Dashpraan

Ten primary characteristics of the taal have been identified in Sangeet Ratnaakar written by Sarangdev approximately in the 13th century. These characteristics are labeled and referred to as the dashpraan ("Dash-Praan" / "दशप्राण"). Praan refers to the "breath of life," indicating that these characteristics give life to a taal. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ however, is seen to give significance to a greater number of dashpraan. The following shlok describes the dashpraan of the taal....................

Sashabda Kriyaa (A movement of hands that produces sound; sashabda means with-sound)

1. Dhruvaa: taking right hand down while snapping finger

2. Shamyaa: clapping the left palm with the right hand..................

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Carnatic and hindustaani taal systems

.................Only the ang component "I" meaning "laghu" is changed according to the jaati, while the anudruta and druta remain the same. For example, for Dhruva taal's khand transformation, "I" would become 5 and "O" would remain at a value of 2, therefore there would be...................

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Indian vs. western percussion instruments

....................................Perhaps one of the earliest percussion instruments, Bhoomi-Dundubhi was an ancient instrument in which a large hole was dug, hide was stretched upon, and on which .................................................................................... .................................................................. Other old Indian instruments include tripushkar, mridang, and damru, whereas newer ones include pakhawaaj, tabla, dholki, dholak, dhol, etc. On the contrary, modern Western percussion instruments are grouped into categories such as..................

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Instruments used for accompaniment

.............The sambal is a set of two drums, the smaller, higher pitched one made of wood and the larger made of brass. Their faces are on top and both of them are attached together as a set and then played standing while suspended from the waistline with a cord. The instrument is played with two wooden sticks with bent tips (one stick has an even more bent, almost circular tip) that are struck on............

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status, importance, application, history

.....................................Dardar became Dhari, which is an obvious reference to the Dharis, proposed to be the influential original tabla players, who later moved to Delhi and initiated the Delhi gharana (the founder of which is considered to be Ut. Siddhar Khan Dhari/Dhadi). Reasons to believe this theory is the logical development of the names of closely-related instruments.....................................................

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principles used in composing

Peshkaar: Imagine that a plane is on going fast on the runway and hasn't taken off yet. Its wheels still touch the ground or runway, which represent the taal. The peshkaar is similar to this, and is relatively confined to the taal. There exist specific themes (outline or mukh) for peshkaar that differ in style from gharana to gharana. For example, the Farrukhabad peshkaar hints at many characteristics of that gharana. The "dhinSSkdadhinSdhaS" peshkaar includes bols such..............................

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bol nikaas

........................Additionally, the distance which the index finger travels should not be excessive; it should be approximately 1 to 1.5 inches. As is the case with all bols, the wrist should not hurt or feel excess tension when playing dha. While practicing to improve your dha, it may prove beneficial to pay special attention to the wrist and make sure that it is as loose as possible while paying and then gradually increasing the volume or speed of your composition while maintaining the loose wrist.......................

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accompaniment 

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pakhawaaj gharanas

............Many temples of Maharashtra supported the advancement of musical arts. During the Mughal era, music and musicians faced many challenges. Musicians that continued the tradition of pakhawaaj during this period of difficulty are called Gurav. Pandit Vitthalacharya who was Gurav in a temple in Mangalwedha was the founder of the Mangalwedhekar Gharana.............................

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rules for designing taals

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ut. muneer khan

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Solo: Order, Effectiveness, Padhant

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Gharana Attributes

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biographies of tabla and pakhawaaj players

Ut. Ahmedjan Thirakwa Khan of the Farrukhabad Gharana was born in 1881 in Muradabad, Uttar Pradesh. His grandfather, maternal uncle, and paternal uncle were all great tabla players. His father Hussain Baksh was a sarangi player. He therefore had an extensive musical background, and later began learning tabla from Ut. Munir Khan at age 12 after initial vocal and sarangi lessons. His nickname became "thirakwa" after spectators noticed the shimmering and speed of his hands even at a young age. He presented tabla at the court of the Nawab of Rampur. He was under the guidance of Ut. Munir Khan for 26 years, and Ut. Munir Khan gifted him the baaj of 4 gharanas: Delhi, Ajrada, Lucknow, Farrukhabad. His hand had become "riyaazi" with 14-15 hours of daily practice, and people say that his tabla gives the fulfillment of listening to vocal music. Thirakwa saab has heavily popularized the peshkaar "dhinSkda dhina Sdha dhina," and this peshkaar has prominently embossed a signature on the term peshkaar itself. Thirakwa saab's playing was properly attuned to the respective baaj and gharana of the compositions he played. The Farrukhabad chalan, the Ajrada kayda "ghinaSdhagena dhatrakedhagena", as well as the kayda "dhatrakedhikiteghina" and its corresponding rou will remain a significant source of inspiration as Ut. Thirakwa played such compositions