Music Glossary

A parent scale — one of 10 fixed note combinations from which raags are derived. Think of it as the musical family a raag belongs to. Every raag traces back to exactly one thaat, though not every note of the thaat need appear in the raag.

The note-count classification of a raag — how many of the seven swaras appear in ascent (arohana) and descent (avarohana). Audav = 5 notes, Shadav = 6 notes, Sampoorna = all 7 notes. A raag can use different counts going up vs. coming down.

The most important note of a raag — its tonal home base. The vadi is emphasised most frequently in performance and gives the raag its central gravity. If a raag were a sentence, the vadi would be its subject.

The second most important note of a raag — the vadi's closest companion. The samvadi typically sits a fourth or fifth away from the vadi and provides harmonic support. Together, vadi and samvadi define the raag's emotional gravitational centre.

The ascending scale of a raag — the sequence of notes used when moving upward from Sa to the upper Sa. Not all raags use all seven notes in ascent; some deliberately skip notes to create tension or a distinctive character.

The descending scale of a raag — the note sequence used when moving downward. Crucially, the avarohana can use different notes than the arohana, which is a defining feature of many raags and what makes them sound distinct from simple scales.

The signature phrase of a raag — a short, characteristic melodic motif that identifies the raag immediately to a trained ear. Even without knowing the full scale, a few notes in the right sequence announce exactly which raag is being performed.

The emotional essence of a raag — the specific feeling it is designed to evoke in the listener. Derived from the ancient Navarasa theory (nine emotions), each raag carries one or more rasas as its primary expressive identity. Shringar (love), Karuna (compassion), Bhakti (devotion), and Shanta (peace) are among the most common.

A three-hour window of the day — the 24-hour cycle is divided into eight prahars, and each raag is traditionally associated with one. Playing a raag at its prescribed time is considered aesthetically and spiritually correct; the raag's notes are believed to resonate with the energy of that hour.

A flattened swara — lowered by a semitone from its natural (shuddha) position. Four swaras can be komal: Re, Ga, Dha, and Ni. In notation they appear as lowercase letters. Komal swaras give raags a softer, more introspective or melancholic quality.

A natural swara — its standard, unaltered pitch. All seven swaras have a shuddha form: Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni. Sa (Shadja) and Pa (Pancham) are achala — permanently fixed and can never be altered. The remaining five can be komal or tivra. In notation shuddha swaras appear as uppercase letters with no mark.

A sharpened swara — raised by a semitone from its natural position. Only Ma (Madhyam) can be tivra in Hindustani music, giving it a raised, yearning quality. In notation it appears with an asterisk (*) in English and the udatta mark (॑) above in Hindi.

A heavy, forceful oscillation between notes — a key ornament in Dhrupad and many classical raags. Unlike the lighter meend (glide), gamak involves rapid, percussive repetition of notes. It gives raags like Darbari Kanada their deep, grave character.

A smooth glide between two notes without stopping at intermediate pitches — one of the most expressive ornaments in Hindustani vocal and instrumental music. A well-executed meend makes the transition between notes feel like a continuous flow rather than discrete steps.

The slow, unaccompanied opening section of a classical performance where the musician gradually introduces the raag — note by note, phrase by phrase — without rhythm. The alap can last from a few minutes to over an hour in Dhrupad. It is the raag in its purest, most meditative form.

Immovable swaras — Sa (Shadja) and Pa (Pancham). These two notes are permanently fixed at their natural pitch and can never be made komal or tivra. Their stability forms the tonal anchor of every raag. All raags must include Sa; Pa is present in most but a handful deliberately omit it to create a distinctive austere character.

Movable swaras — Re, Ga, Ma, Dha, and Ni. These five notes can appear in their natural (shuddha), flat (komal), or — in Ma's case — sharp (tivra) form. The specific combination of chala swaras a raag uses is what primarily defines its character and distinguishes it from others in the same thaat.

The seven notes of the Indian octave, each with a full Sanskrit name: • Sa — Shadja (षड्ज) • Re — Rishabha (ऋषभ) • Ga — Gandhara (गंधार) • Ma — Madhyama (मध्यम) • Pa — Pancham (पंचम) • Dha — Dhaivata (धैवत) • Ni — Nishad (निषाद) Sa and Pa are achala (immovable) — always natural, never altered. The other five can be komal (flat) or, in Ma's case, tivra (sharp).

Hindustani music divides pitch into three octaves: • Mandra Saptak — the lower octave, below middle Sa • Madhya Saptak — the middle octave, the home register • Taar Saptak — the upper octave, above middle Sa In notation: a dot-below suffix (Ṇi, Ḍha) marks mandra; a dot-above prefix (Ṡa, Ṅi) marks taar. No mark = madhya (middle). Sa and Pa remain achala across all three octaves — they are never komal or tivra regardless of saptak.

A slow, deliberate oscillation on a single note — distinct from the fast vibrato of Western music. The note is lingered upon with a gentle wavering motion. Andolan is a defining ornament of Darbari Kanada's Ga, giving it an almost hypnotic gravity.