Abhinaya - Expression of bhãva (moods) through hand gestures and facial expressions

Abhog - summing up of the entire development of a raga.

Adavus -Dance units or steps of Bharata Nãtyam

Aditala - Played at a 1/2 speed measure, with 8 matras on a 4-2-2 ratio.

Alap - Intoductory movement with irregular pulse, unaccompanied and without rhythm.

Annupallavi - In Carnatic music, it is the second section of the raga.

Antara - Second section of a raga. Register above and including upper tonic.

Aroha - The ascending scale of a raga.

Atidrut - Very fast tempo.

Avaroha - The descending scale of a raga, slightly changed from the ascending scale.

Avartan - This is the basic cycle.

Angahãra - Combination of two or more Karanas in a dance constitute an Angahãra

Bharata Nãtyam - Classical dance style from South India (mainly present day Tamil Nadu)

Bhãva - Mood

Bhramari - Whisking movement

Baaz - Style of playing an instrument.

Barhat - Gradual progression in a musical exposition.

Bhatiyali - Folk song of the boatmen of Bengal.

Bol - This is the mnemonic system where each stroke of the drum has a syllable attached to it. These syllables are known as bol. It is common to consider the bol to be synonymous to the stroke itself.

Bol-tans - Musical phrases interlinked with bols (words).

Carnãtic music - Style of Classical music from South India

Chakradar Tihai - A tihai in three sections, each section consisting of a smaller tihai.

Cheez - The 'song', a raga-based compositions in words.

Chikari - Drone strings of a sitar.

Dhamar - A style of classical vocal music, using more grace notes than Dhrupad. Itis set to a taal of 14 beats.

Dhrupad - The most 'massive and sublime' musical form in Indian Classical vocal tradition. Its form strictly follows a fixed pattern of four stanzas : the sthayi, antara, sanchari and abhoga having rigid notes, words and majestic tales, usually in chautala of 12 beats.

Dhun - It represents a light tune, a mixture of sweet melodies, free from the disciplines of a raga. Usually played in a fast tempo and creates a mood of ecstasy.

Drut - Fast tempo.

Duet - Partnership in vocal and instrumental music has been in vogue since the day of Dhrupad. Presentation of instrumental duets by Pt. Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan started a new era in the history of Classical music. Indian concert stages, so far dominated
by only soloists, assumed a new colour and dimension when the great musical pairs started playing 'Jugalbandi'.

Dima - One of the ten types of plays explained by Bharata in Nãtya Shãstra

Gharãna - School of thought to institutionalise the discipline of its practitioners and proponents

Guru - Teacher

Guru-Shishya Parampara - Traditional accepted for of learning Indian Classical music and dance

Gamak - Grace note, a form of embellishment on musical notes, heavy oscillations between notes.

Gat - All sections in a tala and accompanied by Tabla.

Gayaki - A certain style of singing following a gharana to which the musician belongs.

Gharana - A school of music, representing a specific musical tradition. Each gharana is famous for certain individualistic style of renderings. Some famous gharanas are Gwalior, Rampur, Lucknow, Baroda, Patiala, Kirana, Maihar etc.

Ghazal - A love-lyric in Urdu, of Persian Muslim origin.

Guru-Shishya-Parampara - Guru, a teacher, shishya, a pupil. A teacher-pupil relationship, creating a person-to-person tradition.

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