Prescribed Talas and Composition Writing
Tala facts to memorize
Teentaal: 16 matras, 4+4+4+4; tali 1, 5, 13; khali 9. Jhaptaal: 10 matras, 2+3+2+3; tali 1, 3, 8; khali 6. Rupak: 7 matras, 3+2+2; khali on 1, tali 4 and 6. Dadra: 6 matras, 3+3; tali 1, khali 4. Keharwa: 8 matras, 4+4; tali 1, khali 5. Ektaal: 12 matras, six vibhags of 2; tali 1, 5, 9, 11; khali 3, 7.
Writing a composition
A bandish or cheez must fit the tala's vibhags and cadence on sam. Write the lyric under the matra grid, mark sam/tali/khali, and check that the mukhra (opening) lands on sam. Do not pad syllables arbitrarily; the tala's bol pattern and the lyric's scansion must agree.
Worked example
In Teentaal, a four-phrase sthayi can be placed: matra 1 'Ja', 5 'na', 9 'ni', 13 'ma'. Matra 9 is khali, so the lyric there should sound open, not accented like sam. The final phrase must return to matra 1 on the next cycle. If the composition has 16 matras, each vibhag gets one phrase; if it has 8, each phrase spans two matras.
Traps
Writing khali as a tali; starting the bandish before sam; using a 16-matra lyric in a 10-matra tala; confusing Rupak's khali-sam; forgetting that Ektaal has six vibhags, not four.