Dr. Parthasarathy Sriram
We have seen that the term raga refers to the tune or melody characteristics. The analogous term referring to the rhythm or beats of Carnatic music is taalam. It indicates the pacing of the music and the placement of syllables in the composition. It is vital to realize that the taalam system is essentially based on a cyclic pattern; in other words, the rhythm is always cyclic. In Carnatic music, the singer indicates the taalam using gestures. There are three basic hand movements used in keeping the rhythm - the downward beat with the palm facing down, called thattu, the wave (sometimes the downward beat with the palm facing up) called veechu and counts using one finger for each count staring with the little finger (sometimes using the thumb to indicate a finger or portions of a finger). These basic movements are combined into three groups, called Laghu, Dhrutham and Anudhrutham. A Laghu is one thattu followed by a specified number of counts to make up the requisite number of beats. A Dhrutham is one thattu followed by one veechu while an Anudhrutham is just one thattu. Each beat or unit of taalam is termed as an aksharam and thus, an Anudhrutham is one aksharam long, a Dhrutham is two aksharams long and the Laghu is of variable length. There are several other movements but these are rarely seen in practice.
The absolute duration of an aksharam is not fixed and it varies, depending on the composition and the mood of the performer. This is similar to the way in which the absolute pitch of the swaras is not fixed but defined only relative to the reference pitch or sruthi. The aksharam is further divided into a number of swaras and this division is referred to as gathi or nadai. Four swaras per aksharam is standard and is termed Chaturasra nadai. The other standard divisions and the associated number of swaras per aksharam are Tisra (three), Khanda (five), Misra (seven) and Sankirna (nine). These divisions apply to medium tempo or Madhyama Kaalam. The divisions can be doubled to yield a fast tempo termed Dhuritha Kaalam or halved to yield the slow Chowka Kaalam. Further doubling and halving are also possible but rarely heard. Most of Dikshithar's compositions have the last line of Anupallavi and Charanam (see Elements of Recital section for definitions) set to Dhuritha Kaalam.
There are seven common taalams employing a mixture of the movements just described. In standard notation, the Laghu is indicated by a |, the Dhrutham by a 0 and the anudhrutham by a U. The length of the Laghu is indicated by a subscript placed after the |. For example, |4 indicates a Laghu of length 4, which comprises of a thattu followed by a three count on the fingers for a total of four aksharams. The seven common taalams and their components are as follows:
tabular
The length of the Laghu has not been specified in the classification. There are five possible Laghu lengths called Tisra (length 3 aksharams), Chaturasra (4 aksharams), Khanda (5), Misra (7) and Sankirna (9). Each of these five Laghus can occur in the seven basic taalams to produce a total of thirty five taalams. For example, Misra Jhampa taalam (|7 U 0) has a Laghu of 7 aksharams, an Anudhrutham and a Dhrutham. This would be indicated by a thattu (counted one) followed by a six count on the fingers (counts two through seven), two thattus and a veechu, for a total of ten aksharams. Each of these thirty five taalams can be divided into the five nadais to yield 175 beat patterns. Sometimes, the taalam names are used without indicating the length of the Laghu and are to be interpreted as follows: Eka (Chaturasra Eka), Roopaka (Chaturasra Roopaka), Triputa (Tisra Triputa), Jhampa (Misra Jhampa), Ata (Khanda Ata). Chaturasra Roopakam is usually indicated by two thattus and a veechu (each of two akshara length) in order to economize hand motion.
In addition to the taalams just described, there are three more common taalams - Aadi, Khanda Chaapu and Misra Chaapu. Aadi taalam is just the name given to the most common taalam - Chaturasra Triputa or |4 0 0. Khanda Chaapu is a five beat taalam also called arai Jhampa (or half Jhampa) and is usually indicated 0 U 0, though there is really no fixed way of indicating it. One can also see a thattu of two aksharams followed by two veechus of one and two aksharam durations. Khanda Chaapu is often used as a version of Misra Jhampa. Misra Chaapu is similar to Tisra Triputa and is sometimes used as an alternative. The usual indication consists of a thattu of three aksharams followed by two veechus or two thattus of two aksharams each, for a total of seven aksharams (and hence the name).
There is another aspect of taalam which merits attention - the starting point of the song in relation to the taalam or the eduppu as it is called. Many songs start simultaneously with the beat and this is termed as sama eduppu indicating that the start is level with the taalam. Often, the song starts after the taalam is started, leaving an empty rhythm pattern at the beginning. This gap allows the singer greater freedom in improvisation (see also under the section titled Elements of a Recital). This is indicated by the term anaagatha eduppu. Sometimes, the song starts before the beat and this is termed atheetha eduppu. This construction is often used to add a one or two syllable prefix (eg. Hari, Sri, Amba) to the text of the melodic line. A peculiar eduppu is associated with a taalam called Desadi taalam. Though this taalam actually consists of four movements, each of two aksharam duration, it is customary to keep pace for this taalam using simple Aadi taalam. Then, the eduppu is at one and half aksharams from the start of the taalam or three eighths way into the laghu. An example for Desadi eduppu is the song 'Bantu reethi kolu viya vayya Raama' in the ragam Hamsanaadham.