Tala may be understood as an organized form of expressing rhythm by means of beats, finger counts or waves of the hand. There are three commonly used parts of a tala: anudhrtam – a beat, dhrtam – a beat and a wave of the hand, and laghu – a beat followed by finger counts. Each tala has a well-defined combination of these parts, which not only gives it its unique identity but also makes the Indian tala system highly organised and colourful.
This kind of expression also has other advantages. It makes” the counting of larger talas (some of them are beyond 100 units per cycle, though not much in vogue today) easier for the primary as well as accompanying artistes and the listeners get to participate more actively in the concert by maintaining the tala along with the performers.
There are hundreds of talas, but the following are prominent:
Adi tala : Eight units per cycle – a beat and three finger counts from the little finger form the first half, while two identical sets of a beat and a wave form the remaining four units.
Roopaka tala : Three units – two beats and a wave.
Mishra Chapu : Seven units – three beats in the ratio of 3:2:2.
Khanda Chapu : Five units – three beats in the ratio of 2:1:2.
SYSTEM OF 7, 35 AND 175 TALAS
Apart from the above, Carnatic music also has a highly organised system of 7 talas, which in turn lead to 35 and 175 varieties, as explained in Appendix II. Even though these are not very frequently used, several of them have been beautifully handled by composers such as Muttuswami Dikshitar, Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi, Tyagaraja, Shyama Shastri and Mysore Sadashiva Rao.
Since the same piece of music may suggest different things n different circumstances, one can, in the initial stages of exposure, relax and enjoy the music. A part of the mind can observe the responses that are triggered off by the music. Gradually, the aspects mentioned above will become apparent to the listener, which in turn will enhance enjoyment levels considerably. However, in the early stages, it is better to focus on one aspect at a time.