What does ALAP stand for? 

Alap

The Alap (; Hindustani: [aːˈlaːp]) is the opening section of a typical 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), and started at a slow tempo. For people unfamiliar with the raga form, it introduces the mode (the pattern of ascending and perhaps different descending scale) to the listener. It defines the raga, its mood, and the emphasized notes and notes with a secondary role. It's like an invocation. 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.

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