Structure and Form in Indian Music

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Structure & Form

The word rag is also used to describe the performance of a long piece of music which might last from 30 minutes to five hours or more. The piece will be divided into sections, each one flowing into the next and having its own features.

The four main sections of a rag composition/performance are: Alap, Jhor, Jhala, Gat

Alap - This is the opening, improvisatory section. Only the tambura playing the drone will be accompanying the soloist. The tabla will not be playing.

The alap is normally slow in tempo and unmetred/in free time. The notes of the chosen rag are gradually introduced and explored by the soloist (e.g sitar, sarangi, bansuri, shenhai or voice)

Gat - A fixed/pre-composed tune based on the chosen rag is played which then provides material for further improvisation. The rhythm becomes very important in the gat section with the tabla player and soloist often engaged in a virtuouso dialogue with each other.

Sometimes the table player comes in in the Jhala section.

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