Indian Musical Terms
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
Select the first letter of the word from the list above to jump to appropriate section of the glossary.
c (C) -See also “safed ek”). A pitch of the Western scale. Depending upon which octave one is considering, it may have the frequency of: 16.351Hz, 32.703Hz, 65.406Hz, 130.81Hz, 261.63Hz, 523.25Hz, 1046.5Hz, 2093.0Hz, 4186.0Hz, or 8372.02Hz.
c# (C#)– See “C sharp”.
c. r. day – See Day, C.R.
c-sharp – See also “kali ek” or “D-flat”. A pitch of the Western scale. Depending upon which octave one is considering, it may have the frequency of: 17.324Hz, 34.648Hz, 69.296Hz, 138.59Hz, 277.18Hz, 554.37Hz, 1108.7Hz, 2217.5Hz, 4434.9Hz or 8869.8Hz.
cabas – A simple instrument made from beads and coconut which is used in film and folk music.
cadence – A melodic or rhythmic device which creates a sense of tension and resolution (e.g., a tihai). (more info.)
cakkardar – See “chakradar”.
calan – See “chalan”.
capaknewala – See “chapaknewala”.
carnatic sangeet – The south Indian system of music. (more info.)
caugun – See “chaugun”.
cent – An interval of 1/1200th of an octave.
chachar tal – See “dipchandi”.
chachari – A musical form, referred to in the “Sangeet Suddha” which was said to consist of three movements. This form is said to be similar to the old Prabandha style of singing.
chah baganar jumur nach – This is a folk dance from Assam.
chaitanya – (1485-1534) A famous saint of the bhakti movement in Bengal.
chaiti – A semi-classical form of singing popular in Uttar Pradesh. The themes revolve around Krishna and are usually performed in the month of Chaitra (March-April).
chakkar – A cycle, see also “avartan”.
chakra taan – A type of taan that is said to move in circles.
chakra tal – An obscure tal variously described as five or 30 beats.
chakradar – 1) A tihai in which each phrase is a tihai in itself. (more info.) 2) A rare rag.
chakravakam – South Indian equivalent of rag Ahir Bhairav. (more info.)
chal swar – A note that may occupy more than one possible position (i.e., Re, Ga, Ma, Dha, and Ni). (more info.)
chala – See “chalan”.
chalan – 1) A type of tabla composition. Some consider this to be similar to peshkar while some consider it to be similar to laggi or ladi. There is no broadly accepted definition. (more info.) 2) A characteristic movement or gait of a rag.
champak – 1) The flowering plant Magnolia champaca. 2) a rare rag.
champakali – A rare rag.
champak tal – See “adachautal”.
chanchar – See “dipchandi”.
chand – A theme and variation based upon unusual syncopations.
chandra tal – An obscure tal of 18 beats.
chandra tal ki laharen – Laharas in Chandra tal. (more info.)
chandrachartal – See chandrachautal.
chandrachautal – An obscure tal of 13 beats.
chandrachautal ki laharen – Laharas in Chandrachautal. (more info.)
chandrakala tal – An obscure tal of 15 beats.
chandrakalyan – A rare rag.
chandrakant – A rare rag.
chandrakauns – A common pentatonic rag. (more info.)
chandrakauns ke filmi git – Film songs in rag Chandrakauns. (more info.)
chandrakosh – See “Chandrakauns”.
chandrakrida tal – An obscure tal of nine beats.
chandramani tal – An obscure tal of 11 beats.
chandrika – A rare rag.
chang tal – An obscure eight beat tal.
changu – A folk dance found in Odissa and Andhra Pradesh.
chant – See “chat”.
chanti – See “chat”.
| IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN TABLA, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU |
|---|
This is the first volume of the most complete series on the tabla. Fundamentals of Tabla It is available around the world. Check your local Amazon for pricing. |
chapaka tal – An obscure eight beat tal.
chapaknewala – In tabla, a type of Dha characterized by a strong “Tak” sound.
charanam – (lit. “foot”) A tertiary theme in Carnatic music, comparable to the Hindustani sanchari.
charbag – In tabla, a type of gat or paran revolving around a particular bol played four times.
charchari – A folk drum. (more info.)
charhi – A note that can be a little sharper in ascending passages as compared to descending.
charju – A famous musician said to be the originator of rags such as Charju ki Malhaar.
charju ki malhar – A rainy season rag.
chartal – See “chautal”.
chartal ki sawari – A rare tal of 11 beats.
chartal ki sawari ki laharen – Laharas in Chartal ki Sawari. (more info.)
chart – See chat.
charukesi – A rag, originally from Carnatic music that today is popular in the North.
charukesi ke filmi git – Film songs in rag Charukesi. (more info.)
chat – The outer section of the tabla skin. (more info.)
chat tal – An obscure tal of 12 beats.
chati – See “chat”.
chatrustal – An obscure tal of 10 beats.
chatur pandit – Pen-name for Bhatkhande.
chatur tal – An obscure tal of 15 beats.
chaturang – The four approaches to the rag. These are the kheyal, tarana, sargam, and the tirwat.
chaturbhag – An archaic unit of time equal to two kalas. (more info.)
chaturdandiprakashika – A 17th century work on music written by Venkat Mukhi Swami. This work laid down much of the theoretical foundation for Carnatic music.
chaturput tal – An obscure tal of nine beats.
chaturstra jati – Any rhythm composed of 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc. beats. (more info.)
chaugun – A layakari of 4:1. (i.e., quadruple time.) (more info.)
chauhai – Similar to tihai except there is a repetition of the phrase four times instead of three.
chaupalli – 1) The same as tipalli except with four sections. 2) A composition revolving around a quadruple repetition of a single bol.
chautal – An old 12 beat pakhawaj tal. (more info.)
chautal ki laharen – Laharas in Chautal. (more info.)
chautha-prahar – (lit. “fourth period”) See also “din-chautha-prahar” and “ratri-chautha-prahar”.
chayanat – A rag.
chayanat ke filmi git – Film songs in rag Chayanat. (more info.)
cheez – A piece, see “chiz”
chegun – (lit. “six-times”) Six strokes per beat.
chela – A disciple, or student.
chenda – A drum common in Kerala. (more info.)
chikara – A spike fiddle used in Indian folk music. (more info.)
chikari – 1) The drone strings on the sides of sitar, sarod and a few other instruments. (more info.) 2) The small posts upon which drone strings rest. (more info.)
chilla – 40 days of reclusion and austerities.
chimpta – Large tongs, specifically musical tongs used as a folk instrument in the Punjab. (more info.)
chinh – Notational elements. (more info.)
chisti – The Sufi lineage started by Khwaj Moiuddin Chisti Gharib Nawaz (1142-1235).
chitra tal – An obscure tal variously described as two or 15 beats.
chitra veena – Another name for the gotuvadyam. (more info.)
chiz – a.k.a. “gat” or “bandish”. A composed piece, either vocal or instrumental. (more info.)
chohokhode – See “tuntuna”.
chordophone – A stringed instrument. In traditional Indian taxonomy, this class is divided into struck/plucked chordophones (more info.) and bowed chordophones (more info.).
chota ghoraj – (lit. “small bridge”) The smaller bridge which supports the sympathetic strings on a sitar or similar instrument. (more info.)
chota kheyal – A fast vocal style.
choti savari tal – A tal, considered by most to be synonymous to pancham savari.
chougun – See “chaugun”.
chowdhury, salil – Noted film music director of the 20th century. (more info.)
chromatic – A scale or significant portion thereof, which has notes spaced one semi-tone apart. (e.g., descending Så Ni Ni Dha.) (more info.)
chudamani tal – An obscure tal considered by some to be 17 beats and 32 beats by others.
chutta – The cushioned rings which support the tabla.
cilla – See “chilla”.
consonance – Two notes that have simple relationships between their fundamental frequencies such that their juxtaposition produces a pleasing feeling of balance. (e.g., Sa-Så, Sa-Pa, Sa-Ma) (more info.)
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |