Things Good to Know

This is a glossary of terms used in Indian Classical Music. You will hear these terms at times in the audios on this blog. A thorough understanding of these concepts is a prerequisite for learning Indian Classical Music. On this blog, we are not going to delve deep into these theoretical aspects of Indian Classical Music. This blog is only for the music students, novices and beginners. Hence, we will spend more time on actual lessons and practical aspects of singing.

Definition of Swar: Swar is nothing but a musical note. There are seven Standard Notes in Indian Classical Music as given below. We call these notes as "Shuddha Swar".

Shuddha Swar: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni.
They are also called Shadja, Rishabh, Gandhar, Madhyam, Pancham, Dhaivat and Nishad respectively.

Komal Swar: Out of these seven swars, Re Ga Dha and Ni become "Komal" when their frequency is lower than their Shuddha form. Their place on the keyboard or on harmonium is one note previous to their Shuddha Swar's note. We denote komal swars on this blog by marking a (k) in front of them.

Teevra Swar: Among the seven basic swars, only one, that is, Ma becomes Teevra when its frequency is higher than its Shuddha form and its place next to its Shuddha swar's place on the keyboard or on the harmonium. We denote teevra swars on this blog by marking a (t) in front of them.

Therefore the sequence of these 12 swars including their Shuddha, Komal and Teevra forms is
Sa   Re(k)   Re   Ga(k)   Ga   Ma   Ma(t)   Pa   Dha(k)   Dha   NI(k)   Ni   SA

Notation Used on This Blog for denoting different Swar: In the notations we have used on this blog, we are showing Komal swar by marking (k) and Teevra by marking (t) next to the swar's symbol.

Saptak: is a group seven prominent notes on a keyboard or harmonium. There are three main Saptaks on a harmonium. The lower saptak is called Mandra or Kharjaa Saptak(which is the group of seven prominent notes in the left most part of the harmonium), the middle Saptak is called Madhya Saptak(which is the group of seven prominent notes in the middle part of the harmonium) and the upper Saptak is called Taar Saptak (which is the group of seven prominent notes in the rightmost part of the harmonium).

On this blog, we are using capital letters to show the swars from Taar Saptak where the frequencies are higher than normal or Madhya Saptak. We are showing small letters to show Mandra or Kharjaa saptak (frequencies are lower than normal or Madhya Saptak).

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Definition of Taal: Taal is nothing but Rhythm in English. There are many types of Taal used in Indian Classical Music. Some examples of Taal used in the lessons on this blog are:
Ektaal: A cycle of 6 beats for Madhya Laay (Medium speed rhythm)
             and
             A cycle of 12 beats for Thaay Laay (slow rhythm).
Tritaal: A cycle of 8 beats for Madhya Laay (Medium speed rhythm)
             and
             A cycle of 16 beats for Thaay Laay (slow rhythm).
Zaptaal: A cycle of 10 beats

Taal can be used at varying speed based on the requirement of the singer. We are using Madhya Lay Taal (Medium Speed Rhythm) for almost all the lessons.

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Definition of Raag: is presented by an artist using the following 4 things in the rhythm chosen by the singer.
1) The kind of swars included in each Raag are unique (e.g. Shuddha, Komal, Teevra.)
2) How those swars are used in ascending structure which is called as Aaroh and in descending structure which is called as Avaroh.
3) The most prominent swar in the Raag is called Vaadi (वादी). Second most prominent swar in the Raag is called Samvaadi (संवादी).
4) The Mukhada (face) or Pakad is a cluster of a few notes by which Raaga is recognizable.