"TAL",
"MATRAS" AND THE MAIN ELEMENTS
OF THE RHYTHMIC CYCLE
In
most music, time measurement is based on the principle
of repetition of beats following a particular pattern.
Indian classical music is based largely on this same
principle, except that there are underlying complexities
to the patterns, with rules governing tal (rhythm),
laya (tempo) and matras (meter). Tal (literally "palm
of the hand") establishes the basic time-measurement
scheme which is repeated over and over. Laya (literally
"motion") denotes the speed or tempo at which
a particular tal is played. Matras (literally "a
unit") refer to the beats in a tal. In Western
music, each segment or measure usually has the same
number of beats within it (i.e. 4+4+4+4 or 3+3+3+3).
In Indian music, however, each subdivision (called a
vibhag - literally "division") can have different
numbers of beats usually varying from 2 to 5. For example,
in Dadra tal of 6 matras, the subdivisions are evenly
divided 3+3. If we look at Jhaptal, a more complex 10
beat cycle, the subdivisions are not so even - 2+3+2+3.
An even more complex tal is the 14 beat Dhamar tal which
has a 5+2+3+4 vibhag pattern.
Indian
music recognizes 3 key elements of rhythm, from which
most vocalists/instrumentalists judge where they are
within a rhythmic cycle. The most emphatic beat is known
as sum (literally "equal" or "together"),
which usually occupies the first beat of a tal. It is
the most important beat of the tal because it commences
the cycle and provides the center for exposition. Many
compositions are set so that their emphasis is also
on this particular matra. In a performance, great care
has to be taken so that the soloist and the tabla player
come together on the sum. Even during flights of improvisation,
a soloist must skillfully render the melody such that
the end of the cascade of notes falls on sum properly.
Often times, the soloist renders a raga such that the
the most important note (known as vadhi) or the second
most important note (samvadhi) fall on this beat. Thus,
sum is both a melodically and rhythmically significant
beat.
Empty beats (where there is a marked absence of the
bayan, or bass drum) are known as khali (literally "empty").
Other matras that are emphasized by the presence of
the bayan are known as thali. These three points within
a rhythmic cycle are of the utmost importance to the
main soloist because they allow him/her to judge where
they are within the context of the tal. From these three
points, the main artist determines where to begin or
end their improvised variations. Therefore, from the
tabla players point of view these key points of the
tal must be kept proper during the rendering of the
theka. For further information on theka, including bols
for various tals complete with soundclips, please refer
to this website.
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THE
SYNTHESIS OF MELODY AND RHYTHM
The
main function of the tabla in accompaniment is to keep
time for the main soloist and to be supportive in the
establishment of rasa or mood, as prescribed by a raga.
Whether the main artist is a vocalist or instrumentalist,
the traditional exposition of a raga most likely begins
with an unaccompanied alap (literally "converse")
in which the main characteristic phrases of the raga
are explored. Instrumentalists may further explore the
raga with a second unaccompanied movement known as jor
where a pulse is added. In the case of the instrumentalist,
this may further be elaborated by the unaccompanied
jhalla (literally "sparkling") where the pulse
is escalated to a frenetic pace. Following this, the
instrumentalist will begin a composition, known as a
gat or bandish set to a given tal at a suitable tempo.
In vocal music, the main performer usually follows a
short alap with a composition called bara khyal which
commences in very slow tempo and allows a great deal
of freedom for melodic improvisation. The bara khyal
in vocal music is set to a very slow tempo ektal (12
beats), teental (16 beats), jhaptal (10 beats) or the
less common jhumra tal (14 beats). The instrumentalist
also usually begins with a composition in a slow tempo
teental, jhaptal, rupak tal (7 beats), ektal or another
of his/her preference. Although it is not a hard rule
that one must start in slow tempo, the main soloist
usually begins with a slow composition because the characteristic
melodic phrases of a raga (known as mukhyang) may be
developed liesurely, with greater room to improvise
using broader musical strokes. The tempo may be gradually
sped up (by the soloist's lead whereby the tabla player
follows) as a performance progresses. (For more information
on tempo please refer to the THEKA section of the tablo
solo performance page.)
When
the instrumentalist/vocalist begins the composition,
he/she will render the main reference line which is
a repeated throughout the performance between improvisations.
In instrumental music, this is known as the shthai and
in vocal music (khyal and thumri) it is termed the mukhra.
It is this phrase that provides the basis from which
the main soloist forms melodic elaborations called taans.
The soloist returns to this main theme between improvised
segments (much like a tabla player returns to the theka
between kaidas or tukdas.) The interplay between tabla
and soloist unfolds much like a rondeau in Western classical
music. While the soloist renders the sthai or mukhra
and thus adheres to the abstract tal, the tabla player
is free to display his virtuosity. Likewise, when the
soloist is improvising or executing taans, the tabla
player must adhere to the theka of the tal, keeping
sum, khali and thali properly. The abstract rhythm thus
goes on being maintained by one or the other, either
soloist or accompanist. This is typically how the process
occurs in principle of course, but whether it is actually
followed depends largely on the understanding between
the tabla player and the soloist. It is important that
both soloist and accompanist reach the same point (sum)
with a common understanding of when it is appropriate
to display their respective bursts of virtuosity.
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THE
STRUCTURE OF RAGA AND TAL
Once
a tabla player becomes familiar with theka such that
it is engrained within memory and automatic, he/she
may add slight ornamentation to the standard theka to
give a more pleasing sangat, or accompaniment aesthetic.
In slow tempo, this is accomplished by filling in the
spaces inbetween matras of the standard theka with small
phrases such as "TRKT", "TeTe" or
"DheDAAN" among others. This is known as kanapuri
(literally "filling in the gaps"). In vocal
accompaniment (particularly during the bara khyal) this
is usually all that a tabla player will do, as there
are fewer opportunities to play kaidas or tukdas in
vocal music vs. instrumental music. The focus of vocal
music is usually slanted more towards slow development
of raga as opposed to rhythm, altho.ugh some vocalists
may encourage a tabla player to demonstrate their solo
abilities with short tukdas during faster tempo compositions.
During the bara khyal, however, the tabla player is
limited to little more than slight embellishments of
theka. It may sound easy, but at such slow tempi just
keeping time is quite challenging, requiring a great
deal of concentration and focus to keep from speeding
up or slowing down. Moreover, theka embellishments must
be kept properly restrained, avoiding over-repetition
and adequately supporting the rasa. Ornamentation must
never be over-bearing, obtrusive or detract from the
melody in any way.
Instrumental
compositions usually allow greater freedom for the tabla
player to display his talents as a soloist. In a typical
vilambit teental composition, the instrumentalist may
begin the sthai from the 12th matra with the vadhi or
samvadhi note falling on sum. Such a composition is
called a masitkhani gat, named in honor of its creator
Ustad Masit Khan. Most instrumental compositions follow
this blueprint, and it is to the tabla player's advantage
to memorize it as it can give him/her a better idea
of how the rhythm cycle is progressing. For example,
if the sthai begins from the 12th matra a tabla player
automatically knows that when it begins there are 5
remaining matras left before sum arrives. He/she may
thus dig into a repertoire of compositions that fill
this gap, or improvise accordingly to achieve sum. As
stated above, it is inappropriate for a tabla player
to deviate too much from the theka when the main soloist
is executing taans (except in rare instances when both
play improvisations together and conclude on sum, a
practice known as larant). When the solist plays the
sthai, however, a verbal cue or a gesture is enough
to signal the accompanist to begin improvising. Since
the tabla player is the accompanist, he/she must judge
how to respond appropriately and how much is required
- "when to say when", so to speak. It is important
to keep improvisations limited to short tukdas and mukdas
during the early parts of the performance, keeping the
same (or relatively same) number of avartas as the instrumentalist's
previous elaboration. It is appropriate for an accompanist
to respond with longer kaidas and kaida-relas towards
the end of a vilambit piece as appropriate, particularly
when responding to faster taans from the soloist. Great
care must be taken in this regard. It is easy to destroy
the mood of a raga by playing blisteringly fast relas
too soon or playing a kaida that goes on for too many
avartas. It is up to the tabla player to determine what
will provide the most suitable sangat (accompaniment
aesthetic). For example, if an instrumentalist executes
a series of taans in threes (i.e. laying 3 notes on
top of each matra), a tabla player may respond with
a tisra jati kaida (a kaida played in threes, see the
tabla solo performance page for more information).
As
the performance of the vilambit composition comes to
a close (as per the main soloist's decision), he/she
may begin a faster tempo composition in madhya lay (medium
tempo) or drut lay (fast tempo). Once again, the tal
which is employed by the soloist is an artistic choice.
We will concern ourselves with teental as it is the
most common rhythmic cycle employed in these faster
compositions (although other tals such as ektal are
also used). In vocal music, such compositions are called
chota khyal, which employs lyrics that arrive on sum
at a particular syllable or tarana, which uses rhythmic
syllables (i.e. "Dhir Dhir") instead of words
in the mukhda. Instrumental compositions may be based
on vocal compositions (- sitarist Ustad Vilayat Khan
often does this -) or on what is called the razakhani
gat, in honor of its creator Ustad Raza Khan. Razakhani
gats often begin from key points in the rhythmic cycle
much like the masitkhani gat in slow tempo. They may
begin from the 9th matra, the 13th matra, the 5th matra,
the 7th matra or even from sum. The composition may
stretch over one avarta or more (as do some compositions
by sarodiya Buddhadev Dasgupta of the Senia-Shahjahanpur
gharana). The key from the tabla player's perspective
is to recognize where the all-important sum falls. As
in the masitkhani gat, the vadhi or samvadhi note will
usually fall on sum so this is an important detail to
remember. Moreover, it is once again to the tabla player's
advantage to make a mental note of where the sthai begins
and ends, because these will also be key points for
him/her to judge where to begin/end improvisations.
For example, if the sthai begins from the 9th matra
then the tabla player automatically knows that there
are 9 matras left before sum arrives. He/she may thus
end their improvisation with a tihai that fills this
gap. In these drut compositions, tabla accompaniment
is usually characterized by mukdas, tukdas, gats, kaida-relas
and chakradhars as appropriate. Exactly what to play
and where to play it are judgements made by the tabla
player, and the main responsibility lies in maintenance
of rasa. Relatively speaking, solo opportunities are
more rare in vocal music with the exception of short
intervals at the beckoning of the main vocalist. Once
again, vocal music usually does not emphasize rhythmic
virtuosity as much as it does development of melody,
so tabla accompaniment is characteristically restrained.
The
instrumentalist may speed up the tempo in the drut gat
at his/her leisure. An important point to consider is
that tabla accompaniment MUST NOT speed up or slow down
UNLESS the main soloist mandates it in the performance;
the abstract lay must always be kept properly during
the main soloist's improvisations. This is not to say
that the tabla player cannot alter tempo during his/her
solo improvisations; in fact, many tabla players take
this opportunity to demonstrate their mastery over laya
by fractionally altering the tempo of the theka, or
by superimposing different tals within the context of
the sthai. This process, known as chhand, is explained
in greater detail on the tabla solo performance page.
Maintenance of proper tempo during the solist's improvisations,
however, is essential for the performance to be successful.
The main soloist will usually only speed the abstract
tempo up during the playing of the sthai as opposed
to during the course of taans - this is a practice that
is paralleled in the tabla solo where the abstract tempo
is only sped up during the rendering of theka inbetween
solo variations. More often than not, the main soloist
will speed up and NOT slow down (although there are
many soloists that prove exceptions to this rule, such
as Ud. Vilayat Khansahib). Those soloists that play
string instruments may pluck chikari strings to add
a rhythmic pulse inbetween notes as the pace quickens.
This often signals the beginning of jhalla, where the
tempo gradually ascends to a frenetic pace. At this
point the tempo may hover near 480 beats/minute or more;
just keeping the timing clear and the theka accents
properly requires a great deal of virtuosity and presence
of mind. Following the jhalla the instrumentalist may
conclude the piece with a chakradhar tihai, repeating
a cadential phrase thrice before arriving at the sum
to end the composition. Different soloists employ different
means to achieve the end, and the only way of knowing
how or when is to listen to recordings and recognize
patterns particular to a given artist. This is how most
tabla players achieve the most successful musical rapport
with main performers. Recognition of styles, moods and
even taans of a main performer are skills which make
for successful, sonorous accompaniment. Ustad Alla Rakha
Khan of the Punjab gharana once commented in an interview
that great tabla players must also be great singers
so that they understand the mood of accompaniment. One
of the most beautiful things to witness is the perfect
musical synchrony of a soloist and accompanist - it
is spontaneous, virtuosic and exciting. The greatest
tabla accompanists are restrained, yet have the ability
to demonstrate their solo abilities when needed. Great
tabla accompanists thus never sacrifice rasa for displays
of technical splendor, but rather dedicate their accompaniment
to the service of the raga and the main soloist's method
of rendering it. Upon careful scrutiny of any tabla
player's accompaniment of different artists, one may
even recognize distinct changes in accompaniment style
with each artist, as well as each raga. Such is the
hallmark of a sensitive and artistically empathetic
accompanist.
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