Indian Music Flashcards
How long has classical music of north India been around for
2000 years
What is classical music of north India accosciated with
Hindu religions, special spiritual significance
What is Indian music based on
A combination of raga( melodic form) , tala( rythmic form) , and drone (sustained note)
How many people usually perform Indian music
3 people. The solo singer/instrumentalist, the drummer and the drone player
What do instruments sound like and what type of areas are these instruments played
Soft sounding and usually played in small Areas
What are the most important aspects of Indian music
Melodic and rhythmic improvisations
What is melodic improvisation
Based on scales, called ragas
What is rhythmic improvisation
Based upon Cycles of beats called talas
What is a raga
Series of notes (5-8) combined to create particular mood
What kind of pattern is raga music and what is it associated with
Particular ascending and descending pattern associated with different times of the day, season mood or special occasion
What are the notes of a raga scale and are all the notes always used
No. SA RI GA MA PA DHA NI
Instead of raga being played on the sitar what is the other alternative
Melody part can be sung
Where are ragas traditionally played and where do these performances take place
Traditionally played at Hindu religious events. Performances take place in temples or festivals that occur all day and night
What are ragas based on and how are they performed
Performances improvised, based on traditional tunes and rythyms
What do students do to learn raga
Join a school of players called gharana
What does a gharana have
Each gharana has its own teacher or master and each gharana has its own traditions and own methods about how to play
Is raga notated , why not
No, Students learn by listening to their teacher and then imitating what is played and memorizing it
What is the order of notes in a raga
C , Db, e, f#, a , then downwards
What is a tala
Rhythmic pattern usually played by the tabla (small drums )
What do tabla players do
Play a rythem called a Tala with a set number of beats ( mantras)
What is the first beat of the tala and what is its name
Most important. Called Sam
What is each tala split into and what are these called
Into groups called vibhangs (like a bar)
What is a vibhang
Like a bar in western music and can have different numbers of beats in each vibhang
What is a drone
Continual or repeated note held throughout a passage of music
It is usually the sound heard first, starting on tonic note SA
What is the drone traditionally played on
Tambura
What is a summary of Indian music
Music based around improvisation Raga is music based on group of notes (scale) Tabla plays rhythmic improvisations Tala is a cycle of rhythmic beats Sitar plays the melody
What are traditional Indian instruments
Sitar, tambura and tabla
What is a sitar
Large, long necked string instrument
Has between four to seven metal strings. 4 used for melody, rest used for the drone bass
Classical Indian ensemble the sitar plays melody
What is a tambura
Similar shape to sitar, but has4 metal strings
Used more as backing instrument
Often described as a drone which plays a simple repeated rhythmic pattern based on 2 notes of the raga
What is the tabla
Pair of drums
The smaller right side drum is called a tabla
The larger lower sounding drum is called the baya
Main rythem played on the tabla
What are the different traditions of Indian music
Classical, folk, religious and popular music
