Indian music and elements Flashcards
describe the look of the tambura
hollow neck with 4/5 wire strings, which are plucked in patterns. The instrument comes in different sizes, males being larger and females being smaller… it is designed in three types, Miraj style, tanjore style and tamburi style
what part of music does the tambura play?
the drone
describe the Tabla
played in pairs small and big drums called the Bayan. The smaller drum can be turned to different notes by sliding small wooden blocks below stamps and commonly tuned to home note, whereas the big drum is made of metal and is a much lower intermediate pitch, most common percussion instrument
what are the three main phases in performances
unaltered solo into (Alap) play on the sarod on any Indian piece, and followed by the Gal which are the two sections each based on a different composition
what is the Brindabani sarang
a pentagon if five not scale which appears in two forms B and Bflat, B is used when melody ascends and Bflat for descending
describe raga
Raga, Rag (Ragh) is a type of scale- the meaning of ‘colour’ /’ passion’. it’s the classical music of India used to express particular moods, seasons or the time of year. It is the framework for improv and melodic composition. The ground note is the Sa and is the most important note of the Raga. This type of music can be entirely improvised.
what is a tala?
a repeated rhythm or pattern usually played by the tabla- it usually has between 6-16beats and they’re grouped into small sections. The first beat is known as Sam and it marks the beginning and end of the improv
what’s a pitch bend
a string technique when the player pushed the string towards them as they play and it bends the note. A musical note that is varied in pitch sometimes is used electronically as a pitch wheel.
how many strings does a sitar have?
23 but only 6 or 7 are actually used- 3/4 are used to give a chord affect, the rest of the strings are sympathetic strings
describe the sarangi
a fret less bowed instrument, it consists of 3 main strings made of gut and there are nearly 37 sympathetic strings which bpvibrate the sympathy with the notes of the main strings
describe Bansuri
1 of worlds most ancient instruments.. and Indian flute made of a single piece of bamboo and is around 30inches long. It is a transverse instrument and comes in various sizes- mostly played as the bass Bansuri (lowest note e) and it has no keys
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