What is a gharana?
Gharana comes from ghar (house). It is a school of music passed down by the guru–shishya parampara (teacher–student tradition), often inside a family but also to outside students.
- A founder who created a new style
- At least three generations who keep it alive
- A clear style (baaj): how strokes are made, which part of the drum is used, the tone
- Its own repertoire: qaida, rela, gat, tukda, paran and so on
Vocal music has gharanas too (Gwalior, Agra, Kirana, Jaipur-Atrauli, Patiala), as do sitar and sarod (Maihar, Imdadkhani, Senia).
Tabla gharanas: band and khula baaj
| Gharana | Baaj | Main features |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | band (closed) | oldest; founded by Siddhar Khan; fingertips near the rim (kinar); soft, clear qaidas |
| Ajrada | band | grew from Delhi; patterns in threes (tisra jati); rich left-hand (bayan) work |
| Lucknow | khula (open) | full palm and centre of the drum; grew with kathak dance; gats and parans |
| Farukhabad | mixed | graceful gats, fast relas, wide repertoire |
| Banaras | khula | powerful, ringing, pakhawaj-like; long solos |
| Punjab | khula | closely linked to the pakhawaj; long, complex compositions |
Banaras tabla gharana and Kudau Singh pakhawaj gharana
Banaras gharana (tabla)
- Founded by Pandit Ram Sahai (about 1780–1826), who trained in the Lucknow style and then built his own.
- Khula baaj: open, loud, resonant strokes using the whole hand.
- Strong influence of the pakhawaj; powerful bols like dhere dhere, kat, gadi gan.
- Rich solo forms: uthan (opening), gat, paran, tihai; can accompany vocal, instrumental and dance.
- Famous names: Kanthe Maharaj, Anokhelal Mishra, Kishan Maharaj, Samta Prasad.
Kudau Singh gharana (pakhawaj)
- Founded by Kudau Singh (19th century), a court pakhawaj master in central India.
- Forceful, open-hand strokes; very grand, majestic sound for dhrupad.
- Large parans (long pakhawaj compositions) and fast, powerful passages.
- Stories say his playing was so strong it could calm a wild elephant, showing the control behind the force.
Nana Panse gharana (pakhawaj)
From Maharashtra; balanced, sweet and graceful; suited to dhrupad, kathak and bhajan; a very large set of compositions.
Layakari
Laya is speed; layakari is the skill of playing or singing at different speeds or ratios against the same steady tala.
| Name | Bols per beat | Example in 4 beats |
|---|---|---|
| Thah (barabar) | 1 | 4 bols |
| Dugun | 2 | 8 bols |
| Tigun | 3 | 12 bols |
| Chaugun | 4 | 16 bols |
| Aad | 3/2 (3 bols in 2 beats) | 6 bols |
| Kuad | 5/4 | 5 bols |
| Biaad | 7/4 | 7 bols |
To write dugun of a theka, put two bols in each beat box. To start a dugun so it ends exactly on sam, begin halfway through the cycle.
Key formulas and definitions
- Gharana = founder + 3+ generations + own style + own repertoire
- Band baaj: Delhi, Ajrada; khula baaj: Lucknow, Farukhabad (mixed), Banaras, Punjab
- Banaras: Ram Sahai; Kudau Singh gharana: pakhawaj, forceful
- Bols in a cycle = beats × layakari number
- Thah 1, dugun 2, tigun 3, chaugun 4, aad 3/2, kuad 5/4, biaad 7/4
Worked examples
1. How many bols are played in one cycle of teentaal (16 beats) in tigun?
16 × 3 = 48 bols.
2. In dugun, a full teentaal theka (16 bols) takes how many beats? Where should it start to end on sam?
16 ÷ 2 = 8 beats. Start on beat 9 so it finishes at the end of beat 16 and lands on sam.
3. A player uses the full palm, strong open bols and long parans on tabla. Which gharana might it be?
An open (khula) baaj style such as Banaras (powerful, pakhawaj-like) or Punjab.
Common mistakes
- Thinking a gharana is just a city: it is a teaching lineage with its own style; the city is only its origin.
- Putting Delhi in khula baaj: Delhi and Ajrada are band (closed) baaj.
- Confusing tigun with three beats: tigun means 3 bols in EACH beat.
- Calling Kudau Singh a tabla player: he was a pakhawaj master.