--- url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-in/indian-classical-music-glossary' title: 'Indian classical music glossary | KalaSudha' author: name: rajeevk url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-in/user/fce96177fd193d3a' date: '2026-10-27T19:16:46+00:00' updated: '2026-10-27T20:46:18+00:00' type: website summary: "KalaSudha's Indian classical music glossary gives plain definitions for newcomers, such as what a raga is and how Hindustani and Carnatic music differ." image: 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg' published: true og: site_name: KalaSudha 'image:url': 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg' 'image:secure_url': 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg' 'image:type': image/svg+xml 'image:alt': KalaSudha --- For listeners and learners new to Indian classical music # Indian classical music glossary for beginners This Indian classical music glossary gives short, plain definitions of the words you meet first, such as raga and gharana. It also says what to expect at your first concert. ## How the words fit together in a concert At a concert of Indian classical music, the **raga** gives the soloist the notes and the rules for moving between them. The **tala**, or taal, sets the time: a cycle of a fixed number of beats that returns to its first beat, the sam. Beneath the melody, the **tanpura**, a long-necked drone lute, holds the tonic: the soloist's chosen base pitch. Both classical traditions, Hindustani in the north and Carnatic in the south, work this way. KalaSudha presents Indian classical music and dance in concerts built on the baithak model, with a small, seated audience close to the musicians. To learn, join our [academy](/en-in/academy): it teaches every discipline online, in structured courses and live lessons. Workshops and summer camps run where enough learners sign up. To listen at home, go to our [releases page](/en-in/releases) for the albums and tracks we record with the artists we promote. ## Frequently Asked Questions What is a raga, in simple words? A **raga** is the melodic framework of Indian classical music: a set of notes and the way the melody rises and falls through them. Its signature phrase, called the pakad in Hindustani music, identifies it. A raga also carries a mood (rasa), and in Hindustani music often a time of day. Musicians compose in a raga and improvise inside its rules. [Yaman](/en-in/raga/yaman), for example, is an evening raga that uses the sharp fourth, teevra Ma. What is the difference between Hindustani and Carnatic music? [Hindustani](/en-in/vocal/hindustani-classical) and [Carnatic](/en-in/vocal/carnatic-classical) music are the classical traditions of north and south India. Both build on **raga**, the melodic framework, and **tala**, the rhythmic cycle, but each has its own forms and instruments. In a Hindustani performance, musicians improvise on the raga around a composition (**bandish**) and often speed up as they go. A Carnatic concert centres on the **kriti**, a composed song, with improvisation around it, and its pulse stays steady. The north groups ragas under 10 parent scales, called thaats; the south uses 72, called melakartas. Typical instruments are the sitar and tabla in the north and the veena and mridangam in the south. What is a gharana in Indian classical music? A **gharana** is a school of Hindustani classical music: a style that teachers hand down to disciples, often within one family, over at least three generations. Most gharanas are named after a place, such as the [Gwalior](/en-in/gharana/gwalior-gharana) and [Agra](/en-in/gharana/agra-gharana) gharanas. Each gharana has its own sound and way of improvising. Tabla players and Kathak dancers have gharanas too, such as the [Farrukhabad gharana](/en-in/gharana/farrukhabad-gharana) of tabla. Carnatic musicians speak of a bani, a musician's individual style. What is a tanpura and why is it played? A **tanpura** is a long-necked, unfretted lute that plays a steady drone behind a singer or instrumentalist. It usually has four metal strings, tuned to the tonic (Sa) and generally the fifth (Pa). The tonic is the soloist's chosen base pitch, and every accompanist tunes to it. The tanpura is played to keep that pitch sounding under the melody. Each string meets a slightly curved bridge over a thin thread, and that contact makes the overtone-rich sound called **jawari**. Carnatic musicians call the instrument the tambura. What is a baithak in Indian classical music, and where can I go to one in the UK? A **baithak** is a small, seated gathering for **Indian classical music**, with the audience close to the musicians. The word means "sitting". **KalaSudha** builds its concerts on the baithak model. At short range you hear the detail of a raga: the finger on the string and the fingertip on the tabla skin. In the UK, KalaSudha presents **London Ragas**, a monthly baithak in London whose venue varies: see [where to hear a baithak in London](/en-in/faq/where-can-i-hear-indian-classical-music-live-in-london). For seating, see [Is seating allocated?](/en-in/faq/at-the-concert/is-seating-allocated) What should I expect at my first Indian classical music concert: how long it lasts, when to arrive, when to clap and what to do with my phone? At your first Indian classical concert with KalaSudha, expect about 2 to 2½ hours in all: two halves with a short interval between them. The classical raga set comes first. - Arrive at the door time on the event page to hear the alap, the raga's slow opening: see [when to arrive](/en-in/faq/at-the-concert/when-should-i-arrive). - Seating depends on the venue: see [Is seating allocated?](/en-in/faq/at-the-concert/is-seating-allocated) - Switch your phone off or to silent before the music starts; photos and short clips are welcome at the end. - Clap at the end of each piece. A soft "wah" at a striking moment is welcome, but stay silent while musicians tune. You can follow the music without knowing any ragas: see [Will I follow it?](/en-in/faq/at-the-concert/i-have-never-been-to-an-indian-classical-concert-will-i-follow-it) I am new to Indian classical music and live in the UK. Which KalaSudha concert should I choose for my first Indian classical concert, and what is it like? A good first Indian classical concert in the UK is a KalaSudha baithak, such as London Ragas in London, or a KalaSudha concert in your own city. A [baithak](/en-in/faq/at-the-concert/what-is-a-baithak) is a small concert where you sit close to the musicians. A KalaSudha concert lasts about 2 to 2½ hours, in two halves with an interval. You need no background: you do not have to know the raga, the melodic framework of a piece, to [follow your first concert](/en-in/faq/at-the-concert/i-have-never-been-to-an-indian-classical-concert-will-i-follow-it). The [KalaSudha events listing](/en-in/events) shows the concerts on sale. I have never been to an Indian classical concert. Will I follow it? Yes. You do not need to recognise a raga or count a taal to follow a **Hindustani** (North Indian) classical concert. A raga performance opens with the **alap**, a slow section with no pulse. In instrumental music the **jor** then brings in a steady pulse, and when the [tabla](/en-in/faq/instruments-artforms/what-is-a-tabla) enters with the composition, the rhythm takes hold. Come at the door time so you hear the opening alap. New to the format? Read [what a baithak is](/en-in/faq/at-the-concert/what-is-a-baithak) and [when to arrive](/en-in/faq/at-the-concert/when-should-i-arrive). Going to a dance evening? Read [what Kathak is](/en-in/faq/instruments-artforms/what-is-kathak). ## Hear a raga live at a KalaSudha concert Press Find a concert to see the dates of the next KalaSudha concerts of Indian classical music and dance. [ Find a concert ](/en-in/events)