Module 10: Listening literacy · Lesson 3

Inside a song and an improvisation

◐ Confidence: medium Last verified: 12 Oct 2026

From the free opening to the song

A kriti is often introduced by an Alapana , where the raga is explored with no beat and no words. The change to the song is easy to hear: the performers move from free exploration to a composed piece with words, where the tala is felt and the accompanists join in a settled way.

In a longer item the order is alapana, then Tanam with its flowing pulse, then the Pallavi with its improvisations (see Improvised forms).

The parts of a kriti

Most kritis are built from sections that return in a recognisable pattern (see Kriti and kirtana):

• the Pallavi , the opening section, which works like a refrain;
• the Anupallavi , the second section, which usually rises into higher notes;
• the Charanam , the last and longest section, which often borrows melody from the earlier parts.

Listening for the return of the opening line is the simplest way to know where you are in the song. A kriti may have more than one charanam, and may include Sangati , the progressive variations on a line (also described in the earlier lesson).

Niraval and kalpanaswara

After the song has been sung, the performer may return to one line of it and improvise:

• In Niraval , the same line of words is kept, but the melody around it is varied again and again, always returning to the line. The words and rhythm stay the same; the melody changes.
• In Kalpanaswara , note names (sa, ri, ga and so on) are sung in improvised patterns, and each pattern ends by coming back to a point in the line.

Both are tied to the tala, so you can follow them by finding the cycle. The place where the performer returns to the line is a good clue that you are hearing one or the other.

The percussion solo

In the Tani avartanam , the drummers play patterns in the tala, taking turns and answering one another, and then the melody returns.

You do not need to understand the rhythm syllables to follow it. Listen for the cycle, for the moment the players take turns and for the return to the song.

A short map of listening