Classical Indian Music Flashcards
Sitar
- made of?
- construction feature
- sound quality
- made of teak wood
- hole on back is like sound box
- you can bend strings and use frets to get different pitches
- sympathetic vibration
Sympathetic Vibration
a phenomenon that occurs when an object vibrates due to the vibrations of another object that is close by and has the same frequency or a harmonic multiple of that frequency
Sitar Strokes
Da - struck towards you
Ra -struck away from you
Diri - both together
Sitar Strings
- 18 -21 strings
six main strings for playing - four are for melody
- two are for drone/ rhythm
Sarod
- total strings
- melody strings
- drone strings
- sympathetic strings
- characteristic
Strings: Typically 17-25 strings
Melody Strings: 4-5 strings used for playing the melody
Drone Strings: 1-2 strings
Sympathetic Strings: 9-11 strings
Characteristics: Fretless design
Veena/Vina
Type: Stick zither instrument (chordophone)
Variations: Several regional variations exist
Stick Zither
has a stick in place of a resonating body and always needs an additional resonator, generally a gourd
Tanpura (number of strings and function)
- has four strings and is played as a drone
Pakhavaj (structure and sound)
- Two headed, barrel shaped drum
- produces bass and treble sounds
Ghatam
an ancient clay pot instrument with a narrow opening
Dayan
- the smaller tabla drum in charge of melody and high pitches (right hand drum)
- tuned
Baya/Daggah
The large drum played by the left hand for bass sounds
- not tuned
What materials can tabla drums be made from?
Metal
Wood
Clay
Goat Skin
Zakir Hussein
A renowned tabla virtuoso, known for his mastery of the instrument and contributions to both traditional and contemporary music.
Left Hand Tabla (Baya) Sounds
Gi: Open sound produced with a specific striking technique.
Ki: Closed sound, created by a different striking method.
Right Hand Sounds (Dayan)
Na: Played on the side, touching the area between the black part and the skin of the drum.
Dab: Another stroke used to create rhythm.
Dead sounds
Sounds that do not resonate; these are often considered undesirable.
What materials are used for the tuning process of the tabla? What is the technique used?
The use of goat heads (tahina), tuning straps, and wood pegs facilitates the tuning process, which can be time-consuming as the player must strike the skin to adjust the pitch.
Caida
Refers to the theme in a performance.
Lahra
The name of the melody; tabla often enters on beat 6.
Sagram
sulfage names of notes in Indian music (sa, re, ga, ma, pha, aha, ni)
Swarwa
seven notes are used, called the swara
Similarities with Western Music
- Like Western music, the first and fifth are particularly important (sa and pa)
- Like Western music, the the full saptak contains 12 distinct pitches. Each of pitches contain one or two variants, similar to flats/sharps.
Saptek
contains 12 distinct pitches (adjacent to octave)
Bilawal Scale
Bilawal scale is equivalent to Major Scale
Raga
scale with much more going on and various details
- Notes are embellished with glissando
Glissando
a continuous slide upward or downward between two notes.
Aaroh
ascending form in raga
Vadi
The primary, tonic pitch in a raga.
Samvadi
Often the fourth (Ma) or fifth (Pa) note, serving as a secondary emphasis.
Deergha
Notes that are elongated in the raga.
Alpa
Weaker notes within the raga.
Nyasa
The ending note of a phrase, usually the 1st, 3rd, 4th, or 5th note. Less common ending notes are 2, 6, and 7, though this varies by raga.
Taal
refers to rhythm and rhythmic patterns.
ex: Teentaal, Ektaal, and Jhaptaal.
Tala
similar to meter in western music
Bol Banao
This technique involves improvising melodic variations on the composition’s established melodic lines.
Sam
typically the strongest beat of a rhythmic cycle, and is typically matched with the strongest syllable in the melodic line
Gharana
individual schools that play their own ragas.
Allaudin Khan
He taught Ravi Shankar.
Modified the sarod, an Afghan instrument, for his son.
Alla Rakha
tabla master who played with Ravi Shankar
form of tabla playing
Alap
Jod/Jor
Jhala
Gat
Jhala
Alap
slow improvisation - sitar and drone with lots of microtones
Jod/ Jhor
rhythmic pulse starts to happen, drone strings are played more often, tempo gradually increases.
Jhala
much more rhythmic phrases, faster playing, and use of higher strings.
Gat
when tabla joins, states taal (EX: play 16 beats if playing teentaal).
