"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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