Tala (music)
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In Indian classical music, Tala (Sanskrit tāla), literally a "clap," is a rhythmical pattern that determines the rhythmical structure of a composition. It plays a similar role to metre in Western music, but is structurally different from the concept of metre. Each composition is set to a tala, and as a composition is rendered by the main artist(s), the percussion artist(s) play the pattern repeatedly, marking time as well as enhancing the appeal of the performance.
The most common instrument for keeping rhythm in Hindustani music is the tabla. The pakhavaj is also used, especially for the Dhrupad genre of Hindustani music. In Carnatic music, the Mridangam is a stock feature in vocal, violin, Veena and flute concerts, with the Ghatam, the Kanjira and the Morsing also featuring at times. In Nadhaswaram concerts, the Thavil takes the place of the Mridangam.
While Indian classical music has a complete and complex system for the execution and transcription of rhythms and beats, a few talas are very common while most others are rare. The most common Tala in Hindustani classical music is Tintal. This tala has a cycle of 16 beats divided in 4 bars. Bars 1,2 and 4 are accented while bar 3 is light. Most talas can be played at different speeds, but no tala is generally slowed down as much as Ektal, with its 12 beats sometimes taking more than a minute.
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[edit] Tala in Carnatic music
Traditionally, Carnatic music vocalists mark the tala by tapping their laps with their palm. Instrumentalists such as violinists and flutists that use both hands mark the tala by tapping their feet on the ground inconspicuously.
[edit] Tala varieties
In Carnatic music, each repeated cycle is called an Aavartanam, while each "tap" is called an aksharam or a kriyā. A tala thus describes the number and arrangement of aksharams inside an Aavartanam. Note that the intervals between the aksharams are all equally long. The aksharams are subdivided into maatraas or svaras.
There are three patterns of beats that recur in all talas - these are the laghu, the dhrutam and the anudhrutam.
- A dhrutam is a pattern of 2 aksharams, with the first aksharam marked with the palm face down, and the second with the face up. This is notated 'O'.(ie., Tapping once with your palm facing down and once with it facing up.)
- An anudhrutam is a single aksharam, marked with the palm face down and notated 'U'.(ie., Tapping once with your palm facing down)
- A laghu is a pattern with the first aksharam marked with the palm face down, followed by a variable number of aksharams marked with successive fingers starting with the little finger. This is notated '1'
The number of aksharams in the laghu is one of 3, 4, 5, 7 or 9, and this characterises the variety (jaathi) of the tala. The five varieties are:
| # aksharams in laghu | Jāti |
| 3 | Tisram |
| 4 | Chatusram |
| 5 | Khandam |
| 7 | Misram |
| 9 | sankeernam |
[edit] Tala families
Modern day Carnatic music uses a comprehensive system for the specification of talas, called the sulaadi sapta taala system. According to this system, there are seven families of talas differing on the way an Aavartanam is constructed from the laghu, dhrutam and anudhrutam.
These are respectively:
| tala | Description of Aavartanam | Default length of laghu |
| Dhruva | 1O11 | 4 |
| Matya | 1O1 | 4 |
| Rupaka | O1 | 4 |
| Jhampa | 1UO | 7 |
| Triputa | 1OO | 3 |
| Ata | 11OO | 5 |
| Eka | 1 | 4 |
For instance, one Aavartanam of Khanda-jaati Rupaka tala comprises a 2-long dhrutam followed by a 5-long laghu. An Aavartanam is thus 7 aksharams long.
Thus, with all possible combinations of tala types and laghu lengths, there are 5 x 7 = 35 talas, with lengths ranging from 3 (Tisra-jaati Eka) to 29 (sankeerna-jaati Dhruva) aksharams.
Some of the musicians practising carnatic music refer to the jaathi of a tala as chaapu. Thus, the Khanda-jaati Rupaka tala may also be referred to as Khanda-chaapu Rupaka tala
[edit] Nadai or gati
The duration of an aksharam, usually fixed (though there are exceptions) within a rendition of a composition in its tala, varies across talas. The fundamental unit of time used is called a maatraa or a svaram, and each tala is also characterised by the number of maatraas in an aksharam. This count, which corresponds to the length of an aksharam is called the nadai or gati of the tala. The default nadai is Chatusram. But the nadai can be one of 3, 4, 5, 7 or 9, and these are respectively called Tisra, Chatusra, Khanda, Misra and sankeerna, as above. This provides further variation from the 35 talas specified above.
As in the example above, Chatusra-gati Khanda-jaati Rupaka tala has 7 aksharam, each of which is 4 maatraas long; each Aavartanam of the tala is 4 x 7 = 28 maatraas long. For Misra-gati Khanda-jaati Rupaka tala, it would be 7 x 7 = 49 maatraa
[edit] Eduppu or Start point
Compositions do not always start at the start of the tala. It is offset by a certain number of maatraas or aksharas or combination of both. This is to better suit the words of the composition in the construct of the tala. The following are some of the common Eduppu handled in talas:
- 1 - Thalli - where 1 maatraas are ignored from the start of the tala before the composition starts.
- 2 - Thalli - where 2 maatraas are ignored from the start of the tala before the composition starts.
- 3 - Thalli - where 3 maatraas are ignored from the start of the tala before the composition starts.
- 4 - Thalli (one akshara offset) - where 4 maatraas are ignored from the start of the tala before the composition starts.
- 6 - Thalli (one akshara and 2 maatras)- where 6 maatraas are ignored from the start of the tala before the composition starts.
The word Thalli is from Tamil and literally means to shift. There is another variation where the composition starts in the last few maatraas of the previous Aavartanam. This is called Atheetha Eduppu. The following are the common Atheetha eduppus
- 2 - Thalli - where 2 maatraas are carried over from the end of the previous Aavardhanam.
- 3 - Thalli - where 3 maatraas are carried over from the end of the previous Aavardhanam.
[edit] Other Rare talas
Other than the 35 talas,the gathis mentined here, there are 108 anga talas. The following is the exhaustive pattern of beats used in constructing the anga thalams.
| Anga | Symbol | Aksharakala | Mode of Counting |
| Anudrutam | U | 1 | 1beat |
| Druta | O | 2 | 1 beat + Visarijitam (wave of hand) |
| Druta-virama | (OU) | 3 | |
| Laghu (Chatusra-jati) | l | 4 | 1 beat + 3 finger count |
| Laghu-virama | U) | 5 | |
| Laghu-druta | O) | 6 | |
| Laghu-druta-virama | OU) | 7 | |
| Guru | 8 | 8 | A beat followed by circular movement of the right hand in the clockwise direction with closed fingers. |
| Guru-virama | (8U) | 9 | |
| Guru-druta | (8O) | 10 | |
| Guru-druta-virama | (8OU) | 11 | |
| Plutam | ) | 12 | 1 beat + kryshya (waving the right hand from right to left) + 1 sarpini(waving the right hand from left to right) - each of 4 aksharakalas OR a Guru followed by the hand waving downwards |
| Pluta-virana | U) | 13 | |
| Pluta-druta | O) | 14 | |
| Pluta-druta-virama | OU) | 15 | |
| Kakapadam | + | 16 | 1 beat + patakam(lifting the right hand) + kryshya + sarpini - each of 4 aksharakalas) |
These are very rare and lengthy talas. Compositions are rare in these talas. They are mostly used in RTPs.
Some examples of anga talas are:
Sarabhandana tala
| 8 | O | l | l | O | U | U) | |
| O | O | O | U | O) | OU) | U) | O |
| U | O | U | O | U) | O | (OU) | O) |
Simhanandana tala : It is the longest tala.
| 8 | 8 | l | ) | l | 8 | O | O |
| 8 | 8 | l | ) | l | ) | 8 | l |
| + |
Another type of tala is the chhanda tala. These are talas set to the lyrics of the Thirupugazh by the Tamil composer Arunagirinadhar. He is said to have written 16000 hyms each in a differend chhanda tala. Of these, only 1500-2000 are available.
[edit] Practice
In practice, only a few talas have compositions set to them. As in the table above, each variety of tala has a default family associated with it; the variety mentioned without qualification refers to the default. For instance, Jhampa tala is Misra-jaati Jhampa tala In addition, the default nadai is Chatusra.
The most common tala is Chatusra-nadai Chatusra-jaati Triputa tala, also called Adi tala (Adi meaning primordial in Sanskrit). From the above tables, this tala has 8 aksharams, each being 4 svarams long. Most krtis and around half of the varnams are set to this tala.
Other common talas include the following:
- Chatusra-nadai Chatusra-jaati Rupaka tala, or simply Rupaka tala). A large body of krtis is set to this tala.
- Khanda Chapu (a 10-count) and Misra Chapu (a 14-count), both of which do not fit very well into the sulaadi sapta taala scheme. Many padams are set to Misra Chapu, while there are also krtis set to both the above talas.
- Chatusra-nadai Khanda-jaati Ata tala, or simply Ata tala). Around half of the varnams are set to this tala.
- Tisra-nadai Chatusra-jaati Triputa tala - A few fast-paced krtis are set to this tala.
Sometimes, pallavis are sung as part of an RTP in some of the rarer, more complicated talas; such pallavis, if sung in a non-Chatusra-nadai tala, are called nadai pallavis.
A close equivalent to tala in the theory of Ottoman/Turkish music is the notion of usul.
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[edit] Tala in Hindustani Music
Hindustani classical renditions use various Talas at various tempos depending upon the expositional requirements. A typical recital of a Raag consists of 2-3 parts - Vilambit laya (Slow tempo), Madhya laya (Medium tempo) and Drut laya (Fast tempo). Madhya laya is used optionally.
Taal is a beat cycle known as Aavartan. For example, one Aavartan of Trital comprises 16 beats, where as Ektaal has 12 beats. In written form the beats are expressed as the sounds of the strokes on Tabla. For example, Trital or Tintal is written as
Dha Dhin Dhin Dha, Dha Dhin Dhin Dha, Dha Tin Tin Ta, Ta Dhin Dhin Dha.
A cycle of a tala may not always have 4 sections or same number of strokes per section. For example, Rupak has 2 sections and the second one is longer than the first section.
Ti Ti Na Dhi Na Dhi Na
Some rare talas even contain a "half-beat". For example, Dharami is an 11 1/2 beat cycle where the final "Ka" only occupies half the time of the other beats.
Ka Dhi Te Dhi Te Dha -- Ga Ti Te TiTe Ka/2
Some talas lend themselves better to the slower and medium tempos, for example, dhamar, ek-tala, jhumra-tala, chau-tala, and so on. Others flourish in the faster speeds, such as jhap-tala or rupak tala. Tri-tala or Tin-tala is one of the most popular, since it sits equally well in the slow tempos as well as at high speed. Various Gharanas also have their own preferences. For example, Kirana Gharana uses Ektala more frequently for Vilambit Khayal while Jaipur Gharana uses Trital. They also use Ada Trital, a variation of Trital for transitioning from Vilambit to Drut laya.
[edit] Tabla Bols
Hindustani Taals are typically played on a pair of small hand drums known as tabla. The smaller drum is known as the Dayan and the larger, lower-pitched drum is called the Bayan. The specific strokes and the sound they produce are known as bols. Each bol has its own name that can be vocalized as well as written. The common ones are:
| Bol | Sound |
|---|---|
| Ti or Te | A dry, slapping sound played in the center of the dayan. |
| Na or Ta | A resonant tone played near the edge of the dayan. |
| Tin | A resonant tone played near the center of the dayan. |
| Ga | A resonant tone played on the bayan. |
| Ka | A dry slap played on the bayan. |
| Dhin | Ga and Tin played at the same time. |
| Dha | Ga and Na/Ta played at the same time. |
You can hear examples of these Bols on some of the pages cited in the External Links section below.
[edit] Common Hindustani Talas
There are many talas in Hindustani music, however, only a few are in common use
| Name | Beats | Division |
|---|---|---|
| Tintal (or Trital or Teental) | 16 | 4+4+4+4 |
| Dhamar | 14 | 5+2+3+4 |
| Ektal and Chautal | 12 | 2+2+2+2+2+2 |
| Jhaptal | 10 | 2+3+2+3 |
| Kaharva | 8 | 4+4 |
| Rupak | 7 | 3+2+2 |
| Dadra | 6 | 3+3 |
[edit] (International) Literature
- Oxford Journals: A Study in East Indian Rhythm, Sargeant and Lahiri, Musical Quarterly.1931; XVII: 427-438
- Ancient Traditions--Future Possibilities: Rhythmic Training Through the Traditions of Africa, Bali and India, Author: Matthew Montfort, Mill Valley: Panoramic Press, 1985. ISBN 0-937879-00-2 (Spiral Bound Book)
- Manfred Junius: Die Tālas der nordindischen Musik (The Talas of North Indian Music), München (Munich), Salzburg: Katzbichler, 1983.
[edit] Online Tutorials
- Pete Lockett (Multi percussionist): Indian Rhythmic concept for drum set...
- Swar Systems : SwarShala Indian music software
[edit] Audio files
- KKSongs Talamala: Recordings of Tabla Bols, database for Hindustani Talas.
- Ancient Future: MIDI files of the common (major) Hindustani Talas.
[edit] External (Web) Links
- Colvin Russell: Tala Primer - A basic introduction to tabla and tala.
- Chandra & David's Tabla site: The Cyclic Form in North Indian Tabla, Index of Tals (Tala) and others.
- San Diego State University: Rhythm - Indian Rhythm
- SICA Festival: Indian rhythm in Carnatic music... (The Hindu, India's National Newspaper), 24th March 2006
- karnATik: Introduction to Carnatic Tala..., Tables: major taaLas - suladisapta taaLas
- Mannarkoil J.Balaji (Mridhangam player): Rhythmic structure found in Carnatic Music... Chanda, Melakarta & Chaapu Talas(5th Aug 2006)
[edit] Other Indian Rhythmic techniques
Tihaide:Tala nl:Tala (muziek) ru:Тала (музыкальный инструмент) ta:தாளம்
