| Carnatic |
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| Culture |
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TAALAM
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| We have seen that the term raga
refers to the tune or melody characteristics. The analogous term referring to the rhythm or beats of
Carnatic music is taalam. It indicates the pacing of the music and the placement of syllables in
the composition. It is vital to realize that the taalam system is essentially
based on a cyclic pattern; in other words, the rhythm is always cyclic.
In Carnatic music, the singer indicates the taalam using gestures. There are three
basic hand movements used in keeping the rhythm - the downward beat with the
palm facing down, called thattu, the wave (sometimes the downward beat with the palm facing up) called
veechu and counts using one finger
for each count staring with the little finger
(sometimes using the thumb to indicate a finger
or
portions of a finger). These basic movements are combined into three groups, called
Laghu, Dhrutham and Anudhrutham. A Laghu is one
thattu followed by a specified number of counts to make up the requisite number of beats.
A Dhrutham is one thattu followed by one veechu while an Anudhrutham
is just one thattu. Each beat or unit of taalam is termed as an aksharam
and thus, an Anudhrutham is one aksharam long, a Dhrutham is two
aksharams long and the Laghu is of variable length. There are several
other movements but these are rarely seen in practice. |
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