| Indian classical music |
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| Concepts |
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Atala (IASTtāla) literally means a 'clap, tapping one's hand on one's arm, a musical measure'.[1] It is the term used inIndian classical music similar tomusical meter,[2] that is any rhythmic beat or strike that measures musical time.[3] The measure is typically established by hand clapping, waving, touching fingers on thigh or the other hand, verbally, striking of smallcymbals, or apercussion instrument in theIndian subcontinental traditions.[4][5] Along withraga which forms the fabric of a melodic structure, thetala forms the life cycle and thereby constitutes one of the two foundational elements of Indian music.[6]
Tala is an ancient music concept traceable toVedic era texts ofHinduism, such as theSamaveda and methods for singing the Vedic hymns.[7][8][9] The music traditions of the North and South India, particularly theraga andtala systems, were not considered as distinct until about the 16th century. There on, during the tumultuous period of Islamic rule of the Indian subcontinent, the traditions separated and evolved into distinct forms. Thetala system of the north is calledHindustaani, while the south is calledCarnaatic.[7] However, thetala system between them continues to have more common features than differences.[10]
Tala in the Indian tradition embraces the time dimension of music, the means by which musical rhythm and form were guided and expressed.[11] While atala carries the musical meter, it does not necessarily imply a regularly recurring pattern. In the major classical Indian music traditions, the beats are hierarchically arranged based on how the music piece is to be performed.[4] The most widely usedtala in the South Indian system isAdi tala.[4] In the North Indian system, the most commontala isteental.[12]
Tala has other contextual meanings in ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. For example, it meanstrochee inSanskrit prosody.[1]
Tāla (ताळ) is a Sanskrit word,[1] which means 'being established'.[13]
According to David Nelson, an ethnomusicology scholar specializing in Carnatic music, atala in Indian music covers "the whole subject of musical meter".[5] Indian music is composed and performed in a metrical framework, a structure of beats that is atala. Thetala forms the metrical structure that repeats, in a cyclical harmony, from the start to end of any particular song or dance segment, making it conceptually analogous to meters in Western music.[5] However,talas have certain qualitative features that classical European musical meters do not. For example, sometalas are much longer than any classical Western meter, such as a framework based on 29 beats whose cycle takes about 45 seconds to complete when performed. Another sophistication intalas is the lack of "strong, weak" beat composition typical of the traditional European meter. In classical Indian traditions, thetala is not restricted to permutations of strong and weak beats, but its flexibility permits the accent of a beat to be decided by the shape of musical phrase.[5]
Atala measures musical time in Indian music. However, it does not imply a regular repeating accent pattern, instead its hierarchical arrangement depends on how the musical piece is supposed to be performed.[5] A metric cycle of atala contains a specific number of beats, which can be as short as 3 beats or as long as 128 beats.[14] The pattern repeats, but the play of accent and empty beats are an integral part of Indian music architecture. Eachtala has subunits. In other words, the larger cyclictala pattern has embedded smaller cyclic patterns, and both of these rhythmic patterns provide the musician and the audience to experience the play of harmonious and discordant patterns at two planes. A musician can choose to intentionally challenge a pattern at the subunit level by contradicting thetala, explore the pattern in exciting ways, then bring the music and audience experience back to the fundamental pattern of cyclical beats.[14]
Thetala as the time cycle, and theraga as the melodic framework, are the two foundational elements of classical Indian music.[6] Theraga gives an artist the ingredients palette to build the melody from sounds, while thetala provides them with a creative framework for rhythmic improvisation using time.[14][15][16]
The basic rhythmic phrase of atala when rendered on a percussive instrument such astabla is called atheka.[17] The beats within each rhythmic cycle are calledmatras, and the first beat of any rhythmic cycle is called thesam.[18] An empty beat is calledkhali.[19] The subdivisions of atala are calledvibhagas orkhands.[18] In the two major systems of classical Indian music, the first count of anytala is calledsam.[12] The cyclic nature of atala is a major feature of the Indian tradition, and this is termed asavartan. Bothraga andtala are open frameworks for creativity and allow theoretically infinite number of possibilities, however, the tradition considers 108talas as basic.[19]
The roots oftala and music in ancient India are found in the Vedic literature of Hinduism. The earliest Indian thought combined three arts, instrumental music (vadya), vocal music (gita) and dance (nrtta).[20] As these fields developed,sangita became a distinct genre of art, in a form equivalent to contemporary music. This likely occurred before the time ofYāska (~500 BCE), since he includes these terms in hisnirukta studies, one of the sixVedanga of ancient Indian tradition. Some of the ancient texts of Hinduism such as theSamaveda (~1000 BCE) are structured entirely to melodic themes,[21][22] it is sections ofRigveda set to music.[23]
TheSamaveda is organized into two formats. One part is based on the musical meter, another by the aim of the rituals.[24] The text is written with embedded coding, wheresvaras (octave note) is either shown above or within the text, or the verse is written intoparvans (knot or member). These markings identify which units are to be sung in a single breath, each unit based on multiples of one eighth. The hymns ofSamaveda contain melodic content, form, rhythm and metric organization.[24] This structure is, however, not unique or limited toSamaveda. TheRigveda embeds the musical meter too, without the kind of elaboration found in theSamaveda. For example, theGayatri mantra contains three metric lines of exactly eight syllables, with an embedded ternary rhythm.[25]
According to Lewis Rowell, a professor of music specializing in classical Indian music, the need and impulse to develop mathematically precise musical meters in the Vedic era may have been driven by the Indian use oforal tradition for transmitting vast amounts of Vedic literature. Deeply and systematically embedded structure and meters may have enabled the ancient Indians a means to detect and correct any errors of memory or oral transmission from one person or generation to the next.[26] According toMichael Witzel,[27]
The Vedic texts were orally composed and transmitted, without the use of script, in an unbroken line of transmission from teacher to student that was formalized early on. This ensured an impeccable textual transmission superior to the classical texts of other cultures; it is, in fact, something like atape-recording.... Not just the actual words, but even the long-lost musical (tonal) accent (as in old Greek or in Japanese) has been preserved up to the present.
TheSamaveda also included a system ofchironomy, or hand signals to set the recital speed. These weremudras (finger and palm postures) andjatis (finger counts of the beat), a system at the foundation oftalas.[28] The chants in the Vedic recital text, associated with rituals, are presented to be measured inmatras and its multiples in the invariant ratio of 1:2:3. This system is also the basis of everytala.[29]
In the ancient traditions of Hinduism, two musical genre appeared, namelyGandharva (formal, composed, ceremonial music) andGana (informal, improvised, entertainment music).[31] TheGandharva music also implied celestial, divine associations, while theGana also implied singing.[31] The Vedic Sanskrit musical tradition had spread widely in the Indian subcontinent, and according to Rowell, the ancient Tamil classics make it "abundantly clear that a cultivated musical tradition existed in South India as early as the last few pre-Christian centuries".[11]
The classic Sanskrit textNatya Shastra is at the foundation of the numerous classical music and dance of India. BeforeNatyashastra was finalized, the ancient Indian traditions had classified musical instruments into four groups based on their acoustic principle (how they work, rather than the material they are made of).[32] These four categories are accepted as given and are four separate chapters in theNatyashastra, one each on stringed instruments (chordophones), hollow instruments (aerophones), solid instruments (idiophones), and covered instruments (membranophones).[32] Of these, states Rowell, the idiophone in the form of "small bronze cymbals" were used fortala. Almost the entire chapter ofNatyashastra on idiophones, by Bharata, is a theoretical treatise on the system oftala.[33] Time keeping with idiophones was considered a separate function than that of percussion (membranophones), in the early Indian thought on music theory.[33]
The early 13th century Sanskrit textSangitaratnakara (literally 'Ocean of Music and Dance'), byŚārṅgadeva patronized by King Sighana of theYadava dynasty inMaharashtra, mentions and discussesragas andtalas.[34] He identifies seventala families, then subdivides them into rhythmic ratios, presenting a methodology for improvisation and composition that continues to inspire modern era Indian musicians.[35]Sangitaratnakara is one of the most complete historic medieval era Hindu treatises on this subject that has survived into the modern era, that relates to the structure, technique and reasoning behindragas andtalas.[36][35]
The centrality and significance ofTala to music in ancient and early medieval India is also expressed in numerous templereliefs, in both Hinduism and Jainism, such as through the carving of musicians with cymbals at the fifth century Pavaya temple sculpture nearGwalior,[37] and theEllora Caves.[38][39]
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In the South Indian system (Carnatic), a fulltala is a group of sevensuladi talas. These are cyclic (avartana), with three parts (anga) traditionally written down withlaghu,drutam andanudrutam symbols. Eachtala is divided in two ways to perfect the musical performance, one is calledkala (kind) and the othergati (pulse).[4]
Each repeated cycle of atala is called anavartan. This iscounted additively in sections (vibhag oranga) which roughly correspond to bars or measures but may not have the same number of beats (matra, akshara) and may be marked by accents or rests. So the HindustaniJhoomra tal has 14 beats, counted 3+4+3+4, which differs fromDhamar tal, also of 14 beats but counted 5+2+3+4. The spacing of thevibhag accents makes them distinct, otherwise, again, sinceRupak tal consists of 7 beats, two cycles of it of would be indistinguishable from one cycle of the relatedDhamar tal.[40] However the most common Hindustanitala,Teental, is a regularly-divisible cycle of four measures of four beats each.
The first beat of anytala, calledsam (pronounced as the English word 'sum' and meaning even or equal) is always the most important and heavily emphasised. It is the point of resolution in the rhythm where the percussionist's and soloist's phrases culminate: a soloist has to sound an important note of the raga there, and a North Indian classical dance composition must end there. However, melodies do not always begin on the first beat of thetala but may be offset, for example to suit the words of a composition so that the most accented word falls upon thesam. The termtalli, literally 'shift', is used to describe this offset inTamil. A composition may also start with ananacrusis on one of the last beats of the previous cycle of thetala, calledateeta eduppu in Tamil.
Thetāla is indicated visually by using a series of rhythmic hand gestures calledkriyas that correspond to theangas or 'limbs', orvibhag of thetāla. These movements define thetala in Carnatic music, and in the Hindustani tradition too, when learning and reciting thetala, the first beat of anyvibhag is known astali ('clap') and is accompanied by a clap of the hands, while an "empty" (khali) vibhag is indicated with a sideways wave of the dominant clapping hand (usually the right) or the placing of the back of the hand upon the base hand's palm instead. But northern definitions oftala rely far more upon specific drum-strokes, known asbols, each with its own name that can be vocalized as well as written. In one common notation thesam is denoted by an 'X' and thekhali, which is always the first beat of a particularvibhag, denoted by '0' (zero).[41]
A tala does not have a fixed tempo (laya) and can be played at different speeds. In Hindustani classical music a typical recital of a raga falls into two or three parts categorized by the quickening tempo of the music;Vilambit (delayed, i.e., slow),Madhya (medium tempo) andDrut (fast). Carnatic music adds an extra slow and fast category, categorised by divisions of thepulse;Chauka (one stroke per beat),Vilamba (two strokes per beat),Madhyama (four strokes per beat),Drut (eight strokes per beat) and lastlyAdi-drut (16 strokes per beat).
Indian classical music, bothnorthern andsouthern, have theoretically developed since ancient times numeroustala, though in practice sometalas are very common, and some are rare.
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Carnatic music uses various classification systems of tālas such as theChapu (four talas),Chanda (108 talas) andMelakarta (72 talas). TheSuladi Sapta Tāla system (35 talas) is used here, according to which there are seven families of tāla. A tāla from this system cannot exist without reference to one of fivejatis, differentiated by the length in beats of thelaghu.[42] Thus, with all the possible combinations oftala types andlaghu lengths, there are 5 x 7 = 35 talas having lengths ranging from 3 (Tisra-jati Eka tala) to 29 (sankeerna jati dhruva tala) aksharas. The seventala families and the number ofaksharas for each of the 35talas are;
| Tala | Anga notation | Tisra (3) | Chatusra (4) | Khanda (5) | Misra (7) | Sankeerna (9) |
| Dhruva | lOll | 11 | 14 | 17 | 23 | 29 |
| Matya | lOl | 8 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Rupaka | Ol | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 |
| Jhampa | lUO | 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
| Triputa | lOO | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 |
| Ata | llOO | 10 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 22 |
| Eka | l | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 |
In practice, only a few talas have compositions set to them. The most commontala isChaturasra-nadai Chaturasra-jaati Triputa tala, also calledAdi tala (Adi meaning primordial in Sanskrit). Nadai is a term which means subdivision of beats. Manykritis and around half of thevarnams are set to thistala. Other commontalas include:
There are six main angas/strokes in talas;
Each tala can incorporate one of the five followingjatis.
| Jati | Number of aksharas |
| Chaturasra | 4 |
| Thisra | 3 |
| Khanda | 5 |
| Misra | 7 |
| Sankeerna | 9 |
Each tala family has a defaultjatiassociated with it; the tala name mentioned without qualification refers to the defaultjati.
For example, one cycle ofkhanda-jati rupaka tala comprises a two-beatdhrutam followed by a five-beatlaghu. The cycle is thus seven aksharas long. Chaturasra nadai khanda-jati Rupaka tala has seven aksharam, each of which is fourmatras long; each avartana of the tala is 4 x 7 = 28 matras long. For Misra nadai Khanda-jati Rupaka tala, it would be 7 x 7 = 49 matra.
The number ofmaatras in anakshara is called thenadai. This number can be three, four, five, seven or nine, and take the same name as the jatis. The default nadai isChatusram:
| Jati | Maatras | Phonetic representation of beats |
|---|---|---|
| Tisra | 3 | Tha Ki Ta |
| Chatusra | 4 | Tha Ka Dhi Mi |
| Khanda | 5 | Tha Ka Tha Ki Ta |
| Misra | 7 | Tha Ki Ta Tha Ka Dhi Mi |
| Sankeerna | 9 | Tha Ka Dhi Mi Tha Ka Tha Ki Ta |
Sometimes,pallavis are sung as part of aRagam Thanam Pallavi exposition in some of the rarer, more complicatedtalas; such pallavis, if sung in a non-Chatusra-nadai tala, are callednadai pallavis. In addition, pallavis are often sung in chauka kale (slowing the tala cycle by a magnitude of four times), although this trend seems to be slowing.
Kāla refers to the change of tempo during a rendition of song, typically doubling up the speed.Onnaam kaalam is first speed,Erandaam kaalam is second speed and so on. Erandaam kaalam fits in twice the number of aksharaas (notes) into the same beat, thus doubling the tempo. Sometimes, Kāla is also used similar to Layā, for example Madhyama Kālam or Chowka Kālam.
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| Hindustani classical music | ||||||
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Talas have a vocalised and therefore recordable form wherein individual beats are expressed as phonetic representations of various strokes played upon the tabla. Various Gharanas (literally 'Houses' which can be inferred to be "styles" – basically styles of the same art with cultivated traditional variances) also have their own preferences. For example, the Kirana Gharana uses Ektaal more frequently for Vilambit Khayal while the Jaipur Gharana uses Trital. Players from the Jaipur Gharana are also known to use Ada Trital, a variation of Trital for transitioning from Vilambit to Drut laya.
Thekhali vibhag has no beats on the bayan, i.e. no bass beats this can be seen as a way to enforce the balance between the usage of heavy (bass dominated) and light (treble) beats or more simply it can be thought of another mnemonic to keep track of the rhythmic cycle (in addition to Sam). Thekhali is played with a stressed syllable that can easily be picked out from the surrounding beats.
Some rare talas even contain a "half-beat". For example, Dharami is an 11 1/2 beat cycle where the final "Ka" only occupies half the time of the other beats. This tala's sixth beat does not have a played syllable – in western terms it is a rest.
Some talas, for example Dhamaar, Ektaal, Jhoomra and Chautala, lend themselves better to slow and medium tempos. Others flourish at faster speeds, like Jhaptal or Rupak talas. Trital or Teental is one of the most popular, since it is as aesthetic at slower tempos as it is at faster speeds. As stated above, the division with thesam (first strong beat) is marked with X, thekhali section is marked by 0, and the remaining sections,tali are marked with numbers starting at 2. Some sources give Rupak tala as starting with khali, the only tala to do so.[44]
There are many talas in Hindustani music, some of the more popular ones are:
| Name | Beats | Division | Vibhaga |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tintal (or Trital or Teental) | 16 | 4+4+4+4 | X 2 0 3 |
| Tilwada | 16 | 4+4+4+4 | X 2 0 3 |
| Jhoomra | 14 | 3+4+3+4 | X 2 0 3 |
| Ada Chautaal | 14 | ||
| Dhamar | 14 | 5+2+3+4 | X 2 0 3 |
| Deepchandi (thumri, film songs) | 14 | ||
| Ektal (and Chautal, in Dhrupad) | 12 | 2+2+2+2+2+2 | X 0 2 0 3 4 |
| Jhaptal | 10 | 2+3+2+3 | X 2 0 3 |
| Sool Taal (mainly Dhrupad) | 10 | ||
| Keherwa | 8 | 4+4 | X 0 |
| Rupak (Mughlai/Roopak) Carnatic has a 6-beat Roopak | 7 | 3+2+2 | X 2 3 or 0 X 2 |
| Tevaraa (used in dhrupad) | 7 | ||
| Dadra | 6 | 3+3 | X 0 |
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| S.No | Name of raga | Pattern of the symbols of angas | Aksharas |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kanakaangi | 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Guru, 1 Laghu | 15 |
| 2 | Rathnaangi | 1 Guru, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu | 20 |
| 3 | Ganamurthi | 1 Laghu, 2 Anudhruthas, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Guru, 1 Anudhrutha | 22 |
| 4 | Vanaspathi | 1 Laghu, 2 Anudhruthas, 1 Guru, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam | 22 |
| 5 | Maanavathi | 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam | 20 |
| 6 | Dhanarupi | 1 Guru, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhritha | 15 |
| 7 | Senaavathi | 1 Gurus, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam | 25 |
| 8 | Hanumathodi | 1 Guru, 2 Anudhruthas, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Pluta, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu | 34 |
| 9 | Dhenuka | 1 Pluta, 2 Anudhruthas, 1 Dhrutha | 16 |
| 10 | Natakapriya | 3 Dhruthas, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 12 |
| 11 | Kokilapriya | 1 Guru, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Dhrutha, 2 Laghus, 1 Dhrutha | 21 |
| 12 | Rupaavathi | 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam | 19 |
| 13 | Gayakapriya | 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 2 Dhruthas, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 15 |
| 14 | Vagula bharanam | 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 2 Dhruthas, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Guru, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam | 28 |
| 15 | Maya malava goulam | 1 Laghu, 2 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Anudhrutha | 31 |
| 16 | Chakravaham | 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 2 Laghus, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam | 24 |
| 17 | Suryakantham | 1 Guru, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Guru, 1 Pluta | 33 |
| 18 | Haata kambari | 1 Guru, 2 Dhruthas, 1 Guru, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam | 27 |
| 19 | Jankaradh wani | 1 Pluta, 3 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamams, 1 Pluta, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Anudhrutha | 36 |
| 20 | Nata bhairavi | 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 2 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamams, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha | 19 |
| 21 | Keeravani | 2 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamams, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 18 |
| 22 | Karahara priya | 2 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamams, 1 Guru, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 24 |
| 23 | Gowri manohari | 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 2 Laghus, 1 Dhrutha, 2 Gurus, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam | 37 |
| 24 | Varuna priya | 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 20 |
| 25 | Maara ranjani | 1 Laghu, 2 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamams, 2 Gurus, 2 Anudhruthas | 28 |
| 26 | Charukesi | 1 Guru, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 22 |
| 27 | Sarasaangi | 1 Guru, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Pluta, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu | 29 |
| 28 | Harikamboji | 1 Guru, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Guru, 1 Pluta, 1 Guru, 1 Anudhrutha | 41 |
| 29 | Dheera sankara bharanam | 1 Guru, 2 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamams, 1 Guru, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Dhrutha, 2 Laghus, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Guru, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam | 50 |
| 30 | Nagaa nandhini | 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Guru, 2 Anudhruthas | 23 |
| 31 | Yagapriya | 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 2 Laghus, 1 Dhrutha | 13 |
| 32 | Raga vardhini | 3 Laghus, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Guru, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Anudhrutha | 24 |
| 33 | Gangeya bhushani | 1 Guru, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 38 |
| 34 | Vaga dheeshwari | 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Guru, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Guru, Dhrutha, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam | 34 |
| 35 | Soolini | 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha | 12 |
| 36 | Chala Naata | 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 2 Dhruthas | 15 |
| 37 | Chalagam | 1 Guru, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Guru, 1 Anudhrutha | 22 |
| 38 | Jalaarnavam | 1 Guru, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 2 Gurus, 1 Dhrutha | 32 |
| 39 | Jaalavarali | 1 Guru, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 2 Laghus, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha | 25 |
| 40 | Navaneetham | 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam | 15 |
| 41 | Paavani | 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 2 Anudhruthas | 9 |
| 42 | Raghupriya | 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 14 |
| 43 | Kavaambothi | 1 Laghu, 1 Guru, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Pluta, 1 Guru, 1 Anudhrutha | 36 |
| 44 | Bhavapriya | 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 16 |
| 45 | Subha panthuvarali | 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha | 35 |
| 46 | Shadvitha maargini | 1 Guru, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Guru, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 44 |
| 47 | Swarnaangi | 1 Guru, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Pluta, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu | 32 |
| 48 | Divyamani | 1 Guru, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 27 |
| 49 | Davalaambari | 1 Guru, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam | 28 |
| 50 | Naama narayani | 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 2 Dhruthas, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 22 |
| 51 | Kaamavartha | 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Pluta, 1 Anudhrutha | 27 |
| 52 | Raamapriya | 2 Laghus, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 16 |
| 53 | Gamanashrama | 2 Laghus, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 17 |
| 54 | Viswambari | 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Pluta, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam | 27 |
| 55 | Syamalangi | 1 Guru, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu | 25 |
| 56 | Shanmukha priya | 1 Pluta, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 27 |
| 57 | Simhendra madhyamam | 1 Guru, 1 Kakapada, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Guru, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Guru, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Guru, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam | 69 |
| 58 | Hemaavathi | 1 Pluta, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam | 30 |
| 59 | Dharmavathi | 1 Pluta, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam | 30 |
| 60 | Neethimathi | 1Dhrutha, 1Laghu, 1Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam | 22 |
| 61 | Kaanthamani | 2 Gurus, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 28 |
| 62 | Rishabhapriya | 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 21 |
| 63 | Lathaangi | 1 Laghu, 1 Pluta, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu | 21 |
| 64 | Vachaspathi | 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Guru, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam | 29 |
| 65 | Mecha Kalyani | 1 Guru, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 30 |
| 66 | Chithraambari | 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Pluta, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam | 29 |
| 67 | Sucharithra | 1 Guru, 1 Laghu, 2 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamams, 1 Guru, 1 Anudhrutha | 27 |
| 68 | Jyothi swarupini | 1 Kakapada, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Pluta, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 48 |
| 69 | Dathuvardhani | 1 Guru, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Anudhrutha, 1 Pluta, 1 Anudhrutha | 36 |
| 70 | Naasikha bhushani | 1 Dhrutha, 1 Guru, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 32 |
| 71 | Kosalam | 1 Guru, 1 Anudhrutha, 2 Gurus, 1 Anudhruthas | 26 |
| 72 | Rasikapriya | 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Guru, 1 Dhrutha Sekara Viraamam, 1 Laghu, 1 Dhrutha | 20 |
| Anga | Symbol | Aksharakala |
|---|---|---|
| Anudrutam | U | 1 |
| Druta | O | 2 |
| Druta-virama | UO | 3 |
| Laghu (Chatusra-jati) | l | 4 |
| Guru | 8 | 8 |
| Plutam | 3 | 12 |
| Kakapadam | x | 16 |
| Anga | Symbol | Aksharakala |
|---|---|---|
| Anudrutam | U | 1 |
| Druta | O | 2 |
| Druta-virama | UO | 3 |
| Laghu (Chatusra-jati) | l | 4 |
| Laghu-virama | Ul | 5 |
| Laghu-druta | Ol | 6 |
| Laghu-druta-virama | UOl | 7 |
| Guru | 8 | 8 |
| Guru-virama | U8 | 9 |
| Guru-druta | O8 | 10 |
| Guru-druta-virama | UO8 | 11 |
| Plutam | 3 | 12 |
| Pluta-virana | U3 | 13 |
| Pluta-druta | O3 | 14 |
| Pluta-druta-virama | UO3 | 15 |
| Kakapadam | x | 16 |
Compositions are rare in the 108 lengthy anga talas. They are mostly used in performing thePallavi ofRagam Thanam Pallavis. Some examples of anga talas are:
Sarabhanandana tala
| 8 | O | l | l | O | U | U) | |
| O | O | O | U | O) | OU) | U) | O |
| U | O | U | O | U) | O | (OU) | O) |
Simhanandana tala : It is the longest tala.
| 8 | 8 | l | ) | l | 8 | O | O |
| 8 | 8 | l | ) | l | ) | 8 | l |
| l | x |
Another type of tala is thechhanda tala. These are talas set to the lyrics of theThirupugazhby the Tamil composerArunagirinathar. He is said to have written 16,000 hymns each in a differentchhandatala. Of these, only 1500–2000 are available.
| Name | Beats | Division | Vibhaga |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adachoutal | 14 | 2+2+2+2+2+2+2 | X 2 0 3 0 4 0 |
| Brahmtal | 28 | 2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2 | X 0 2 3 0 4 5 6 0 7 8 9 10 0 |
| Dipchandi | 14 | 3+4+3+4 | X 2 0 3 |
| Shikar | 17 | 6+6+2+3 | X 0 3 4 |
| Sultal | 10 | 2+2+2+2+2 | x 0 2 3 0 |
| Ussole e Fakhta | 5 | 1+1+1+1+1 | x 3 |
| Farodast | 14 | 3+4+3+4 | X 2 0 3 |
