A khayal performance comprises of basically two parts - the bada khayal and a chhota khayal. A typical khayal concert always starts with a bada khayal sung in vilambit laya or slow tempo in a major raaga falling in the time-slot. Some gharanas and singers prefer to start in madhya laya or medium tempo. The bada khayal is rendered using a song-text or bandish. Each note and nuance of a raaga is elucidated systematically and comprehensively in all the three octaves, by stretching and combining the vowel and phonemic sounds in the words in ways that would, largely, reveal facets of the raaga as also the moods and emotions underscored in the song-text in creative ways. These days, an able singer could take anywhere from half an hour to 40 minutes to render a bada khayal. The slow tempo bada khayal is followed by a chhota khayal, set to drut laya or fast tempo. Chhota khayal offers greater scope for faster figures, incredible improvisations and luminous rhythmic play. Many singers conclude the raaga presentation with the chhota khayal. Others may choose to round off with a scintillating tarana in drut or ati-drut tempo. This is the basic format and structure of a typical khayal rendition.

But the structure mentioned itself is composed of a number of constituent parts, which give the impression of formal and aesthetic unity. For the sake of simple ness, the chief constituent parts of a khayal are taken to be eight in number. This include - alaap, bandish, bol-alaap, bol-baant, bol-taan, taan, sargam and layakari. These are called ashta anga or the eight limbs of the khayal, according to the dean of the Gwalior gharana. Different gharanas and individual singers choose to render these constituent parts with varying emphasis. Of these, alaap, bandish and taan are requisite components. In fact, khayal would be unthinkable as a form without these three critical ingredients. Some of these elements are also sung in varying order by different gharanas. However, gharanas which favour a more disciplined approach to the form, follow the ashta anga order sequentially.

Only the older and more traditionalist gharanas like Gwalior and Agra give more or less equal prominence to all or, at least, most of these elements. Certain gharanas accentuate some elements at the cost of others. Individual preferences, inclinations and endowments of singers too lead to abundant variations. In fact, the stylistic differences between many of the older gharanas can, comparatively, be made out by the relative prominence they give to some or all of these elements. All these only go to further establish that khayal is an agile form, unendingly open to divergences and variations. Its core components apart, the form cannot be structurally bound by hard and fast rules. A detailed look into how the typical khayal recital progresses, given the ashta anga or eight-limbed structure mentioned earlier.

Alaap: An aochar or a brief alaap usually precedes the bada khayal wherein the singer curtly sketches the basic grammatical structure and melodic ideas of the raaga, using syllabic or vowel sounds like ni ri yae or aakaar, or even the opening lines of the composition, in low and middle registers without any rhythmic accompaniment. Free alaap, however, is not an absolute part of khayal as it is of dhrupad. The aochar cannot, in terms of amplitude, be compared to the unrestrained alaaps sung in dhrupad. Several singers of the Agra gharana, however, recourse to the dhrupadic nom tom alaap in a very comprehensive manner prior to singing the composition. Others, like some of the singers from the Jaipur-Atrauli tradition, may commence the composition without singing the aochar.

Bandish: Bandish can be called the high-point in khayal, wherein a singer highlights the most intricate, most melodic, most rhythmic and the most effervescent portions of this classical musical form. A listener is dumb-founded and enthralled by its performance, which is precisely the main aim of a singer. A bandish is the firmly constructed musical composition, set to a specific tala, illustrating the cream features of a raaga. It is always accompanied by a tabla to render its metrical quality

Bol-alaap and Badhat: Elaboration of the raaga, or badhat, begins slowly to rhythmic accompaniment. Badhat is a scrupulous mode of melodic development which utilises words and tala to explore the configurations of a raaga in the most nuanced manner possible. Bol-alaap, though similar to badhat, utilises select phrases of the composition for alaap-like amplification and improvisation. A singer doing bol-alaap enunciates select words and phrases (bols) of the composition in attractive groups and bunches to create melodic patterns and mould musical designs within the framework of rhythm. Singers following the Gwalior gayaki sue bol-alaaps with great effect. They elongate the bols of the text using aakar in exceedingly tempting manners. While a singer is performing badhat, he or she uses vowels and syllables to enhance the pitches and tones and thereby evokes the aesthetic power of the swaras. Words may seem indistinct and hazily articulated here, as the singer is concentrating on the abstract melodic contours, rather than on the semantic component. Singers following the Kirana style use badhat with touching effect, given that their focus is on tonal shades and moods.

Bol-baant: Once the antara has been rendered and the singer, after further ventures into the sthayi, would opt to play with the melodic ideas and words of the composition into certain rhythmic patterns. Words and melodic ideas are brought into a state of sharp relief through bol-baant, which is a carryover from dhrupad. The word-rhythm relationship is highlighted in this section. With the origination of this section, the recital takes on a more vigorous turn. There is a shift in emphasis from the scrupulous attention paid to raagabhaava in slow pace to a faster one emphasizing metrical improvisations. A noteworthy phrase or line from the composition is taken and divided into syllable units and then regrouped back to the accompaniment of appropriate rhythmic beats. The word/syllable-tala sync is a test of dexterity, both for the singer and the tabla player. Bol-baant increases the pace of the khayal considerably. Singers if the Agra gharana, given their strong dhrupadi background, are acknowledged masters of this segment Bol-taan: Bol-taans signal the commencement of a vigorous and lively phase. Chosen phrases or words in bandish are interspersed with fast tempo melodic figures called tans. Bol-taans normally synchronise with the beats. This allows both the singer and the percussionist to engage in blazing rhythmic presentations, particularly the manner in which both leap onto the same with flourish. Singers with dexterous and rich voices are able to put it to substantial use and effect in this section.

Sargam: Sargam is indeed an important part of Khayal. Sargam singing was introduced into khayal only during the 20th century. It is generally accepted that it was Abdul Karim Khan who had popularised the use of sargam, following his exposure to, and absorption of it from Karnatic music, where it is used enthrallingly while elaborating specific sections of the composition. Aman Ali Khan of Bhendi Bazaar gharana further refined its use in khayal and made it an indispensable part of the gharana`s gayaki. Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Kahn and Ustad Amir Khan used sargam and sargam-patterns with great effect during their renditions.

Layakari: Certain gharanas may, towards the conclusion or at the mid-point of their chhota khayals recourse to rhythmic play, utilising words or lines from the composition in a rhythmically oriented manner. The meeting or crossing of the arcs of rhythm and of articulated words gives rise to sparkling word-tala play. The singer and the percussionist engage in a lively `dialogue`, involving breathtaking word-tala ladants (fights). Together they also explore ingenious ways of arriving at the sam with composure and flourish, always creating an effect of surprise when they do so. Agra singers offer luminous layakari, given their overall emphasis in rhythm; whereas Kirana singers, who focus on raagabhaava avoid this part, because they feel it meddles with the prevailing mood they have sought to create.

Taans: Sargams may either be preceded or followed by taans, which are fast tempo melodic figures sung in three octaves in a speedy series, using the ascending notes of the raaga. They are sung at twice the speed of the basic tempo of the khayal, using the vowel in quick succession. Though rendered at high speed, the singer has to take care to keep within the perimeters of the raaga`s grammatical structure. They help in creating varied patterns within the raaga-scale