Been-Nawaj Niyamat Khan

Niyamat Khan played Been long before his compositions of 'Khayal'. Nobody could be counted as his equal in been playing, such was his mastery over the instrument. People used to get spell-bound by the melodious music of his bean. Dr. Najma Parabeen Ahmed has stated certain characteristics of a been player.

The performer should be a cultured man of good taste.

• He should be open minded.
• He should have pleasing personality and should be practical.
• He should be well-versed and proficient in the field of Raag structure(Raagang), language(Bhashang) and Kriyang.
• He should have complete control over musical notes.
• He should be a hard working person.

Niyamat Khan must have possessed all these characteristics which is why he became such a renowned Been-player. Audience lost themselves in the tunes of his been and exclaimed that he was the 'only one of his kind'.

'Gat', which is played on a been is composed taking into consideration the rules of Rag as well as the components of tal like Sam, Kal, Matra and Khand. This becomes obvious because of the disciplined thought content and scope for creativity through the performance of a been player. These qualities helped Sadarang when he started composing for the vocalists as well.