Rhythms of the World Flashcards
How is Indian classical music performed?
It is learnt by ear, from memory, and through a master performer.
Performers often sit cross-legged on the floor.
Performances can last several hours and are of o determinate length.
The majority of the performance will have been improvised.
What are the three main parts that make up most Indian classical music?
Raga, drone, tala.
What is a raga in Indian classical music?
It forms the melody, and each particular one is often allotted to its own time of day, or year.
What kind of instrument will play the raga in Indian classical music?
Sitar, sarod, bansuri, shehnai.
What is a sitar?
A stringed instrument, which is usually plucked. It is mainly used to play the raga in Indian classical music.
Some strings also create a drone sound, and other strings are sympathetic, which vibrate as the instrument is played.
What is a sarod?
An instrument in Indian classical music, which is similar to a lute. It can be identified by its long glissandos.
What is a bansuri?
A bamboo flute used in Indian classical music.
What are key features in a raga melody?
Pitch bends.
Playing fast scales.
Playing glissandos.
Ornamentation.
What is a drone in Indian classical music?
A repeated, or set of, notes played throughout a piece.
It forms the harmony and is static.
What kind of instrument plays the drone in Indian classical music?
Tanpura.
What is the tala in Indian classical music?
A cycle of beats: the rhythm.
What is the raga, drone and tala in Indian classical music?
Raga - melody.
Drone - harmony.
Tala - rhythm.
What is the first beat of the tala killed and how is this different?
The ‘sam’.
It is accented.
What kind of instrument might play the tala in Indian classical music?
Tabla.
What is a tabla?
A pair of drums used to play the tala in Indian classical music.
What is the main structure in Indian classical music?
Alap - opening section.
Gat - tabla enters.
Jhala - fast and exciting final section.
What is the alap in Indian classical music?
The opening section; a slow improvised introduction, which only includes the melody and harmony.
What is the gat in Indian classical music?
When the tabla enters in the second section. There is now a clear pulse to the music, but still lots of improvisation.
What is jhala in Indian classical music?
The final section of a piece, which is very fast and exciting. The players play virtuosically.
What are examples of famous Indian classical music players?
Ravi Shankar (sitar). Alla Rakha (tabla).
Where does bhangra music come from?
The Punjab region of India.
What kind of music does the term ‘chaal’ come from?
Bhangra.
What is the chaal in bhangra music?
The fundamental rhythm, played very quickly.
What instrument is the chaal played on in bhangra music?
Dhol, a double-headed drum played with sticks.
What are characteristics of the chaal rhythm?
It is played very quickly (140-196bpm).
A ‘hoi’ often accents beats 2 and 4.
What is the tumbi?
A single stringed instrument which played repeated riffs in bhangra music.
What are key features of bhangra music?
Repetitive melodies. Simple diatonic chords. Microtonal intervals. Lyrics in Punjabi. Melody and accompaniment. Backing vocals. 4/4 tempo. Chaal rhythm.
How was modern bhangra formed?
A fusion formed in the UK by British Asian musicians.
What is the difference between bhangra and modern bhangra?
Modern bhangra often utilises synthesisers, loops, machines, samples and guitars, whereas bhangra mainly uses Indian instruments.
What are key features of modern bhangra?
(in addition to bhangra features...) Electronic dance beats. Drum loops. Synthesisers. Sampling.
What are key features of Indian classical music?
Melody based on raga. Improvisation. Constant drone. Slides and bends. Free tempo to begin with.
What are examples of bhangra artists?
Punjabi MC, Alaap.
What kind of events may Greek folk music be heard at?
Celebration and other social events, such as cafés, restaurants and bars.
What type of music does the bouzouki belong to?
Greek folk music.
What is a bouzouki?
A stringed instrument, similar to a guitar, found in Greek folk music.
It is a melody instrument and can be used to play slides, tremolos.
What type of music does the definition belong to?
Greek folk music.
What is a defi?
A hand drum found in Greek folk music, which has bangles attached.
What type of rhythm does Greek folk music have?
Irregular rhythms, such as 5/8 or 7/8.
What are examples of rhythms found in Greek folk music?
5/8, 7/8.
What is the melody like in Greek folk music?
Simple, with lots of ornamentation.
They move in step.
They are lyrical (easy to sing along with).
What is the texture like in Greek folk music?
Melody line is prominent, with an accompaniment.
There are also off-beat chords.
What are key features of Greek folk music?
Meant to be danced to and sung with.
Some irregular rhythms.
Lots of ornamentation, slides and tremolos.
Bouzouki plays melody, defi plays the rhythm.
What kind of influences have shaped Israeli and Palestinian folk music?
Arabic, Jewish and Christian; North Africa, Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.
To which type of music does an old belong to?
Israeli and Palestinian folk music.
What is an oud?
Pear-shaped stringed instrument from Israeli and Palestinian folk music.
It can act as accompaniment and a melody instrument, due to its five pairs of drone strings.
What is maqam?
A system of melodic modes, on which melody in Arabic music is based off.
(It is similar to a raga from Indian music.)
What is a mode?
A scale.
What are key features of an Arabic scale?
Microtonal.
What is a doumbek?
A goblet-shaped drum found in Arabic and Middle Eastern music. It can produce a great range of sounds.
What is a rhythmic pattern called in Arabic music?
Wazn.
Similar to a tala from Indian music.
What kind of events is Israeli folk music centred around?
Joyful events, such as Jewish weddings and bar mitzvah ceremonies.
What are key features of Israeli folk dances?
2/4 or 4/4 time signature. A bass (usually a bass guitar). Chords played off-beat. Fast tempo. Accelerando. Melodic decoration and ornamentation.
What instruments can melodies be played in Israeli folk dances?
Clarinet, violin, accordion.
What is djembe?
Single-headed drum from African drumming, played by the hands.
What kind of sounds can come out of a djembe drum?
A low-pitched bass sound.
A medium-pitched tone.
A high-pitched slap.
What is a dundun?
A large, double-headed drum from African drumming, played with a stick; sometimes comes with a bell.
What sounds can a dundun produce?
An open sound.
A muted sounds.
The bell.
In African drumming, what is the bell called?
Agogô.
What is the purpose of the agogô in African drumming?
The player leads the ensemble and can easily be heard amongst the drums.
What are key concepts in African drumming?
Polyrhythm, cross rhythms.
What are polyrhythms in African drumming?
The combination of several rhythms, which combine to make a polyrhythmic texture. This idea is very prevalent in African drumming.
What are cross rhythms in African drumming?
A complex type of polyrhythm, which has ‘conflicting’ rhythms.
What are some examples of call and response in African drumming?
A caller starts a rhythm, which is passed on.
Singing call and response.
Who is the master drumming in African drumming?
A virtuosic musician, who acts as the ‘caller’ during a performance.
He will also play a core rhythm and improvise rhythms.
What is the talking drum?
String that can be tightened and loosened change the pitch, which can imitate a human voice.
What are the key features of African drumming?
Call and response. Little harmony and tonality. The master drummer controls the structure. Often polyrhythmic texture. Cyclic rhythms.
What are the key features of African drumming?
Call and response. Little harmony and tonality. The master drummer controls the structure. Often polyrhythmic texture. Cyclic rhythms.
