorna (pentatonic ascent, heptatonic descent)

saptak octave

sargam singing swara names, solfage

sargam-geet a khyal bandish with swara names for lyrics

sawaal-jawaab call and response

shadav hexatonic jati

shadja the swara sa

shadja bharnaa singing of taar sa as resolution

sthaayi primary part of bandish, refrain

swar/swara pitch class, note relative to tonic. The swaras are sa (do), re (re),ga (mi), ma (fa), pa (so), dha (la) and ni (ti).

taal a rhythm cycle of several bars

taali a clap signaling start of a stressed khanda of a taal, opposite of khaali(1)

taan fast succession of swaras

taar in the higher octave, one octave higher

tanpura drone instrument, traditionally with a hollowed-out gourd resonator and four strings tuned to pa, sa, sa and mandra sa

tarana a khyal bandish with tabla, sitar etc. bols for lyrics

teentaal a taal of 16 beats divided 4-4-4-4

teevra/tivra sharp

theka the sequence of bols normally played on tabla to mark the taal

tigun triple laya

tihai a pattern, of tabla bols or sung phrases, with three identical sections

trivat a khyal bandish in which sargam, tabla bols and sitar bols make up the lyrics (cf. chaturang)

tukda a short bandish for tabla, a complete sequence of bols

uttaranga the range of swaras ma-pa-dha-ni-sa

uttaranga-pradhan a raga which blossoms from madhya ma upward

vaadi/vadi the most important swara in a raga (lit. speaker)

vakra bent or crooked, a chalan involving frequent switching between aroha and avaroha

varjit omitted

vibhaag a division of a taal, bar (aka khanda)

vilambit slow, much slower than the tempo of human heartbeat