Rhythm in Indian Music

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Tala (tal) - Rhythmic cycles with accented and weak beats, they have a fixed number of beats. There are over 360 talas and they provide the basis for rhythmic improvisation, usually on the tabla.

e.g. Teental - 16 beats grouped 4 + 4 + 4 + 4

Dadra - A 6 beat tala, like out 6/8 metre

Rupaka - 7 beats grouped 3 + 2 + 2

Mantras - The individual beats in a tala

Sam - The first beat of a tal/rhythmic cycle. It is the most important beat, the whole piece always ends on a sam.

Khali - A weak beat, indicated by a wave rather than a clap.

Bols - the improvised rhythms played against the main beats of a chosen tal. Bols are also spoken syllables which imitate the sound of the strokes played on the drum.

Vibhags - Each tala is split into groups called vibhags. A vibhagg is like a bar except there can be different number of beats in each vibhag.

Bhangra - A fusion of western pop styles, club dance technology and traditional Punjabi folk music. It is primarily a dance form and is performed at Indian weddings, parties and clubs.

It uses elements from modern dance club technology e.g. synthesisers, electronic effects (reverb, delay, scratching), looped and sampled material, drum machines providing electronic drum beats.

Chaal - The basic rhythm used in bhangra.

Cycle - A rhythm (or melody or harmony) that is continuously repeated. Its repeats may be varied in some way.

Rhythm:

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