Maharashtra HSC Percussion flashcards
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32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Sam
- Matra 1 of a tala cycle; the point of resolution where compositions end and where talee is marked by a clap. It is the strongest metric position.
- Khali
- A vibhag start marked by a wave of the hand rather than a clap. It is unstressed and shown as 0 or x in notation; in Teental it falls on matra 9.
- Avartan
- One complete cycle of a tala, from sam back to sam. A 16-matra tala completes one avartan every 16 matras counted.
- Vibhag
- A group of matras forming one bar of a tala, separated in notation by vertical lines. Teental has four vibhags of four matras each: 4+4+4+4.
- Rupak tala
- Seven-matra tala with vibhag scheme 3+2+2. It is unusual because sam itself is khali; talee falls on matras 4, 6 and 7.
- Jhaptal
- Ten-matra tala with vibhag scheme 2+3+2+3. Talee falls on matras 1, 3, 8 and 10, while khali falls on matra 6.
- Dugun layakari
- Playing two strokes in the time of one matra, a 2:1 ratio. In a 16-matra tala, dugun fills the cycle with 32 strokes.
- Aad layakari
- A 3:2 layakari placing three units in the space of two matras. A 16-matra cycle therefore holds 24 aad units.
- Kuwaad layakari
- A 5:4 layakari placing five units in the space of four matras. A 16-matra cycle holds 20 kuwaad units.
- Tigun and sam
- Tigun is a 3:1 ratio. Over a 16-matra tala, 16 times 3 equals 48, so tigun realigns with sam only after three avartans.
- Padhant
- Spoken recitation of tabla bols in tala time, with hand gestures marking talee and khali. It is graded on pronunciation clarity and staying locked to the lehera.
- Kayada
- A structured composition built on one bol pattern, played in barabar laya, then developed through paltas and closed with a tihai. It is the central solo form.
- Palta
- A systematic variation of a kayada theme that preserves its bol vocabulary while changing order or position. Paltas normally progress from simple to complex.
- Rela
- A fast, dense composition played in drut laya, often built on dha and din. It differs from kayada by speed, rolling character and looser palta development.
- Chakradar
- A composition whose tihai is repeated three times, so the whole piece spans three tihai cycles and resolves on sam at the end of the third.
- Paran
- A composition drawn largely from pakhawaj repertoire, with long syllable strings and a heavy resonant character. It is frequently used to close a tabla solo.
- Tihai formula
- A phrase played three times with two equal gaps, arranged so the final stroke lands on sam. In a standard tihai the gap length equals the phrase length.
- Bayan and syahi
- The bayan is the left bass drum, loaded with an off-centre syahi paste. Pressing the heel of the hand against the head bends its pitch, producing meend or ghees.
- Gatta and chanti
- Gattas are the small wooden pegs tapped to tune the dayan through the leather lacing. Chanti is the braided edge ring whose integrity keeps pitch stable.
- Dha and Dhin strokes
- Dha combines Na on the dayan with Ge on the bayan. Dhin combines Tin on the dayan with Ge on the bayan, giving a resonant closed-then-open sound.
- Theka
- The basic repeating bol pattern of a tala used in accompaniment. In Teental it runs Dha Dhin Dhin Dha in each vibhag, with Tin Tin Ta in the khali third vibhag.
- Sangat rule
- In accompaniment the tabla follows rather than leads: the theka stays plain, volume drops under the voice, and embellishment is avoided while the soloist performs.
- Kathak accompaniment
- With Kathak the tabla plays gat, paran and tukda, matching the dancer's footwork (tatkar) and the recited dance bols, and returning to sam with the dancer.
- Pakhawaj and tabla
- Pakhawaj is the older barrel drum of Dhrupad and Dhamar. The tabla is generally traced to its splitting into two drums, a disputed late-medieval development.
- Natyashastra and tala
- The Natyashastra, attributed to Bharata, treats tala as one of the angas of music and describes percussion in dramatic performance. It is the earliest major source.
- Delhi gharana
- Traced to Siddhar Khan, known for resonant open bayan and clear peshkar, gat and kayada. Key figures include Inam Ali Khan and Latif Ahmed Khan.
- Ajrada gharana
- Descended from Miru Khan and Kallu Khan, noted for a dense powerful bayan, ghees-heavy playing and a preference for rela and heavy kayada.
- Farukhabad gharana
- Founded by Haji Vilayat Ali, known for balanced power, strong tihai construction and chakradar repertoire. It is linked to Munir Khan and later performers.
- Benares gharana
- Founded by Ram Sahai, known for a pakhawaj-derived repertoire, paran and a broad singing bayan. It is associated above all with Kishan Maharaj.
- Talee and khali notation
- Talee marks are written as digits 1, 2, 3 under the first matra of each clapped vibhag. Khali is written as 0 or x under the first matra of the waved vibhag.
- Writing dugun in notation
- Dugun is notated by placing two bols in each matra cell, chaugun by placing four. Aad is bracketed as three strokes across two matras to show the 3:2 grouping.
- Notation header requirements
- Before the bols, notation must state the tala name, total matras, vibhag scheme, laya and talee/khali positions, so the composition can be reconstructed without the performer.