Thaalam refers to the basic recurring unit of rhythm of a composition or an improvised piece. So, it ultimately consists of a set number of beats (or bars as used in Western system of notation). Each beat is called a Maathra. Each Maathra is further subdivided into Aksharams. The number of Aksharams in a Maathra is denoted by Gathi or Nadai. Therefore, a part of a Thaalam in Trishra Nadai means that in that part each Maathra has three Aksharams. One full cycle of beats is referred to as an Aavartanam. So, if I say that a particular composition is 5 Aavartanas long, it means that the composition exactly fits in 5 recurring units. This is the basic framework of any rhythmic system in the world.

In the Indian context it is seen that mostly Chaturashra Nadai is employed (both in Carnatic as well as in Hindustani forms of presentation). On the contrary, the most common Nadai employed in Jazz is called Swing which is basically Trishra Nadai.

In the Carnatic tradition a certain classification of Thaalas is commonly used. This classification has seven Thaalas and is called the "Suladi Sapta Thaalas". The basic building blocks of these Thaalas are Laghu, Dhrutam, and Anudhrutam. Each of these building blocks has a clear representation in terms of number of Maathras and also a visual representation in terms of hand movements.

It must be clarified at the outset that this is a completely arbitrary classification scheme and as such can be substituted by any other classification. The main requirement, according to me, is that the classification scheme must be general (complex) enough to allow lot of possibilities. Since the traditional one is quite general it is makes sense to stick with it.

Each Thaalam is of five Jaatis (types) ranging from Trishram (3) to Sankeernam (9) with 4, 5, and 7 in between. Laghu has a variable number of Maathras, where the number equals the Jaati of the Thaalam. The symbol for Laghu is 1. Dhrutam consists of 2 Maathras and Anudhrutam consists of 1 Maathra. The symbols for Dhrutam and Anudhrutam are 0 and U respectively. (Things will become clear as you go on)

In terms of hand movements (visual cues), Laghu consists of first a beat with the palm facing down followed by counting using fingers starting with the little finger. The number of fingers counted is equal to the Jaati minus one. After one reaches the thumb (for Mishram (7) and Sankeerna (9) Jaatis) one goes back to the little finger. Dhrutam consists of a beat with the palm facing down followed by a beat with the palm facing up. Anudhrutam consists of a single beat with the palm facing down.
 
 

The Seven Thaalas

The seven Thaalas along with their notations in terms of Laghus, Dhrutams, and Anudhrutams are as follows,
 

Dhruvam	1011
Matyam	101
Roopakam	01
Jhampa	1U0
Triputa	100
Ata	1100
Eka	1

In the above Thaalas, the Laghu (1) is a flexible length component with its length equal to the Jaati of the Thaalam (as mentioned before). Since there are 5 Jaatis, that makes the total number of Thaalas 35. For example, a Chaturashra Jaati Dhruva Thaalam will be (4 + 2 + 4 + 4 = ) 14 Maathras long and so on. As mentioned before the next aspect that needs specification is the Nadai or Gathi of the Thaalam. This decides the number of Aksharams that make up a Maathra. The Nadais just like the Jaatis are also of 5 types. Thus, each of the 35 Thaalas can be used in 5 different Nadais, taking the total to 175. This shows that the traditional Thaala-scheme is general enough to encompass a wide range of possibilities. For example, the Chaturashra Jaati Dhruva Thaalam in Chaturashra Nadai has (14 x 4 = ) 56 Aksharams. The same Thaalam in Trishra Nadai will have (14 x 3 = ) 42 Aksharams. This completes the description of the most commonly used Thaala-system in Carnatic music.
 
 

The Chaapu Thaalas

There exists another set of Thaalas under the name "Chaapu" Thaalam. These do not fit into the above system of Laghu, Dhrutam, and Anudhrutam. There are three Chaapu Thaalas, viz. Khanda-chaapu, Mishra-chaapu, and Sankeerna-chaapu. Out of these the first two are widely used.

The Khanda-chaapu consists of two beats with the palm facing downwards. The second beat, although, is of 1 1/2 Maathra duration. Thus the whole Thaalam is of 2 1/2 Maathras. Generally, the Chaapu Thaalas are used in the Chaturashra Nadai which means that Khanda-chaapu has (2.5 x 4 = ) 10 Aksharams.

The Mishra-chaapu consists of three beats. The first one is with the palm facing upwards followed by two beats with the palm facing downwards. The first beat is here of 1 1/2 Maathra duration taking the total in this case to 3.5. The number of Aksharams in Chaturashra Nadai comes out to be 14.

The Sankeerna-chaapu consists of four beats. The first one is with the palm facing upwards followed by three beats with the palm facing downwards. The first beat is here of 1 1/2 Maathra duration taking the total in this case to 4.5. The number of Aksharams in Chaturashra Nadai comes out to be 18.
 
 

Some common terminologies

Aadi Thaalam: is the most commonly found Thaalam in Carnatic music, much like Teen taal in Hindustani. In the above mentioned Taala-scheme, it would be known as Chaturashra Jaati Triputa Thaalam. Note that the Nadai is left unspecified. Aadi Thaalam consists of (4 + 2 + 2 = ) 8 Maathras and in Chaturashra Nadai it contains (8 x 4 = ) 32 Aksharams.

Roopaka Thaalam: is the second most found Thaalam. The name creates a little confusion with respect to the scheme discussed above. A casually said Roopaka Thaalam generally refers to the Thaalam under discussion here and not one of the seven basic Thaalas. This Roopaka Thaalam consists of three beats; the first two with palm facing downwards and the third with the palm facing upwards. This Thaalam can be considered a simplified version of Chaturashra Jaati Roopaka Thaalam from the Thaala-scheme or Trishra Jaati Eka Thaalam with a modified visual representation.

This ends our discussion on Thaalam. Comments are welcome.

This page was last updated on 2nd May, 2000.