PSEB SS Music Tabla cheat sheet

The tabla evolved from the older mridang/pakhawaj tradition; the split-drum pair (dayan/right, bayan/left) is generally dated to the late 17th–18th century, with Amir Khusrau's 13th-century invention story treated as legend rather than documented fact.

Delhi gharana: traced to Sidhar Khan Dhadi; noted for the resonant, open 'na' and restrained, vocal-style phrasing, with a strong emphasis on peshkar and dignified kayda.

Ajrada gharana: founded by Miru Khan and Shammu Khan; famous for the paired bayan-dayan 'ghe' resonance, dense rela, and compositions using both drums in close dialogue.

Lucknow gharana: associated with Modu Khan and Bakshu Khan; known for the 'na dhin dhin na' style theka, elegant gat and paran, and a lighter, decorative approach favoured in accompaniment.

Farrukhabad gharana: linked to Haji Vilayat Ali Khan and later Ustad Masit Khan; distinguished by heavy, powerful bayan use, complex chakradar and farmaishi chakradar.

Punjab gharana: associated with Ustad Kader Baksh and his lineage (including Allah Rakha); characterised by crisp, forceful rela and a strong, open-handed tonal quality.

Banaras gharana: linked to Ram Sahai; noted for the 'dha' emphasis, rich paran and tukda repertoire, and close association with Kathak dance accompaniment.

Each gharana preserves a distinct baaj (style): the 'band baaj' (closed, Delhi-style) versus the 'khula baaj' (open, Punjab/Banaras-style) distinction is a standard exam point.

Bol = spoken syllable of a drum stroke (e.g., dha, dhin, ta, tin, ka, ge, na, tete); a group of bols forming a meaningful phrase is a 'bol-bant'.

Varna = the four classes of stroke technique: uttana (raised/open), parshva (side), kshepana (thrown/closed), and anukhepana (muffled) - the classical classification of percussion action.

Matra = one beat/count; vibhag = a bar or section of the tala marked by tali or khali; avartan = one complete cycle of the tala.

Tali = a clap marking a stressed vibhag (sam is tali 1); khali = a wave of the hand marking an unstressed/empty vibhag.

Sam = the first matra of the avartan and the point of resolution; compositions are designed to cadence on sam.

Laya = tempo, classified as vilambit (slow), madhya (medium) and drut (fast); laya ratios such as 1:2 (barabar to dugun) and 1:4 (chaugun) are standard.

Theka = the basic, repeatable bol pattern that identifies a tala and is used for accompaniment; it is distinct from solo compositions.

Laya variants: barabar (same speed), dugun (double), tigun (triple), chaugun (quadruple), and aad (3/2) are the standard layakari forms.

Teental: 16 matras, vibhag 4+4+4+4; tali on 1, 5, 13; khali on 9; theka 'dha dhin dhin dha / dha dhin dhin dha / dha tin tin ta / ta dhin dhin dha'.

Jhaptal: 10 matras, vibhag 2+3+2+3; tali on 1, 3, 8; khali on 6; theka begins 'dhi na / dhi dhi na / ti na / dhi dhi na'.

Ektaal: 12 matras, vibhag 2+2+2+2+2+2; tali on 1, 5, 9, 11; khali on 3 and 7; theka 'dhin dhin / dha ge / tirikit / tu na / kat ta / dha ge'.

Rupak: 7 matras, vibhag 3+2+2; sam itself is khali (an exception to the rule that sam is always tali); tali on 4 and 6; theka 'tin tin na / dhin na / dhin na'.

Dhamar: 14 matras, vibhag 5+2+3+4; tali on 1, 6, 11; khali on 8; theka 'ka dhi ta dhi ta / dha - / ge ti ta / ti ta te te'.

Ada Chautal: 14 matras, a variant of Chautal with vibhag 2+2+2+2+2+2+2; tali on 1, 3, 7, 11; khali on 5 and 9; theka 'dhin ta / dhin ta / dha ge / din ta / kat ta / dha ge / din ta'.

Jhoomra: 14 matras, vibhag 3+4+3+4; tali on 1, 4, 11; khali on 8; slow, rolling theka favoured for vilambit khayal.

Deepchandi: 14 matras, vibhag 3+4+3+4; tali on 1, 4, 11; khali on 8; theka 'dha dhin - / dha dha tin - / ta tin - / dha dha dhin -' (used in thumri and dadra styles).

Chautal (Chautala): 12 matras, vibhag 2+2+2+2+2+2; tali on 1, 5, 9, 11; khali on 3 and 7; theka 'dha dha / din ta / kite dha / din ta / tete kata / gadi ghene' - the pakhawaj-derived tala.

Peshkar: an opening composition in a relaxed, exploratory mood, usually built on 'dha' and 'ghe' phrases; it introduces the tala and is developed gradually before the kayda.

Kayda: a tightly structured, theme-and-variation composition bound by strict rules; it is developed through palta (permutations) and finished with tihai/mohra.

Palta: a variation of a kayda's theme that preserves its bol vocabulary while altering order or phrasing; it is not an independent composition.

Rela: a fast, flowing composition of dense, uniform bols (e.g., 'dha tirakita', 'tete kata gadi gene'); it emphasises speed and continuity rather than thematic development.

Tukda: a short, fixed, pre-composed piece ending on sam, typically played between kayda and rela; it is not developed through paltas.

Paran: a heavy, pakhawaj-derived composition with long resonant bols (dha, dhin, tirakita) often used in Banaras and Farrukhabad styles; frequently played in Chautal and Dhamar.

Chakradar: a composition in which a fixed phrase is repeated three times so that the final sam of the third repetition lands on the tala's sam; each repetition is a 'chakkar'.

Farmaishi Chakradar: a chakradar whose phrase is composed in an ornate, 'farmaish' (requested) style, often with a longer phrase and a distinctive concluding tihai.

Gat: an instrumental-style composition borrowed from string instruments, played on tabla in solo or in Kathak accompaniment; Uthan is an opening, rising flourish that announces the start of a solo.

Standard notation uses a horizontal row of matra numbers with vertical bar-lines at vibhag boundaries; sam is marked 'X', tali by numbers (2, 3, 4…) and khali by '0'.

Bols are written under each matra in the order played; a dash '–' extends the previous bol across a matra, and a blank matra is written '0' or left empty.

Vibhag boundaries are shown with a vertical line '|'; the closing double bar marks the end of the avartan.

Layakari is notated by subdividing a matra: two bols per matra = dugun, three = tigun, four = chaugun, written within the same matra column.

A tihai is notated as a phrase repeated three times, with the final bol aligned to sam; the preceding two repetitions are placed in the matras immediately before sam.

Kayda notation shows the theme (sthai) first, then each palta on a separate line, each ending on sam.

For Chautal and Dhamar, the theka is written in the pakhawaj-derived bol set (dha, dhin, ta, tin, ge, na, tete, kata) rather than the khayal theka.

Reading rule: count matras left to right, clap on tali numbers, wave on khali, and identify sam as the matra where the composition resolves.

Standard solo order in Teental: peshkar → kayda with paltas → rela → tukda → gat/paran → chakradar → tihai, all resolving on sam.

Peshkar is played in vilambit or madhya laya; it establishes the tala and allows gradual increase of density before the kayda.

Kayda development follows: theme → palta 1 → palta 2 → … → mohra/tihai; each palta must keep the original bol vocabulary.

Rela is played in drut laya and is often followed by a tihai or chakradar; it must remain rhythmically even, not merely fast.

Gat and Jhala: gat is a fixed instrumental-style composition; jhala is a fast, continuous, drone-like concluding passage played in drut laya, often with dense 'dha tirakita' patterns.

Jhala is typically the final item of a solo, played at maximum speed and ending with a tihai on sam.

In Jhaptal and Rupak, solo items follow the same order but the tihai must be recomputed for the tala's vibhag structure (10 and 7 matras respectively).

A tihai that lands on sam must begin so that its three equal phrases end exactly on matra 1 of the next avartan.

For vilambit khayal, the tabla plays a slow theka (often Jhoomra or Teental) with restrained, sparse bols, leaving space for the vocalist's improvisation.

For drut khayal and tarana, the theka is played in madhya-to-drut laya with clearer, more rhythmic bols; laya follows the singer, not the reverse.

Instrumental accompaniment (sitar, sarod, flute, violin) requires the tabla to follow the artist's gat and to match the tala's theka without obscuring the melody.

In light music (thumri, dadra, ghazal), Deepchandi (14 matras) and Dadra (6 matras) are standard; the tabla plays a softer, more decorative theka with room for laggi.

Laggi: a short, fast, repeating phrase played in light-music accompaniment, typically in Dadra or Deepchandi, to support the melodic climax.

Sangat rule: the tabla must not play solo compositions (kayda, rela) during accompaniment; it supports with theka, simple variation and laggi.

For dhrupad, the pakhawaj is traditional, but tabla accompaniment uses Chautal/Dhamar theka with pakhawaj-style bols.

Laya adjustment: when the soloist changes tempo, the tabla must follow immediately; the theka's vibhag structure must remain intact.

Dyan (dayan): the right-hand drum, usually sheesham or mango wood, with a single goatskin head and a central black syahi of iron oxide and rice-powder paste.

Bayan (dagga): the left-hand drum, usually copper or brass (occasionally clay), with a larger head and an off-centre syahi that produces the bass glissando.

Puri: the woven leather thong lacing that tensions the head; gatta/chhaped: the small wooden dowels tapped to tune the drum.

Tuning: the dyan is tuned to the tonic (Sa) of the performer or the soloist; the bayan is tuned a fifth or an octave below, or left untuned for bass effect.

Syahi care: never strike the syahi directly with a stick; keep it dry, avoid moisture, and never apply oil or water to the syahi.

Head care: loosen the puri after playing in humid weather; store the drums in a dry place away from direct sun and rain to prevent skin cracking.

Bayan maintenance: clean the copper/brass body with a dry cloth; avoid water on the head and check the syahi for cracks periodically.

Related instruments: pakhawaj (barrel drum, two heads, pakhawaj bols), dholak, naal and dhol are the folk/classical relatives; mridang is the older ancestor.

Ustad Ahmed Jan Thirakwa (Farrukhabad): legendary soloist known for his vast repertoire and powerful bayan; a benchmark for solo vadan.

Ustad Alla Rakha (Punjab gharana): brought tabla to global audiences through work with Ravi Shankar and his own solo career; father of Zakir Hussain.

Ustad Zakir Hussain: Punjab gharana; expanded tabla's international reach and collaborated across jazz and world music.

Ustad Kishan Maharaj (Banaras): master of the Banaras baaj, known for paran, tukda and Kathak accompaniment.

Ustad Latif Ahmed Khan (Delhi) and Ustad Inam Ali Khan (Delhi) represent the Delhi gharana's refined, vocal-style approach.

Pandit Samta Prasad (Banaras) and Pandit Anokhelal Mishra (Banaras) are key Banaras exponents; Ustad Masit Khan is central to Farrukhabad's chakradar tradition.

Scholars: Pandit V.N. Bhatkhande systematised Hindustani tala notation; Pandit V.D. Paluskar and later writers documented gharana repertoire.

Ustad Keramatullah Khan (Farrukhabad) is noted for his systematic tabla notation and pedagogical works.

Hindustani (North Indian) music is raga-based; a raga is defined by its aroha/avaroha, pakad and vadi/samvadi notes.

Saptak = the seven-note scale (Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni); the 12 semitones include the five komal and four tivra altered notes.

That = the parent scale system (Bhatkhande's 10 thats); ragas are classified under a that by their note set.

Forms: dhrupad (with pakhawaj), khayal (with tabla, vilambit and drut), thumri, dadra, ghazal, tarana and bhajan are the main vocal forms.

Tala is the rhythmic cycle; Hindustani talas include Teental, Jhaptal, Ektaal, Rupak, Dhamar, Chautal, Jhoomra, Deepchandi and Ada Chautal.

The tanpura provides the drone (Sa-Pa or Sa-Ma); the harmonium or sarangi accompanies the voice.

Guru-shishya parampara is the traditional teaching lineage; gharana denotes a stylistic school transmitted through it.

Laya and tala together form the rhythmic framework (laya-tala); sam is the point of resolution common to melody and rhythm.