Laya, Taal and Musical Forms
Section A, Units III and IV. Covers Laya and layakari; Taal terms; Prominent taals; Hindustani forms; Karnatak forms.
About this unit
This unit deals with time and form in music. Laya is the tempo and layakari the art of fitting bols or notes into multiples of that tempo. Taal gives a fixed cycle of matras with taali, khali and sam, and each taal has its own theka. The second half moves to the main compositional forms: in Hindustani music the old prabandh, dhrupad, khayal, thumri and tarana, along with the Masitkhani and Razakhani gats of instrumental music; and in Karnatak music the kriti, pallavi, padam and tillana. Taal knowledge is needed to understand every form, because each form favours particular taals and tempos.
How to prepare
Make a chart of each prescribed taal with matras, vibhags, taali positions, khali and theka, and write each theka in Bhatkhande notation from memory. Practise layakari arithmetic (how many matras a dugun or chaugun takes, where it should start). For forms, learn their parts, language, mood, accompanying instrument and associated composers.
Topics in this chapter
Laya and layakari
Vilambit, madhya and drut; dugun, tigun, chaugun and chhegun.
5 questionsTaal terms
Matra, taali, khali, sam, vibhag and avartan.
5 questionsProminent taals
Teentaal, Ektaal, Dadra, Keharwa, Jhaptaal, Rupak, Adi, Chautaal and others.
5 questionsHindustani forms
Prabandh, dhrupad, khayal, thumri, tarana, Masitkhani and Razakhani gat.
5 questionsKarnatak forms
Kriti, pallavi, padam and tillana.
5 questions