BSEH Secondary Music Tabla study plan

Label every part of the tabla and dagga from memory on a blank diagram: puri, syahi, maidan, kinar, gajra, lacing (tasma), gatta, and the dagga equivalents.

Explain in writing how syahi placement and thickness change the pitch and sustain of na and tin, and how tuning with gatta and hammer alters the bayan's tone.

Demonstrate a full head-change sequence on your own instrument: loosening tasma, seating the puri, re-lacing, and tuning both drums to a chosen Sa.

Define swar, saptak, and the terms shadja, pancham, and madhyam, then state which swars are vadi and samvadi for the taals you play.

Set up a daily 20-minute metronome routine at 40, 60, and 80 BPM and log your steadiness across four consecutive days.

Write the theka of Teentaal, Jhaptaal, Keherwa, and Dadra in full notation with matra numbers, sam, tali, and khali marked, without consulting notes.

Recite each theka aloud in tali-khali clap pattern while counting matras on your fingers at 60 BPM.

Identify each prescribed taal from a written bol string alone, and state its matra count, vibhag structure, and sam position.

Notate one tukda and one kaayda in the prescribed notation system, applying correct symbols for sam, tali, khali, and vibhag lines.

Explain the difference between matra, vibhag, tali, khali, and sam using one worked example from Jhaptaal.

Define and contrast kaayda, palta, tukda, and paran, stating what makes each structurally distinct and where each typically appears in a solo.

Compose and notate one kaayda in Teentaal with at least four paltas and a tihai, then recite it in full at 60 BPM.

Play the same kaayda at 60, 80, and 100 BPM while keeping the theka stable underneath.

Build a tukda ending on sam in Teentaal and verify the tihai lands exactly on matra 1.

List five common bols used in kaayda construction and give one phrase in which each appears.

Assemble a 6-minute solo sequence in Teentaal: uthaan or peshkar, kaayda with paltas, tukda, and a closing tihai.

Perform the sequence with a lehra recording at 60 BPM without breaking laya at any section transition.

Practise the solo at 80 BPM and identify the exact passages where your hands rush or drag.

Notate your full solo sequence so another player could reproduce it from the page.

Explain how a peshkar differs from a kaayda and where each sits in a traditional solo arc.

Accompany a fixed vocal or instrumental recording in Teentaal for 5 uninterrupted minutes, keeping theka steady and matching the soloist's sam.

Accompany in Jhaptaal and Keherwa, adjusting theka bols correctly for each taal's vibhag pattern.

Practise following a lehra through a laya change from 60 to 90 BPM without losing sam.

Identify three signals a soloist gives before sam and describe how you would respond to each.

Demonstrate correct khali handling in Jhaptaal by playing the theka with the open-bay hand muted on the khali vibhag.

Name the six major tabla gharanas and state the city or region and one defining stylistic trait of each.

Summarise the contributions of at least five exponents, pairing each name with the gharana and one specific contribution such as a composition type, notation system, or instrument refinement.

Explain how the Lucknow and Farrukhabad baaj differ in bol selection and stroke character, with one example phrase for each.

Describe one historical account of the tabla's origin and evaluate how firmly the evidence supports it.

Draft a maintenance checklist covering syahi care, head tension checks, and storage, and apply it to your own instrument.

Map the relationship between laya, matra, and vibhag by computing where sam falls when a kaayda is played at double speed (barabar to dugun) in Teentaal.

Perform your solo sequence at 60 BPM barabar and then in dugun, landing the closing tihai on sam both times.

Accompany a vocal piece in Dadra and Keherwa and switch taal mid-session without losing the pulse.

Practise a 10-minute continuous solo with lehra and mark the two weakest passages for targeted repetition.

Explain barabar, dugun, and tigun with a worked matra count for each in Teentaal.

Complete two timed mock papers covering all eight domains, then score them and list every missed item by domain.

Re-drill the three weakest recall areas from the mock results until each is answered correctly twice in a row.

Recite and notate all prescribed thekas one final time from memory with correct tali-khali marks.

Perform a final 10-minute solo with lehra and a 5-minute accompaniment, both recorded in one sitting.

Review your gharana chart and exponent list aloud without notes, filling any gaps immediately.