Pow Wow and Musical Terms

These flashcards cover various vocabulary terms related to pow wow and musical traditions, highlighting cultural significance, history, and technical terms to aid in understanding and retention for exam preparation.

Tobacco offering

A sacred gesture of respect/gratitude made when requesting or honoring a song, prayer, or teaching.

Pow wow

A cultural gathering where a large drum is played collectively by singers and features various dance styles.

Lead Singer

The person chosen to start and guide each song for the drum group in a powwow.

Grand Entry

The big opening where participants enter the arena following a color guard.

Big Drum

A sacred symbol in Native American culture, central to powwows and connecting with spirituality.

Grass Dance

Men’s dance that mimics the sway of grass, significant for healing and nature connection.

Crow Hop

A lively dance style mimicking the movements of a crow with a strong, steady drumbeat.

Sun Dance

A sacred ritual for renewal and healing, involving personal vows and lasting several days.

Honor Beats

Louder, slower drumbeats in a song that cue dancers and show respect to ancestors.

Flag Song

A song sung to honor flags during the beginning of a powwow, where there is no dancing.

Jingle Dress Song

A traditional healing song that accompanies the Jingle Dress dance, performed by Ojibwe women.

Sneak Up Dance

A men’s dance with four thematic parts representing a warrior's journey.

American Indian Movement

A civil rights organization founded in 1968 to address issues faced by Native Americans.

Crooked Tune

A musical piece with an irregular rhythm, deviating from the standard number of beats.

Cross Tuning

A folk fiddling style where instruments are tuned to different pitches for unique sounds.

Stepdancing

A percussive dance style syncs footwork with rhythm, rooted in Scottish and Irish traditions.

Clawhammer

A banjo technique where strings are struck with the back of the fingernail for rhythm.

Musical Ornament

Added parts in music to decorate a melody or emphasize rhythm.

Clean Playing

Precise intonation and clear tone in musical performance.

Raw Playing

Looser, more expressive playing style often in old-time and folk traditions.

Hindustani Music

The classical music of Northern India, emphasizing improvisation and framework theory.

Sitar

A plucked string instrument with a long neck, known for its rich, ringing sound in ragas.

Tabla

A pair of hand drums essential to Hindustani music, comprising a higher and lower pitched drum.

Raga

A framework of notes used to create specific moods in Indian classical music.

Taan

Rapid sequences of notes in Hindustani music, often sung or played with energy.

Alap

A slow, improvisational opening section of a raga performance.

Jhor

A rhythmic elaboration phase in the raga performance without percussion.

Jala

Fast-paced final portion of music with alternating rhythmic and melodic roles.

Tala

A repeating pattern of beats in Indian music, defining the rhythmic structure.

Drut

A rapid and energetic beat form used towards the climax of a performance.

Tintal

A common tala with 16 beats divided into sections of 4 beats.

Mukhra

The opening phrase of a song or composition, often repeated after each verse.

Tihai

A rhythmic pattern repeated three times to conclude a section or performance.

Vilambit

An introductory slow tempo in Raga performances, typically encompassing much of the performance.

Mridangam

A double-sided wooden drum used as the primary percussion in Carnatic music.

Solkattu

Spoken rhythmic syllables representing tala patterns in Carnatic music.

Konnakkol

Art of vocal percussion using syllables to express complex rhythms.

Mora

A rhythmic pattern repeated three times fitting within a rhythmic cycle.

Korvai

A mathematical rhythmic pattern serving as a concluding phrase in a percussion solo.

Kanjira

A small frame drum used in classical South Indian performances, also in Carnatic music.

Carnatic

The classical music tradition of South India, emphasizing improvisation and composition within ragas and talas.

Adi Tala

An 8-beat rhythmic cycle used to keep time in Carnatic music.

Avartam

One full round of the tala pattern in Carnatic music.

Mbira

A Zimbabwean thumb piano integral to Shona culture, connecting with ancestral spirits.

Hosho

Handheld percussion shakers providing a steady rhythm in traditional ensembles.

Polyrhythm

Layering of different rhythms over one another to create complex sounds.

Call and Response

A musical structure where one part calls and another responds.

Interlocking

When players perform different patterns that fit together like puzzle pieces.

Vocables

Vocal sounds in music without specific meaning, used for expression.

Shona

An ethnic group in Zimbabwe, primarily speaking dialects of the Shona language.

Tar

A Persian stringed instrument with a double bowl, mimicking regional vocals.

Setar

A lightweight Persian instrument with a long neck and small body, known for its light sound.

Gushe

Short, melodic improvisational pieces within a larger musical system in Persian music.

Tombak

A goblet-shaped drum and primary percussion instrument in Persian classical music.

Daf

An Iranian frame drum used in spiritual and folk music.

Radif

A collection of traditional melodies passed down through generations in Persian music.

Dastgah

The modal system of Persian music guiding improvisation and performance.

Shur

An expressive and emotional modal pattern in Persian music.

Mahur

A bright and energetic modal pattern in Persian music.

Segah

A spiritual and ornamented modal pattern used in Persian music.

Pishdaramad

The prelude to a larger piece of music within a dastgah.

Daramad

The opening section of a dastgah introducing the main scale and emotional character.

Chahar Mezrab

Traditional Persian instrumental genre with rhythmic drive and fast tempo.

Avaz

A free, unmetered style of vocal music mostly improvised in Persian tradition.

Tasnif

A precomposed lyrical song in Persian classical music with a steady beat.

Reng

An instrumental dance piece in Persian tradition, often precomposed with a steady beat.

Gamelan

Traditional Balinese ensemble music predominantly composed of percussion instruments.

Colotomic Structure

The organization of musical time in gamelan, marked by specific percussion instruments.

Gilak

An eight-beat rhythmic pattern used in longer compositions in gamelan music.

Kempur

A medium-sized gong that marks the end of a musical cycle or phrase.

Kempli

Small handheld gong serving as a timekeeper in gamelan ensembles.

Ugal

Bronze metallophone key melodic leader in Balinese gamelan music.

Reyong

An arrangement of bronze gongs played by multiple musicians that adds melodic parts.

Barong

A traditional dance performance that depicts the battle between good and evil spirits.

Skeletal Melody

The core melody of gamelan music, guiding rhythmic and melodic development.

UKajar

The timekeeper gong in gamelan, replicating drum patterns.

Calung

A bamboo xylophone used in gamelan ensembles.

Slendro

A five-toned tuning system used in Balinese gamelan music.

Pelog

A seven-note scale in gamelan music used to create pentatonic modes.

Interference Beating

The shimmering sound created by two slightly detuned gamelan instruments.

Kendang

A double-headed drum serving as the heartbeat of gamelan music.

Kotekan

Fast interlocking parts played by metallophones in Balinese gamelan.

Kilitan

An interlocking rhythmic pattern involving three rhythms working together.