Raga

A melodic framework in Indian classical music defined by characteristic pitches, phrase patterns, and conventions for shaping musical expression.

Svara: A musical pitch or scale degree in Indian classical music, with a named position and expressive character. Raga pitches are understood through the svara system, not merely as notes in a scale.
Vadi and samvadi: The primary and secondary prominent pitches identified in a raga. Their relative prominence helps organize melodic emphasis within a raga.
Samaveda: An ancient Indian collection of chants, largely adapted from verses of the Rigveda. Its chant traditions form part of the long history of Indian music preceding raga systems.
Carnatic music: The classical music tradition of South India, with distinctive compositional and improvisational practices. Carnatic musicians organize melodic performance around raga frameworks.
Musical scale: An ordered set of pitches arranged by ascending or descending frequency. A scale lists pitches, whereas a raga also depends on characteristic phrases and performance conventions.
Jati (music): A classification of a raga by the number of pitches used in its ascending and descending forms. Jati describes how many pitches a raga uses in ascent and descent.
Alap: An unmetered, gradual exposition of a raga’s pitches and characteristic phrases. Alap reveals a raga’s melodic identity before rhythmic composition begins.
Bharata Muni: The traditional author associated with the Sanskrit treatise Natya Shastra on drama, dance, and music. The Natya Shastra documents early musical theories that predate mature raga classifications.
Raga Yaman: A Hindustani raga associated with a characteristic use of the raised fourth degree. Yaman offers a well-known example of how pitch choices and phrases define a raga.
Melody: A succession of musical pitches perceived as a coherent musical line. Raga is a structured framework for shaping melodies, not a single melody itself.

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