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Reference
Indian & South Asian style reference
Hindustani and Carnatic forms, qawwali, ghazal, bhangra, Bollywood, Tamil kuthu, Baul and regional folk.
How to use this list
Each row pairs a style term with a cue line written in the same grammar: what the music is, what plays it, roughly how fast, and how it feels. Copy the cue, then change one thing at a time so you can tell which token moved the result.
Raga and tala names carry a lot of information, but pairing them with the instrument and the drum keeps results grounded.
Combining entries
Film-music entries expect big arrangements; classical entries expect space. Do not mix a dense Bollywood cue with an alap description.
If a take drifts away from what you wanted, remove tokens rather than adding more. Long prompts dilute; short, specific ones steer.
| Hindustani khayal | hindustani khayal, sitar and tabla, slow alap into teental, raga-based melodic development, 88 BPM, meditative unfolding |
| Carnatic kriti | carnatic kriti, violin and mridangam, intricate gamaka ornaments, 104 BPM, devotional precision |
| Raga alap | raga alap, unmetered sitar or sarod, tanpura drone, gradual note-by-note exploration, contemplative stillness |
| Tabla solo | tabla solo, complex tihai and kaida patterns, lehra melody loop, 120 BPM, dazzling rhythmic virtuosity |
| Qawwali | qawwali, harmonium and dholak, hand claps, soaring call-and-response vocal, 110 BPM, ecstatic devotion |
| Sufi rock | sufi rock, electric guitar with harmonium, driving rock drums, 128 BPM, impassioned urdu vocal |
| Ghazal | ghazal, harmonium and sarangi, sparse tabla, 72 BPM, poetic urdu vocal, refined longing |
| Bhajan | bhajan, harmonium, manjira cymbals, repeating devotional refrain, 96 BPM, warm communal chant |
| Kirtan | kirtan, call-and-response mantra, mridanga and kartal, gradual accelerando, 100 BPM, joyous trance |
| Bollywood classic | classic bollywood, lush orchestral strings, dholak groove, ornamented playback vocal, 108 BPM, romantic melodrama |
| Modern Bollywood dance | modern bollywood dance, EDM synths over dhol, big drop, 128 BPM, energetic bilingual hook |
| Bollywood romantic ballad | bollywood ballad, piano and strings, soft tabla, 68 BPM, emotive duet, cinematic tenderness |
| Bhangra | bhangra, thundering dhol rhythm, tumbi twang, shouted hooks, 140 BPM, exuberant harvest-dance energy |
| Punjabi pop | punjabi pop, tumbi and dhol over club beat, autotuned hook, 104 BPM, swaggering party mood |
| Indi-pop | indipop, glossy synths, tabla-flavored percussion, 112 BPM, bright Hindi vocal, 90s nostalgia |
| Desi hip-hop | desi hip-hop, trap drums with dhol accents, sitar sample, 90 BPM, hard-hitting Punjabi flow |
| Filmi item number | item number, brassy hook, dholak and claps, whistles, 132 BPM, flamboyant flirtatious energy |
| Tamil kuthu | kuthu, thavil and urumi drum barrage, nadaswaram hook, 136 BPM, raucous street-festival mood |
| Tamil melody | tamil film melody, flute and strings, gentle mridangam, 84 BPM, tender lyrical vocal |
| Telugu mass beat | telugu mass number, heavy percussion, bold brass, chanted hook, 128 BPM, hero-entry swagger |
| Malayalam folk fusion | malayalam folk fusion, chenda drums with acoustic guitar, 112 BPM, earthy communal vocal |
| Rajasthani folk | rajasthani folk, kamaicha bow drone, khartal clapper, high nasal vocal, 96 BPM, desert caravan color |
| Baul | baul folk, ektara drone and dubki drum, raw wandering vocal, 100 BPM, mystical Bengali soul |
| Rabindra Sangeet | rabindra sangeet, gentle esraj and tanpura, restrained vocal, 66 BPM, poetic Bengali serenity |
| Sri Lankan baila | baila, bouncy 6/8 rhythm, guitar and hand drums, 132 BPM, playful sing-along cheer |
| Nepali folk pop | nepali folk pop, madal drum, bamboo flute, acoustic guitar, 108 BPM, bright mountain warmth |
| Indian classical fusion | indian fusion, sitar over jazz-rock band, konnakol vocal percussion, odd meter, 132 BPM, virtuosic cross-cultural drive |
| Bansuri meditation | bansuri meditation, bamboo flute over tanpura drone, soft tabla, 62 BPM, serene sunrise calm |
| Santoor ambient | santoor ambient, hammered strings cascading, reverb wash, no drums, crystalline stillness |
| Dhol percussion feature | dhol feature, layered double-headed drum patterns, shouted haaaa, 144 BPM, celebratory power |
Raw data: /guide/reference/lists/indian-south-asian-list.json · 30 entries
FAQ
Can I request a specific raga?
You can name one, and it often colours the melody, but treat the result as raga-flavoured rather than theoretically strict.
Do I have to use the whole indian & south asian cue line?
No. The lines are built from independent tokens, so you can keep the two or three that matter and drop the rest without breaking the grammar.
Can I mix this list with another one?
Yes — keep one rhythm description, one lead instrument, one production word and a single tempo. Competing rhythm descriptions are the usual cause of muddled results.