Glossary · glossary · 1 min read
Murki
मुरकी; a quick cluster of notes
A murki is a fast, light cluster of two or three notes around a main note in Indian music. You will hear it in film songs and ghazals, sung poems built from self-contained pairs of lines.
By John, Music lover from Bangalore · Reviewed by BRR · Last reviewed 29 Sept 2026
Murki
A murki is a fast, light cluster of two or three notes around a main note. Think of it as a turn taken in a flash. It can decorate the end of a phrase or appear just before a note is held.
Imagine the same line sung twice, first plainly, then with a quick turn on its last word. That small cluster of notes is the murki. The difference between plain and ornamented delivery often comes down to where these turns fall within the line.
Where you will hear it
Murki, a quick cluster of two or three notes around a main note, belongs especially to lighter forms of Indian music. You will hear it in ghazals and film songs.
A ghazal is poetry built from self-contained couplets, or pairs of lines, linked by rhyme and a shared pattern of length and rhythm. When sung, a returning melody connects those couplets.
Ghazal singers use murkis often. Mehdi Hassan’s ghazal recordings offer plenty of examples, with these quick turns appearing on the last word of a line.
Keep going
- What is a ghazal? Structure explained with two BeatRootRaga originals · A ghazal is poetry built from self-contained couplets, or pairs of lines, joined by rhyme and a shared pattern of line length and rhythm. When sung, a returning melody connects the couplets, while repeated lines, melodic changes and pauses give listeners time to hear the meaning.