CBSE Class 12 Hindustani Music Percussion Instruments (036)

Chapters: 6

1. Terms and Comparison

Uthan and tala comparison

Taal: The Rhythm Cycle of Hindustani Music – A taal is a fixed cycle of beats (matras) split into groups (vibhags). The cycle starts on sam, strong groups are marked by a clap (tali) and a lighter group by a wave (khali). Its basic drum pattern is the theka.

Layakari and gharanas

Gharanas of Tabla and Pakhawaj, and Layakari – A gharana is a musical family: a style passed from guru to shishya over at least three generations, with its own way of playing and its own compositions. Tabla gharanas fall into band (closed) baaj — Delhi and Ajrada — and khula (open) baaj — Lucknow, Farukhabad, Banaras and Punjab. Banaras, founded by Pandit Ram Sahai, is open and powerful. On the pakhawaj, the Kudau Singh gharana is forceful and grand, the Nana Panse gharana gentle and balanced. Layakari means playing different numbers of bols per beat: thah (1), dugun (2), tigun (3), chaugun (4), and harder ratios like aad (3/2).

History of tabla

History of Indian Music: Texts and Great Musicians – Indian music grew over about 3000 years. Sama Veda hymns gave the first melodies. Bharata's Natya Shastra described swaras, 22 shrutis, gramas, jatis and four families of instruments, including membrane drums (avanaddha). Sharngadeva's Sangeet Ratnakar (13th century) gathered the theory; Ahobal's Sangeet Parijat (17th century) fixed note positions on the veena string. Tansen made dhrupad famous; the tabla grew in the 18th century with khayal. Around 1900, Bhatkhande and Paluskar brought notation and music schools, and 20th-century masters took the music worldwide.

Biographies

Coming soon

Notation and tala recognition

Taal: The Rhythm Cycle of Hindustani Music – A taal is a fixed cycle of beats (matras) split into groups (vibhags). The cycle starts on sam, strong groups are marked by a clap (tali) and a lighter group by a wave (khali). Its basic drum pattern is the theka.

Tabla or pakhawaj playing

Music Performance: Playing Solo and in an Ensemble – Performing music means playing or singing a piece for listeners. A good performance is accurate (right notes, right rhythm), keeps a steady tempo, uses dynamics and phrasing to show feeling, and fits the style of the music. In an ensemble, players also listen to each other, balance their volume and follow cues. Good preparation is slow, careful practice in small chunks, then speeding up and performing for others.