Tala System, Laya and Rhythmic Composition
Tala as a cycle
Tala is a repeating cycle of matras, divided into vibhags. Sam is the first and most important matra; tali is a clap point; khali is a wave point, often a lighter or open section. Theka is the mnemonic bol pattern that identifies the tala; bol are the actual syllables played on tabla or pakhawaj.
Laya and layakari
Laya is tempo: vilambit, madhya and drut. Layakari is rhythmic multiplication or division within the same tala: barabar, dugun, tigun, chaugun, and fractional varieties such as kuwaad and ada. Changing tala is not layakari; the cycle must remain intact.
Notation
Write tala notation as a matra grid. Mark sam with X, khali with 0, other tali with 2, 3, etc.; place bol under each matra and separate vibhags with vertical bars.
Worked example
Teentaal has 16 matras in 4+4+4+4. Tali: 1, 5, 13; khali: 9. Theka: dha dhin dhin dha | dha dhin dhin dha | dha tin tin ta | ta dhin dhin dha. In dugun, each matra carries two bols, so the 16-matra cycle has 32 strokes; sam still falls on the first dha. If the composition begins on sam, the first syllable must coincide with that dha, not with the following dhin.
Traps
Calling khali sam; confusing vibhag with matra; writing tali numbers as matra numbers; assuming dugun doubles the cycle length; using theka bols that do not match the gharana or tala.