Editing Alap (section)

{{Short description|Opening of Hindustani classical music}}
{{for multi|the 1977 Bollywood film|Alaap|the 2012 Bollywood film|Aalaap|the village in Hungary|Alap, Hungary}}
{{one source|date=April 2007}}
The '''Alap''' ({{IPAc-en|æ|ˈ|l|ɑː|p}}; {{IPA|hns|aːˈlaːp|lang}}) is the opening section of a typical [[Hindustani classical music|North Indian classical]] performance. It is a form of melodic improvisation that introduces and develops a [[raga]]. In [[dhrupad]] singing the alap is unmetered, improvised (within the raga) and unaccompanied (except for the [[tanpura]] [[Drone (music)|drone]]), and started at a slow tempo.
For people unfamiliar with the raga form, it introduces the [[thaat]] to the listener. It defines the raga, its mood, and the emphasized notes and notes with a secondary role.

Instead of wholly free improvisation, many musicians perform alap schematically, for example by way of ''vistar'', where the notes of the raga are introduced one at a time, so that phrases never travel further than one note above or below what has been covered before. In such cases, the first reach into a new octave can be a powerful event.

In instrumental music, when a steady pulse is introduced into the alap, it is called [[jor (music)|jor]]; when the tempo has been greatly increased, or when the rhythmic element overtakes the melodic, it is called [[jhala]] (dhrupad: ''[[nomtom]]''). The jor and jhala can be seen as separate sections of the performance, or as parts of the alap; in the same way, jhala can be seen as a part of jor.<ref>Kamien, Roger, and Anita Kamien. Music: an Appreciation. McGraw-Hill Education, 2018.</ref>