Definition
The tāla (in Hindi tāl) is the rhythmic cycle of Indian classical music: a fixed sequence of beats that repeats throughout the piece, on which melody and percussion build ever more complex variations, coming back together on the first beat. There are two major systems: Hindustani (North, with the tabla) and Carnatic (South, with the mridangam).
Hindustani vocabulary
- Mātrā: the single beat.
- Vibhāg: section of the cycle (a kind of internal bar).
- Sam: the first beat, the most important arrival point; every improvisation must “land” on the sam.
- Tālī: section marked by a hand clap (strong accent).
- Khālī: “empty” section, marked by a wave of the hand (weak accent); on the tabla the resonance of the bass drum is removed.
- Thekā: the sequence of tabla syllables (bol) that identifies the tāl.
- Āvartan: one complete cycle. Laya: tempo (vilambit slow, madhya medium, drut fast).
Main tāls
| Tāl | Mātrā | Division | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teentaal (tintāl) | 16 | 4+4+4+4 | the most used; khālī on the third section |
| Keherwa | 8 | 4+4 | light song, film, bhajan |
| Dadra | 6 | 3+3 | ghazal, light music |
| Rupak | 7 | 3+2+2 | begins with khālī: the sam is “empty” |
| Jhaptaal | 10 | 2+3+2+3 | Indian aksak |
| Ektaal | 12 | 2+2+2+2+2+2 | often in slow pieces |
Thekā of teentaal: Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Tin Tin Ta | Ta Dhin Dhin Dha. In the third section the bols “Tin” and “Ta” do not use the bass drum: this is the khālī, which signals to the listener that the sam is approaching.
The Carnatic system in brief
The cycle is still called tāla, and it is counted with gestures (clap, fingers, wave). The most common is Ādi tāla, 8 beats = a laghu of 4 + a drutam of 2 + a drutam of 2. Classical theory combines seven types of tāla (sapta tāla) with five lengths of the laghu (jāti), yielding 35 tālas. Vocal rhythm is studied with konnakol (syllables like ta-ka-di-mi, ta-ka-ta-ki-ta), which is now also used by Western drummers to study groups of 5 and 7.
Techniques a producer can steal
- Tihāi: a phrase repeated three times so that the last note lands exactly on the sam. Calculation: a phrase of length L plus a rest P, repeated three times, with 3L + 2P = the distance from the starting point to the sam. Example in 16 sixteenth notes: phrase of 4 + rest of 2 → 4+2+4+2+4 = 16. It is the perfect fill to enter the drop.
- Layakari: playing the same phrase at double, triple, quadruple speed over the fixed cycle.
- Long cycles: instead of the 4-bar loop, think of a cycle of 7 or 10 beats that the melody revolves around.
- Khālī as breath: remove the low end (sub, 808) in one section of the cycle to make the return felt.
Example in A minor (reference scale: Aeolian mode, similar in character to the rāg Āsāvarī)
Rupak at 90 BPM (7 beats = 3+2+2): A–E drone (tanpura), tabla or sampled percussion on the bols, bass only on beat 1 of each cycle. Melody that starts from the sam and closes each phrase with a three-note tihāi A–C–E repeated three times.
Use in Western music
The Beatles, “Within You Without You” (1967), with tabla, sitar and dilruba; John McLaughlin and the group Shakti (fusion with Indian musicians, use of konnakol); many soundtracks by A. R. Rahman blend tāl and pop production.
Exercise
- Count the teentaal by clapping on beats 1, 5 and 13 and doing the wave on 9: sing the thekā.
- Write a 3-repetition tihāi that ends on beat 1 of bar 5 of a trap loop at 140 BPM.
- Program a jhaptaal cycle (2+3+2+3) in FL Studio with a 20-step pattern in sixteenth notes (10 eighth notes) and listen to how it resembles the Balkan aksak.
Connections
“Irregular meters and aksak”, “Fills and transitions”, “Polyrhythms”, “Triplets and irregular groups”. Texts: NCERT, “Basic Concepts of Indian Music”; Martin Clayton, “Time in Indian Music”.