Fundamentals of Hindustani Music (Part One)

Terms: 

Guru-Master that represents all of the divine.

Vinaya- Humility. Complete surrender of one's self. Hindu's vanity and pretention worn away.

Sadhana- Practice & discipline

Shishya- Student of guru

Namaskar- Greeting with palm to forehead

Patanam- respectful greeting where one touches a person's feet. Then one touches their own eyes and                     forehead with the hand's held palm to palm.

 Rishi- Saint Sage

 Paltas- Short melodic performance within a scale and tabla framework in different tempi. 

 Bandishes- Other fixed compositions a student learns. Includes songs of different styles sung to meaningful             texts. Can be slow or fast.

 Gats- Instrumental pieces

 Tans- Melodic phrases in a variety of Melodic motions and tempi.

Guru

"Pani Piye Chanka, Guru Banaye Janke"

          Meaning: the one should drink water only after it has been filtered, one should take a guru only after ones feels sure of the decision. 

-Choosing a guru is important for life and wisdom guidance. Do not choose too quickly a guru. Once the ganda or nara ceremony ends, it will ensure a symbolic bond. The two stay together for life. 

Vinaya

This is the role of the shishya or student. You give yourself completely to the guru. The discipline feel love, adoration, reverence and fear towards guru. Student must accept praise or scolding. The guru is the giver of everything needed. Guru may be hasty, but this of the guru's path as a teacher. Feeling humble to a superior is a Hindu custom.

Sadhana

-Leads to self-realization

-Practices fanatic zeal and ardent dedication

-Sargams must be learned. You must learn scales and paltas (alankars).

-Student's technique must have technological advancement. 

- A true guru never stops growth

-20 years at least to mature and advance in Indian Classical music

All came from "My Music, My Life" by Pandit Ravi Shankar