Indian Musical Terms
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Select the first letter of the word from the list above to jump to appropriate section of the glossary.
ka – A tabla bol of the left hand. (more info.)
kaal – 1) Time. 2) The entire concept of time and musical timing. 3) One of the 10 vital airs of tal (Das Pran), which deals with absolute time. (more info.)
kabir – A great saint who composed many bhajans. (more info.)
kabuli rabab – The common rabab. (more info.)
kacchhi ghodhi – A folk dance of Rajasthan that is performed with a dummy horse.
kacheri – A south Indian musical performance.
kafi – A common night time rag. (more info.)
kafi ke filmi git – Film songs in rag Kafi. (more info.)
kafi that – A mode corresponding to Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Så. (more info.)
kaherava tal – A common eight-beat tal. (more info.)
kaherava tal ki laharen – Laharas in Kaherava tal. (more info.)
kaida – A highly formalized approach to a tabla solo. (more info.)
kaida peshkar – In tabla, a peshkar whose variations adhere strictly to the kaida format.
kaida rela – In tabla, a rela performed to a strict kaida format.
kaidafarodast tal – An obscure tal in 19 beats.
kajari – A form of Hindi folk music.
kakapad – An archaic unit of time equal to four laghu. (more info.)
kakubh – A rare rag.
kal – see “kaal”
kala – 1) Art. 2) An archaic unit of time roughly comparable to a minute. (more info.)
kalakantha – One who possesses a sweet voice.
kalanidhi tal – An obscure tal in 25 beats.
kalavati – A common pentatonic rag.
kalavati ke filmi git – Film songs in rag Kalavati. (more info.)
kalavati tal – An unusual tal of 9 1/2 beats.
kali char – The fourth black key in an octave of a harmonium (i.e., “G#”)
kali do – The second black key in an octave of a harmonium (i.e., “B#”)
kali ek – The first black key in an octave of a harmonium (i.e., “C#”)
kali panch – The fifth black key in an octave of a harmonium (i.e., “A#”)
kali teen – The third black key in an octave of a harmonium (i.e., “F#”)
kalingada – A common nightime rag in Bhairav that. (more info.)
kalingada ke filmi git – Film songs in rag Kalingada. (more info.)
kalingara – See “kalingada”.
kalyan – A common rag. (more info.)
kalyan ke filmi git – Film songs in rag Kalyan. (more info.)
kalyan that – A mode corresponding to the Western Lydian mode of Sa Re Ga Má Pa Dha Ni Så.
kamakshi vina – A rare bowed folk instrument of S. India. (more info.)
kamalranjani – A rare rag.
kamali paran – In tabla and pakhawaj, a paran which is constructed in a highly unusual yet fascinating manner. (more info.)
kamancha – A bowed folk instrument of N. India and Pakistan. (more info.)
kamod – A common rag.
kamod ke filmi git – Film songs in rag Kamod. (more info.)
kan – 1) See “kshan”. 2) In instrumental music, a technique for ornamenting the main note with a grace note
kan swar – A grace note. It is one which may be slightly used before or after a note as a kind of ornament. But it does not alter the identity or importance of the main note. (more info.)
kandarp tal – A rare tal of 24 beats.
kandhei – See “Sakhi Nata”
kanjira – A small south Indian tambourine. (more info.)
kannada – A language of southern India.
kanthe maharaj – (1880-1970) A noted tabla player of the Benares gharana.
kapalbhrat tal – A very rare tal of 10 beats.
karakhat – A harsh quality of the voice.
karagam – A folk dance of Tamil Nadu. It is played with a pot balanced on the head.
karaj – See “shadaj”.
karalmanch tal – An old and obscure tal of five or 10 beats.
karnatic sangeet – See “Carnatic sangeet”.
kartal – Wooden frames in which small jingles are placed. A simple clapper. (more info.)
karuna – The emotion of sadness or grief, one of the Navaras (nine emotions) behind all art forms. (more info.)
kashalkar vishnu anaji – (1884-1968) Noted vocalist and student of Vishnu Digambar Paluskar.
kashth – (lit. “wood”) An archaic unit of time = to eight lav. (more info.)
kashttarang – A wooden xylophone, or marimba. (more info.)
kat – A tabla bol. (more info.)
kathak – A north Indian style of classical dance. (more info.)
kathakali – A dance form of the south Indian state of Kerala. (more info.)
katho – A one stringed folk instrument of India. Similar to the khamak. (more info.)
kaushi bharav – A rare rag.
kaushi kanada – See “kaushik kanada”.
kaushik kanada – A rag.
kaushik kanada ke filmi git – Film songs in rag Kaushik Kanada. (more info.)
kaushik tal – A rare tal in 18 beats.
kaushikdwani – A rag.
kaushikdhwani ke filmi git – Film songs in rag Kaushikdhwani. (more info.)
kavadi – A folk dance of Tamil Nadu.
kawali – See “qawwali”.
kawali tal – A tal of eight beats similar to kaherava.
kdan or – A powerful bol of both pakhawaj and tabla.
ke – A tabla bol of the left hand.
kedar – A popular rag. (more info.)
kedar ke filmi git – Film songs in rag Kedar. ( more info.)
kedara – See “Kedar”.
keerwani – See “Kirvani”.
keherava – See “kaherava”.
kela keluni – A dance performed by the Kelas of Odissa.
kenda – A folk instrument of eastern India. (more info.)
kerva tal – See “kaherava”, a common eight beat tal.
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khali – (lit. “empty”) Waved, opposite of bhari or tali. (more info.)
khalifa – The oldest and most respected representative of a gharana.
khamak – A one stringed folk instrument found in the Bengal region. (more info.)
khambhavati – A rare rag.
khammaj – A very common late night rag. (more info.)
khammaj ke filmi git – Film songs in rag Kedar. (more info.)
khammaj that – A mode that is characterised by Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Så. (more info.)
khamsa – A poetic form based upon five stanzas
khamsa tal – A rare tal in eight beats.
khan – Originally a chieftain of Afghanistan, today a name which is often appended to one’s given name among Muslims.
khan saheb – A term of respect extended to Muslims.
khand – See “vibhag”.
khand jati – Any rhythm based upon 2 1/2, 5, 10, etc. beats. (more info.)
khandaharbani – A style of Dhrupad.
khandapurna tal – A rare tal in 16 beats.
khat – 1) A rare rag. 2) A straight unornamented note. (more info.)
khatka – 1) To sing the notes in an unornamented fashion. 2) A semi-ornamental form where a note is surrounded by adjacent notes, but each of the adjacent notes is distinct and without any appreciable slide. (more info.)
khayal – See “kheyal”.
khemta tal – A fairly common yet amorphous tal variously described as six or 12 beats. (more info.)
kheyal – 1) The most prominent style of classical vocal today. (more info.) 2) The thought behind a ghazal.
kheyal tal – See “chang tal”.
khokar – A rare rag.
khokar, mahfooz – Author of the Urdu treatise on music “Rag Swaroop”. (more info.)
khol – A folk drum of northeast India. (more info.)
khomok – See “khamak”.
khula – (lit. “open”) Resonant tabla strokes such as Ga, Thun, etc.
khula baj – (lit. “open style”) A style of tabla playing where the hands do not remain in contact with the drums, characteristic of the Lucknowi style.
khuli – See “bhari”.
khyal – See “kheyal”.
khz (kHz) – See “kilohertz”.
ki or – A tabla bol of the left hand.
kikli – A women’s folk dance of the Punjab.
kilohertz – 1000 cycles-per-second.
kinar – (lit. “edge”) The chat or outer rim of the tabla or pakhawaj. (more info.)
kinnara – In Hindu mythology, they are a group of celestial musicians. (more info.)
kinnari – A folk instrument of South India (more info.)
kirana gharana – A gharana of vocalists, its representatives included such stalwarts as Abdul Karim Khan and Bhimsen Joshi.
kirtan – A Hindu religious song or recitation. (more info.)
kirvani – A common rag, once popular only in the South, but today found throughout S. Asia. (more info.)
kirvani ke filmi git – Film songs in rag Kirvani. (more info.)
kirwani – See “Kirvani”
kishore kumar – See “Kumar, Kishore”.
kisma – A term used by Benares tabla players to indicate a rearrangement of the bols of kaida (i.e., prakar). (more info.)
kisme – Plural of kisma.
kokil tal – An obscure seven-beat tal similar to tivra tal.
kokila tal – A obscure pakhawaj tal variously described as seven or 17 beats.
komal – (lit. “soft” or “tender”) A note which is flattened. (more info.)
komal asavari – A rag.
komal deshi – A rare rag.
komal dha – Minor 6th. (more info.)
komal ga – Minor 3rd. (more info.)
komal ni– Minor 7th. (more info.)
komal pa – Diminished 5th. According to contemporary theory, this note does not exist. However the concept arises repeatedly in both historical and theoretical discussions. (more info.)
komal re – Minor 2nd. (more info.)
konkani – An Indo-European language found in the South Indian state of Goa.
korka – A folk drum of northern Bangladesh and India. (more info.)
krantan – An ornament of sitar or sarod produced by hammering with the left hand against the fret or fingerboard. According to many it specifically involves a main note with both adjacent notes. (more info.)
krishna – One of the incarnations of Vishnu and a common subject for Indian music.
krishna tal – An obscure pakhawaj tal in 20 beats.
kriya – An old and obsolete term describing the manner of keeping time with the hands. (more info.)
krushya – (Archaic) A style of silent timekeeping (deshi nishabd kriya). (more info.)
kshan – An archaic unit of time, an instant, a tiny fraction of a second. (more info.)
kuadi lay – In a four unit time, one plays five units. See also “sawai”. (more info.)
kuchipudi – A classical dance form of the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. (more info.)
kudapanchmukhi – See “pancha mukha vadhyam”.
kumar, kishore – Noted actor and playback singer of the 20th century. (more info.)
kumar, hemant – Noted playback singer of 20th century. (more info.)
kumbh tal – An obscure tal in 11 beats.
kundal – The small ring at the bottom side of the tabla used for the lacing. (more info.)
kuri – (a.k.a “pital”) The shell of the bayan. (more info.)
kushan – A folk theatre of Bangladesh and West Bengal.
kusumaker tal – An obscure tal in 27 beats.
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