The Performance of a Rāga 

Rāgas are known to musicians primarily through traditional compositions such as 'dhrupad', 'dhamar', 'khayāl', 'tappā', 'tarānā' and 'thumri'.  The distinctive features and beauty of a rāga will no doubt be revealed through a good composition.  

A song (Bandish or Chiz) or instrumental composition (Gat) may be relatively short, but it plays a vital role as a recurring theme in the performance.  It should have at least two parts, Sthāyi (standing, constant) and Antarā (intermediate).  The sthāyi portrays the rāga's main features in the first part of the middle octave and part of the lower register, and the antarā covers the higher part of the middle octave to high Sa and beyond.

In the performing of a rāga composition, it is the Alāp that is of the greatest significance and this is an introduction or prelude to the whole work which is in four parts, like the movements of a sonata, played without a break.  The alāp has no text and is therefore the ideal medium for expressing and manifesting salient features of the rāga.  One way of performing vocal alāp is to use abstract syllables as te, re, na, ta, nom, tom etc.  This is referred to as NOM-TOM. It serves traditionally as an introduction to a 'dhrupad' or 'dhamar' song.