Alap

Alap is the introductory, improvisational section of a raga performance in Indian classical music. In Hindustani performance, it is a slow, unmetered melodic exploration that establishes the raga’s mood, scale, and characteristic phrases without fixed rhythmic accompaniment. The performer, typically a soloist with a tanpura drone, gradually reveals the raga’s possibilities through long, expressive phrases, glides (meend), and ornaments, without presenting a composed tune or tala.

Key features of alap include its freedom from meter, its focus on mood and melodic development, and its role in preparing listeners for more rhythmic sections. There is no fixed progression or concluding cadence; the music evolves through improvisation and the expanding range and exploration of notes. Alap commonly transitions into jor and, in instrumental performance, jhala, or into a sung bandish or other composition supported by tala when the tempo and rhythmic accompaniment begin.

Gharana and stylistic variations influence how alap is approached. Some styles favor extremely slow, meditative elaboration with patient development of phrases, while others emphasize more rapid or intricate note patterns. Kirana-style alapana, for example, is noted for expansive, lyrical rendering, whereas other traditions may prioritize different melodic motifs and meend patterns.

In Carnatic music, a closely related concept is alapana, a raga exposition performed without tala to prepare for a kriti. While sharing the unmetered, exploratory character, alapana in Carnatic performance is integrated into a different musical framework and performance sequence.

Alap thus serves as the foundational, mood-setting portion of a raga performance, bridging spontaneous melodic invention with subsequent rhythmic and melodic elaboration.