Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
word meaning "Thunder," or "Roar", but can also mean "murmur" or "whisper to oneself". As with many Arabic and Persian words, it has been taken into
Indian classical music
Indian classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as '' Hindustani'' and the South Indian expression known as '' Carnatic''. These traditions were not ...
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Like a khatka, another type of Alankara, ''zamzama'' is a cluster of notes, which is used by the musician to embellish the landing note. The difference to a khatka is that the notes in a ''zamzama'' are rendered in progressive combinations and permutations. For the listener it sounds like a complex taan pattern with sharp
gamak
Gamaka (also spelled gamakam) refer to ornamentation that is used in the performance of North and South Indian classical music. Gamaka can be understood as embellishment done on a note or between two notes. Present-day Carnatic music uses at le ...
s.
''Zamzamas'' are an integral part of tappa singing. In
Khayal
Khyal or Khayal (ख़याल / خیال) is a major form of Hindustani classical music in the Indian subcontinent. Its name comes from a Persian/Arabic word meaning "imagination". Khyal is associated with romantic poetry, and allows the perfor ...
renditions it needs to be used with great caution by the vocalist, depending on the
raga
A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradit ...