4. Madhyama pratham
The Praveshika Purna tabla exam evaluates the understanding of various gharanas and vocal styles. It will include concepts such as tuning the tabla, as well as new compositions and ideas such as farmaishi chakradaar, jaati, qualities of a tabla player, and knowledge of solo and accompaniment.
Sylllabus
Theory
1. Brief history of tabla, its development and changes in recent times.
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2. Knowledge of gharanas and baaj. Detailed understanding of Delhi and Lukhnow gharanas.
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3. Basic knowledge of following vocal styles
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Khayal (Vilambit, Drut), Thumri, Bhajan, Taraana
4. Basic knowledge about solo and accompaniment.
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5. Desirable and undesirable qualities of a tabla player.
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6. Definitions
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Farmaishi Chakradaar, Bedum and Dumdaar Tihai, Gat, Peshkaar, various types of Parans
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7. Ability to write notations of kaydas and relas in teentaal, jhaptaal, and ektaal.
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8. (a) Guidelines for tuning the tabla and (b) Knowledge about the use of tablas of various scales for all kinds of music
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Notes
1. Brief history of tabla, its development and changes in recent times.
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2. Knowledge of gharanas and baaj. Detailed understanding of Delhi and Lukhnow gharanas.
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3. Basic knowledge of following vocal styles
-
Khayal (Vilambit, Drut), Thumri, Bhajan, Taraana
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4. Basic knowledge about solo and accompaniment.
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5. Desirable and undesirable qualities of a tabla player.
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Read "Solo" section in Solo and Accompaniment
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6. Definitions
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Farmaishi Chakradaar, Bedum and Dumdaar Tihai, Gat, Peshkaar, various types of Parans
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Farmaishi Chakradaar- A chakradaar includes a tihai-containing tukda which is repeated 3 times in order to land on the sum. It is essentially a tihai played 3 times. A farmaishi chakradaar is a chakradaar of which the "dha" of the first section of the first tihai lands on the sum, the "dha" of the second section of the second tihai lands on the sum, and the final "dha" also lands on the sum.
Examples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uva2l3rnNLw
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Bedum Tihai- A tihai with be-dum, meaning no-pause, is a bedum tihai. A bedum tihai has a pause of 1/2 maatra or less. A bedum tihai can't be composed in a taal of which the number of maatras is a multiple of 3 (ex. ektaal, matta taal)
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Dumdaar Tihai- Dumdaar, meaning "with a pause," implies that a dumdaar tihai has a pause. The pauses may be short or long, and they may also be simple or complex. Usually, a dumdaar tihai has a pause that is more than 1/2 maatra. A dumdaar tihai with complex pauses is sometimes referred to as bikat dum.
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Gat- A gat is a fixed composition composed by various maestros and composers which provides an experience of various elements in nature through the language of tabla. These elements of nature may include things like the flow of a river, the flight of a bird, or the bouncing of a ball. A gat is completed before the sum, and therefore can be played multiple times sequentially. A gat is usually performed at least twice in a solo performance.
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Peshkaar- A peshkaar is an expansionary and improvised composition played in vilambit laya. It ends in vowel phrases such as "tin na" and "dhin na" and is used to unfold the taal at the beginning of a solo performance. A peshkaar shows a tabla player's expansionary process and understanding of taal.
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Paran- Connecting to the Sanskrit word "pern," meaning leaf, a paran is a composition with accent-filled, resonance-filled bols. It generally ends with a tihai and can be compared to the structure of a leaf: a main vertical axis which "branches out" into veins on both sides.
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7. Ability to write notations of kaydas and relas in teentaal, jhaptaal, and ektaal.
Write in Pt. Bhatkhande notation system by default unless specified. Memorize various kaydas and relas. Examples below:
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8. (a) Guidelines for tuning the tabla and (b) Knowledge about the use of tablas of various scales for all kinds of music
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