[Listening extract audio not available in printed QP] A sitar improvises while a tabla provides a repeating rhythmic cycle. The sitar player bends strings t...

(a) The repeating rhythmic cycle played by the tabla is called a tala. [1]

A tala is a fixed rhythmic pattern of a set number of beats that repeats in a continuous cycle throughout a performance. Different talas have different numbers of beats and internal groupings. For example, the commonly used tintal has 16 beats grouped into four sections of four. The tabla player maintains the tala throughout the performance, providing the rhythmic framework against which the sitar (or other melodic instrument) improvises. The first beat of each cycle, called sam, is the most important rhythmic anchor point, and performers aim to arrive back at sam together after improvised passages.

(b) The string-bending technique used by the sitar player to slide between notes is called meend (also acceptable: portamento or glissando). [1]

Meend is a characteristic ornamental technique in Indian classical music where the performer pulls a string sideways across the fret to smoothly glide from one pitch to another. This creates a continuous, vocal-like connection between notes rather than the discrete, separated pitches typical of Western music. The technique is essential to expressing the mood and character of a raga, as certain slides between specific notes are prescribed by the raga's rules. In Western terminology, a similar smooth connection between pitches is called portamento or glissando.