Placing a Jhaptal Tihai: Matra 1, 2 or 3?
A student is preparing a Jhaptal gat for the practical examination. Jhaptal is explained in class as 10 matras with vibhag 2+3+2+3, sam on 1, tali on 3 and 8, and khali on 6. The student's tihai phrase 'dha dhi na' is exactly 3 matras long. The gat is four avartans long and the tihai is to be played after it and must end on sam of the next avartan. The student writes the first repetition at matra 1 of the fourth avartan, so that the three repetitions occupy matras 1–9 and matra 10 is left free. A friend says the first repetition should begin at matra 2; another says matra 3. The student also wants to know what happens to the khali at matra 6 during the tihai and whether the final bol should fall on sam or one matra before it.
1. Decide which starting matra is correct. Show the arithmetic for both the 'final bol on sam' convention and the 'last bol just before sam' convention, and explain why matra 1 fails in either case.
Read the worked answer
Three repetitions of a 3-matra phrase use 9 matras. The starting point depends on what is meant by 'ending on sam'.
Convention A - final bol on sam: count backwards from sam. The last of the nine matras must be matra 1 of the next avartan. The first repetition therefore begins at matra 3 of the fourth avartan:
- repetition 1: 3, 4, 5
- repetition 2: 6, 7, 8
- repetition 3: 9, 10, 1 (sam)
Convention B - final bol at matra 10, resolving into sam: the last bol falls one matra before sam, and sam is then struck as the next cycle:
- repetition 1: 2, 3, 4
- repetition 2: 5, 6, 7
- repetition 3: 8, 9, 10
Starting at matra 1 gives 1–9 and leaves matra 10 unused; the final bol lands on matra 9, so the tihai does not meet sam at all. The friend who says matra 2 is right only under Convention B; matra 3 is right under Convention A. In an exam, follow the wording: 'end on sam' means Convention A, so begin at matra 3.
2. Explain where the khali at matra 6 falls in each placement and how the player should treat it while playing the tihai.
Read the worked answer
Khali is not a silence; it is the vibhag that is marked with a wave instead of a clap. The tihai does not suspend the tala, so the khali continues to function inside it.
- Start at matra 3: the second repetition begins on matra 6, so the khali coincides with the first bol of the second repetition ('dha'). The player should not accent that bol as if it were a tali; the phrase may be shaped so that its strongest syllable falls elsewhere.
- Start at matra 2: the second repetition runs 5, 6, 7, so matra 6 is its second bol ('dhi'). The khali is less exposed, which is one practical reason some players prefer this placement.
In both cases the khali is still marked '0' in the tala line. The player may soften the attack or adjust the phrase's internal accent, but must not stop counting or treat matra 6 as a new sam. The final decision should also respect the gat's own accents, so that the tihai does not obscure the return to sam.
3. The student must write the chosen tihai into the gat's notation. What marks should appear at which matras, and how should the notation show that the tihai has landed on sam?
Read the worked answer
Assume Convention A, with the first repetition at matra 3. The notation should:
- keep the tala line marks: x at 1, 2 at 3, 0 at 6, 3 at 8;
- bracket each repetition so the grouping is visible: (3–5), (6–8), (9–10 + 1 of the next avartan);
- write the three bol groups under the corresponding matras, not as an unbroken string;
- place x over the final 'na' at matra 1 of the next avartan, because that is where the tihai lands;
- retain the khali mark at 6 even though a tihai bol sounds there.
If the student chooses Convention B instead, the brackets become (2–4), (5–7), (8–10), and the final bol is written at matra 10 with a note that sam follows immediately. The essential point is that the notation must show both the tala's own marks and the tihai's internal grouping; otherwise the reader cannot tell whether the tihai lands on sam or merely stops near it.