DAKSHINI TAAL SYSTEM

A Tala (IAST tāla), sometimes spelled Taala, Taal or Tal, literally means a "clap, tapping one's hand on one's arm, a musical measure".[1] It is the term used in Indian classical music to refer to musical meter,[2] that is any rhythmic beat or strike that measures musical time.[3 Along with raga which forms the fabric of a melodic structure, the tala forms the life cycle and thereby constitutes one of the two foundational elements of Indian music.[6] Tala is an ancient music concept traceable to Vedic era texts of Hinduism, such as the Samaveda and methods for singing the Vedic hymns.[7][8][9] The music traditions of the North and South India, particularly the raga and tala systems, were not considered as distinct till about the 16th century. There on, during the turmoils of Islamic rule period of the Indian subcontinent, the traditions separated and evolved into distinct forms. The tala system of the north is called Hindustani, while the south is called Carnatic.[7] However, the tala system between them continues to have more common features than differences.[10]

Carnatic music uses various classification systems of tālas such as the Chapu (4 talas), Chanda (108 talas) and Melakarta (72 talas). The Suladi Sapta Tāla system (35 talas) is used here, according to which there are seven families of tāla. A tāla cannot exist without reference to one of five jatis, differentiated by the length in beats of the laghu, thus allowing thirty-five possible tālas. With all possible combinations of tala types and laghu 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 seven tala families and the number of aksharas for each of the 35 talas are;

In practice, only a few talas have compositions set to them In practice, only a few talas have compositions set to them. The most common tala is Chaturasra-nadai Chaturasra-jaati Triputa tala, also called Adi tala (Adi meaning primordial in Sanskrit). Nadai is a term which means subdivision of beats. Many kritis and around half of the varnams are set to this tala. Other common talas include: Chaturasra-nadai Chaturasra-jaati Rupaka tala (or simply Rupaka tala).[42] A large body of krtis is set to this tala. Khanda Chapu (a 10-count) and Misra Chapu (a 14-count), both of which do not fit very well into the suladi sapta tala scheme. Many padams are set to Misra Chapu, while there are also krtis set to both the above talas. Chatusra-nadai Khanda-jati Ata tala (or simply Ata tala).[42] Around half of the varnams are set to this tala.

Tisra-nadai Chatusra-jati Triputa tala (Adi Tala Tisra-Nadai) Tisra-nadai Chatusra-jati Triputa tala (Adi Tala Tisra-Nadai).[42] A few fast-paced kritis are set to this tala. As this tala is a twenty-four beat cycle, compositions in it can be and sometimes are sung in Rupaka talam. Strokes in tālaEdit The Suladi Saptha Tāla system uses three of six possible angas in different arrangements; Anudhrutam, a single beat, notated 'U', a downward clap of the open hand with the palm facing down. Dhrutam, a pattern of 2 beats, notated 'O', a downward clap with the palm facing down followed by a second downward clap with the palm facing up. Laghu, a pattern with a variable number of beats, 3, 4, 5, 7 or 9, depending on the jati. It is notated 'l' and consists of a downward clap with the palm facing down followed by counting from little finger to thumb and back, depending on the jati.

Jatis Each taal can incorporate one of five jatis. (For convenience, the term 'tāla' is commonly used to denote the tāla-jati.) Each tala family has a default jati associated with it; the tala name mentioned without qualification refers to the default jati; Dhruva tala is by default chaturasra jati Matya tala is chaturasra jati Rupaka tala is chaturasra jati Jhampa tala is misra jati[42] Triputa tala is chaturasra jati 

For example, one cycle of khanda-jati rupaka tala comprises a 2-beat dhrutam followed by a 5-beat laghu. The cycle is, thus, 7 aksharas long. Chaturasra nadai khanda-jati Rupaka tala has 7 aksharam, each of which is 4 matras 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. Gati (nadai in Tamil, nadaka in Telugu, nade in Kannada)Edit The number of maatras in an akshara is called the nadai. This number can be 3, 4, 5, 7 or 9, and take the same name as the jatis. The default nadai is Chatusram: GatiMaatrasPhonetic representation of beatsTisra3Tha Ki TaChatusra4Tha Ka Dhi MiKhanda5Tha Ka Tha Ki TaMisra7Tha Ki Ta Tha Ka Dhi MiSankeerna9Tha Ka Dhi Mi Tha Ka Tha Ki Ta