Hindustani music
The classical music of northern India
Carnatic music
The classical music of South India
Bhajan
The genre of devotional songs from India
Filmi
The genre of popular music taken from the films of India (“Bollywood”)
Qawwali
Sufi Muslim devotional songs that feature a leader and chorus, tabla, and harmonium
Drum song
Native American genre featuring drums and singing
Flute song
Native American genre featuring solo flute
Inuit throat singing
North American singing game involving two Inuit women (They sing on the inhale and exhale)
Field Holler and Work Song
African-American genre (“roots” music): Work songs coordinated the physical movement of work; Field Hollers functioned to pass the time.
Spirituals and Gospel
Religious folk music of African-Americans (Spirituals are usually a cappella whereas Gospel has a rhythm section)
Bluegrass
(Genre) A style of American folk music characterized by virtuosic instrumental performance and the “high-lonesome” vocal style (harmony above the melody)
Raga
A system of rules/expectations for composition and improvisation in Indian classical music.
Alap
The opening rhythmic improvisation of raga performance in Indian classical music
Jhala
The climactic end of the alap section of raga performance in India, when the drone strings of the sitar are often used.
Gat
The composed section of instrumental performance in Indian classical music (aka, when a “known tune” is performed)
Drone
A continuous sound; in Indian music played by the Tamboura, Sruti box, or Harmonium
Bollywood
Informal name for India’s film industry derived form a combination of “Bombay” and “Hollywood”
Guru
A teacher or spiritual guide, primarily associated with Hindu traditions from India
Vocables
Non-lexical syllables such as “yaa, heh, daa, weh” used in the Native American tradition
Pow wow
A pan-tribal American Indian event celebrating Native American identity and culture, generally also open to non-Native Americans
Blues (12-bar)
Secular folk music tradition originating within the African-American community of the southern United States
Tala
Rhythmic framework found in raga performance in India
Sam
The “downbeat” or “one” in the Indian rhythmic cycle (pronounced “sum”)
Blue Note
In African-American Spiritual and blues traditions, the blue note is the pitch between a major and minor 3rd (not found on the piano)
Sitar
Hindustani melodic instrument with 4 melodic strings, 13 sympathetic strings, and 4 drone/jhala strings
Sarod
Hindustani melodic instrument with a steel fingerboard, and a more guitar-like sound than the sitar
Tambura
The Indian drone instrument with just four strings
tabla
The Hindustani drums: a pair, each with a clay dot baked onto the head to lower the fundamental pitch of the drum
Sruti box
Also known as a “Harmonium”, an Indian drone instrument that functions like a 4-note accordian
Diddly bow
A one-string primitive instrument that was key in the early development of the blues
Inuit frame drum
This instrument is made of a circle of wood with either caribou skin or seal stomach as the membrane. You strike it on the rim, which creates a dance-like motion when playing