A
composition in Hindustani music is set to a particular
rhythm cycle (tala), which consists of a fixed
number of time units or counts (matras) and is
made up of two or more sections. The first beat of each
section is either stressed (shown by a clap of the hands)
or unstressed (shown by a wave of the right hand).
Among the talas which are in common use, the
sixteen-beat tintal (or trital: 4+4+4+4)
is perhaps the most popular today. Other common talas
are:
| dadra |
- six counts: 3 + 3 |
| rupak |
- seven counts: 3 + 2 + 2 |
| kaharva |
- eight counts: 4 + 4 |
| jhaptal |
- ten counts: 2 + 3 + 2 + 3 |
| ektal and chautal |
- twelve counts: 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 |
| dhamar |
- fourteen counts: 5 + 2 + 3 + 4 |
| dipchandi |
- fourteen counts: 3 + 4 + 3 + 4 |
| addha tintal or sitarkhani |
- sixteen counts: 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 |
The
drum syllables of the tabla (or other percussion
instruments) are known as bols ('words'). These
are memorised and can be spoken, and refer to the patterns
of drum strokes. The basic bol pattern which
characterises a tala is known as the theka.
The sam is the first beat of the cycle, whereas
the beat which serves as its counterbalance is called
khali. Generally, the khali is in the
middle of the cycle, except in the case of rupak,
where it falls on the first beat. The visible characteristic
of the khali is that it is shown by a silent
wave of the hand. The sam is often shown by an
especially emphasised clap. The pattern for medium-fast
tintal is shown as follows:
| count |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
1 |
| bol |
dha dhin
dhin dha |
dha dhin
dhin dha |
dha tin tin
ta |
ta dhin dhin
dha |
dha |
| . |
clap |
clap |
wave |
clap |
clap |
| . |
sam |
. |
khali |
. |
sam |
| notation |
x |
+ |
0 |
+ |
x |
The
tempo (laya) at which a composition is performed
is specified in relative terms: vilambit (slow),
madhya (medium) and drut (fast). As the
performance progresses, the speed of rendition goes
on increasing. In layakari ('playing with rhythm'),
rhythmic variations are introduced with reference to
the basic tempo. The simplest form of layakari
involves playing at various tempos such as daidh
(one and a half times the original speed), dugun
(double speed), tigun (three times the original
tempo) and chaugun (four times as fast). In more
complex layakaris, off-beat movements and mixed
tempos are used, and in vocal music, the words can be
spaced in different ways over the rhythm cycle. A currently
popular feature of a raga performance is the tihai,
a pattern that is repeated three times and ends on sam
or on the mukhda. In many of the recordings a
tihai is employed to end the recital and bring
the raga to a close.
