Tala

Tala is the system of rhythmic cycles that organises Indian classical music: repeating patterns of beats, counted in matras and grouped into sections marked by the accented first beat, the sam. In Hindustani practice cycles such as teental (16 beats), dadra (6) and keherwa (8) frame the raga improvisation, the tabla or pakhawaj player articulating the cycle with syllabic strokes (bols) while soloist and accompanist play against its returns. More than a time signature, tala is the temporal architecture within which melody is improvised, and mastery of its cycles is a life's study.