Melody and timbre in North Indian classical music

Key learning points

1. North Indian classical music typically involves three features - rhythm, melody and drone.
2. The sitar typically plays the melody, accompanied by rhythms on the tabla and a sustained drone on the tanpura.
3. North Indian classical music is based on raga. Each raga is a set of notes that has a specific mood associated with it.
4. Performers improvise using a raga to create the alap section.
5. This is the first section in a piece of North Indian classical music, in which there is no clear pulse.

Keywords

• Tabla - A tabla is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent consisting of a small drum (dayan) and a larger drum (bayan).

• Sitar - A sitar is a stringed instrument from the Indian subcontinent. It has up to 21 strings and a distinct, resonant timbre.

• Tanpura - A tanpura is a stringed instrument from the Indian subcontinent that plays sustained drone sounds.

• Alap - The alap is the introduction in North Indian Classical music, in which a performer improvises using a raga with a free tempo.

• Raga - A raga is a set of notes used to create a composition. Each raga has a specific mood associated with it.

Common misconception