jaaru - a gamaka which involves a slide or glide from one note to another

jaati - refers to the number of beats in the laghu (a division of the laghu). It can be tishra (3), catusra (4), khaNDa (5), mishra (7), or sankeerna (9). These varieties of laghu make the sapta taaLas into 35

jaavali - a musical form (sabhaa gaanam), a type of song that is usually a love story with the characters naayaki (heroine), naayaka (hero), and tOzhi (close friend) and performed as classical dance (bharatanaaTyam). The compositions are often lively in madhyama kaala, expressing love through colloquial words (like the Hindustani ghazal). Some have no anupallavi, but all have pallavi and caraNams. They are composed in common and dEsya raagas

jakkini Daru - a Daruvu or song where the first part of the saahityam is full of jatis and THEN the words are given. It also contains madhyama kaala prayOgams. Sometimes apoorva taaLams like guru jhampa are used

janaka raaga - same as mElakarta, opposite of janya

janaka raaga lakshaNa geetam - a lakshana geetam in a melakarta raaga, which can tell about the swaras of the raaga and the janyas of the raaga in the saahitya. It was previously known as raagaana raaga lakshaNa geetam (which has 3 parts, see raagaanga raaga lakshaNa geetam)

janTa varisai - a series of musical phrases for early musical practice, in which swaras are sung in pairs, ex: ss rr gg mm pp dd nn SS. Also called iraTTai kOvai varisai

janya - a raaga derived from a melakarta, but which does not have the exact characteristics of the melakarta. It may be missing swaras (varja), have a crooked scale (vakra), have additional notes from another melakarta raaga (bhaashaanga), or even have some small change in the way it is performed

janya raaga lakshaNa geetam - a lakshaNa geetam in a janya raaga, which tells about the swaras of the raaga and the melakarta from which the raaga is derived in the saahitya

jati - a phrase used in place of swaras or words (alongside them), usually such as dheem, takita, taam, tOm, often used in tillaanaas and dance-related songs

jatiswaram - a type of abhyaasa gaanam, similar to a swarajati, often called a swara-pallavi. It has no saahityam at all, but instead combines jatis. It is used often in dance. Some jatiswarams are in cowka kaalam or are raagamaalikas

jeeva - swaras that are vital to a raaga (give it life). For saavEri the jeeva swaras are ri, ma, and da

jhampa - one of the sapta taaLas, with the form laghu, anudrutam, drutam (symbol |U0). With the 7 varieties of laghu, it has 7 forms. For example, khaNDa jaati jhampa taaLa, which is laghu(5), anudrutam(1), drutam(2), has 8 beats.

just intonation - see scale of just intonation