Taal is considered the rhythmic basis of Indian music, be it instrumental or vocal. There are common rhythmic patterns that are used in various combinations to create a musical composition. The taal is defined as a rhythmic structure or time measure, also known as time cycle. Though this is supposed to remain fixed within each composition, it can be repeated in cycles and each cycle can be divided into either equal or unequal parts.
The cycle of a taal can consist of any number of beats with the minimum being 3 and the maximum 108. Sum or the first beat of the cycle is the most important part of a taal. In fact maximum stress has to be placed on the sum.
The setting of the taal into a composition is based on the belief that as there is a perfect balance in the universe, there should be balance in music too. The compositions based on rhythm are generally divided into simple and complicated meters. It is usually independent of the music that goes along with it and moves in bars. The smallest unit of a taal is the matra.
Musicians consider the taal to be the pulse of Indian classical music. The following are some of the taals that are usually used by musicians:
• Dadra is a cycle of 6 beats • Tribal • Rupak is a cycle of 7 beats • Jhaptal is a cycle of 10 beats meningitis • Ektal is a cycle of 12 beats • Indi-pop • Adha-Chautal contains 14 beats • Teen-Tal is comprised of 16 beats
