Notation Systems and Writing Compositions in Notation
Notation questions test whether your written composition can be read and played by someone else. Use a consistent symbol set, align every bol to its matra, and mark khali and vibhags without ambiguity.
Standard symbols
- × for sam; 0 for khali; 2, 3, 4 for the numbered talees.
- A single vertical bar | closes a vibhag; a double bar || closes the avartan.
- Matra numbers are written above the bol line.
- A dash shows that the previous bol is held; brackets enclose a tihai, marked ×3 for chakradar.
- State tala and laya at the top of every written piece.
Worked example
Write the Teental theka, 16 matras, four vibhags of four:
| × | 1 Dha | 2 Dhin | 3 Dhin | 4 Dha | | 2 | 5 Dha | 6 Dhin | 7 Dhin | 8 Dha | | 0 | 9 Dha | 10 Tin | 11 Tin | 12 Ta | | 3 | 13 Ta | 14 Dhin | 15 Dhin | 16 Dha ||
Reasoning: khali sits on vibhag three, so matra 9 is marked 0 and the bols there are the open tin/ta group; the double bar closes the avartan after matra 16. A tihai written below would carry ( ) with ×3 and a note stating the entry matra.
Traps
- Leaving khali unmarked, making a tihai impossible to place.
- Writing bols without matra numbers, so alignment cannot be checked.
- Using vibhag bars as matra counters.
- Omitting tala and laya from the heading.