rhythms of the world : indian classical music

tala

repeated rhythm pattern

tabla

pair of drums that play the tala

raga

scale pattern

structure of indian classical music

alap - gat - jhala

alap

no tabla

repetitions

tonal centre

gat

tabla enters

fixed composition

building intensity

jhala

builds to a climax

tanpura

plays the drone

sitar

plays the raga

sarod

similar to the sitar but deeper

bansuri

flute-type instrument

sarangi

violin-type instrument

typical metre

irregular

features

microtonal

improvised

ornamentation

pitch-bend

call and response

drone

repetition of…

melodic ideas and shapes

tempo

slow then speeds up

changes

dynamics

change as the piece progresses