Taal
Rhythmic Cycles
Rhythmic cycles provide a solid foundation for compositions. Taals come in various complex and intricate patterns, allowing musicians to craft a wide array of rhythmic textures and patterns.
Common taals include Teentaal (16 beats), Ektaal (12 beats), Jhoomra (14 beats), Dadra (6 beats), and Rupak (7 beats). Musicians skillfully employ taals to create anticipation and excitement during their performances.
The standard sequence of beats that defines a taal in its simplest form is called theka.
The tempo of the music is called laya. Often, vague descriptors are used, such as very slow (ati vilambit), slow (vilambit), medium (madhya), lively (drut), and rapid (ati drut) as opposed to western riginess to tempo measurements.