Indian classical music

Question 1

Name 3 features of Indian classical music ?

Answer 1

• Performers play entirely by ear or memory
• sit cross-legged on the floor
• performances can last several hours

Question 2

Is Indian music improvised or organised before?

Answer 2

Improvised

Question 3

What are the 3 main musical parts or Indian classical music

Answer 3

Raga
Drone
Tala

Question 4

What is the Raga?

Answer 4

• Forms the melody
• It’s a set of pitches, like a scale
• there are hundreds of ragas
• Contain short musical phrases

Question 5

What is the raga traditionally played on?

Answer 5

Sitar

Question 6

What does the improvisation use in the raga?

Answer 6

Pitch bends, playing fast scales, glissandos, ornamentation

Question 7

What is the drone?

Answer 7

• repeated notes
• forms the harmony
• static
• played on the tanpura/shruti box

Question 8

What is the tala?

Answer 8

• complex cycle of beats that repeats
• first beat of the tala is called the ‘sam
• played on the tabla

Question 9

What is the sitar?

Answer 9

• 20 strings
• only 7 of these strings are ever plucked
• 4 are used to play the improvised melody
• 3 are played as open strings (for drone)

Question 10

What is the sarod?

Answer 10

Fretless string instrument

Creates long glissandos

Question 11

What is the tabla?

Answer 11

Played with hands and fingers

Play improvised rhythms

Question 12

What is the structure of Indian classical music ?

Answer 12

Allap ( opening section)
Gat (tabla enters)
Jhala ( fast, exiting final section)

Question 13

What is the allap?

Answer 13

Slow improvised introduction
In free time
Only includes melody instrument + tanpura

Question 14

What is the gat?

Answer 14

Clear pulse

Some fixed phrases

Question 15

What is the jhala?

Answer 15

Music builds in excitement and intensity

More complex playing, more virtuosic

Question 16

Famous Indian classical players ?

Answer 16

Ravi shankar, all’s rakha

Question 17

What is the melody of Bhangra music?

Answer 17

Melismatic, divided into microtones, simple harmonies

Question 18

What is the rhythm called in Bhangra music?

Answer 18

Chaal rhythm

Question 19

What is the dhol?

Answer 19

Double headed drum played with sticks

Bhangra music

Question 20

What is the tumbi

Answer 20

Single stringed instrument, plays repeated riffs

Bhangra music

Question 21

Bhangra tempo?

Answer 21

A time signature of 4/4

Question 22

What is a main feature of Bhangra music ?

Answer 22

Call and response between the lead vocalist and backing singers

Question 23

Shruti box

Answer 23

Portable instrument used to provide a drone

Question 24

Tanpura

Answer 24

A drone instrument of indian music

Question 25

Harmonium

Answer 25

Modified version of the reed organ Keyboard instrument with notes produced by air air driven by hand/foot through metal reeds

Question 26

Polyrhythm

Answer 26

2 or more rhythms played at the same time

Question 27

Cross-rhythm

Answer 27

Effect produced when two conflicting rhythms are heard together

Question 28

Shruti box

Answer 28

Portable instrument used to provide a drone

Question 29

Tanpura

Answer 29

A drone instrument

Question 30

Harmonium

Answer 30

Modified version of the Reed organ | Keyboard instrument with notes produced by air driven by hand/foot through metal reeds