Voice and rhythm in North Indian classical music
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Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can identify some vocal features of North Indian classical music, explain how tala work and can play teental.
Key learning points
- Singing in North Indian classical music can be in many languages, most commonly Hindi and Urdu.
- Singers use the raga, and the style is melismatic and microtonal.
- Tala are repeating rhythmic patterns. They are taught by ear, using the sounds da, dhin, tin, ti, na and ta.
- Teental is a popular tala in North Indian classical music. It is sixteen beats long.
Keywords
Melismatic - A melismatic melody is one in which multiple notes are sung for one syllable of a word.
Microtonal - Microtonal music includes notes between the 12 Western semitones. These small intervals are called microtones.
Tabla - A tabla is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent consisting of a small drum (dayan) and a larger drum (bayan).
Tala - A tala is a repeating rhythmic pattern in North Indian classical music. They are taught by ear, using the sounds 'da', 'din' and 'ta'.
Teental - Teental is a 16-beat tala often used in North Indian classical music.
Common misconception
Teental is in 4/4.
Teental sounds to us like it could be in 4/4, but this is just a coincidence. North Indian classical musicians don't think of time signature in the same way that we do - the tala is what structures the time and they can be many different lengths.
Teacher tip
For pupils who play teental easily, challenge them to add some improvised rhythms over the top, while still keeping the fundamental tala playing underneath.
Equipment
DAW and/or hand drums/percussion
Licence
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