Title: Tabla Solo in Jhaptal
Performers: Ravi Shankar, Alla Rakha
Origin: South India
Orchestration: Tabla drums, sitar, hand claps
Understanding the cultural context of non-Western rhythmic systems is a continual challenge for those of us raised on Bach and rock. Often it takes individuals raised in other traditions to help us begin to conceive of musical time in different ways. This video is an amazing explanation and demonstration by Ravi Shankar and Alla Rakha of the Indian rhythmic system called taal described briefly by Wade (p.75-76). It also helps illustrate the way that this system is intimately related to the syllable pattern of culture's language. Note how Shankar calls out a series of syllables and Rakha immediately responds to each with a unique rhythmic pattern. A more detailed explanation of this connection is given here.
My youngest son's wife (Bengali by birth) studied under this system as a child and helped me understand the difference between raag (melodic patterns - comparable to scales) and taal - the type of rhythmic patterns being demonstrated here. She explained that both have to be learned (and eventually memorized) and that they begin with simple groups of 4 but then gradually expand to become increasingly more complex as you go. As a player grows in skill, the patterns are combined together into more complex and longer strings. This is demonstrated towards the end of this video as the patterns that Shankar calls for with his hand signals for Rakha to play become increasingly more difficult. Videos such as this and input from others raised in other cultures offer a great way to help provide a better sense of cultural context for ourselves and our students.
As I read about this, it made me think of how some of these trends have been incorporated into our popular music. One example that came to mind is from one of Chicago's lesser known songs - Poem for the People:
While the bulk of this is standard Western jazz/rock, starting at 3:59 there is a section in the interlude where the rhythm repeats a sequence of 3+3+2, 3+3+2+2, 3+3+2+2+2. While it may not be a full taal sequence, it does exhibit some similarities. This seems to me to be one way to help students realize that, while such practices may have roots in other cultures, they have begun to make their way into our own musical styles in recent years.
Sources:
- Skype interview with Arena Hull - 7/7/2014
- http://raag-hindustani.com/Rhythm.html
- Wade, B.C., (2013). Thinking Musically. New York, Oxford University Press.
Steve,
ReplyDeleteI think it's wonderful that you've shared this - but it is definitely NORTHERN Indian music (maybe it was just a simple typing error). Additionally, Shankar and Rakha are both north Indian musicians playing northern instruments.
All of that aside, this video is a delight to watch. The beginning of the performance, where Ravi is basically explaining to the audience how tabla are played is great. It's amazing how quickly Alla can respond and flawlessly play back the dictated rhythms. Having tried my hand at tabla personally (I took some lessons while I was in India), I can definitely attest to the fact that it's incredibly difficult to coordinate all of the hand motions correctly. Professionals on tabla are just a pleasure to witness.
Thanks for sharing!
I stand corrected. I was basically relying on my memory regarding the north vs. south India issue and apparently it let me down.
ReplyDeleteIt's no big deal! Sorry if I came off as critical, I really enjoyed your post in general!
DeleteNo offense taken! "Mistakes are opportunities to learn" is something I frequently tell my students.
DeleteHi Steve. This was an enjoyable video to watch. I think you did a great job in describing what is happening during the performance as well as tying in the cultural context. You bring up a good point about how we need natives of these cultures to educate us on music that is outside of our Western trained ears.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great instructional resource. I am not sure that I fully understand the complexity of the rhythm yet, but this is amazingly helpful. Alla is an amazing performer and it is great to see them explain the rhythmic diversity. I will have to watch it a couple more times and see if I can't figure out the nuances of the rhythms. I was even having difficulty counting in the Chicago piece. I would be great to have a native to help me understand. Thank you for getting this video to us.
ReplyDeleteHi Steve
ReplyDeleteWow, what a great blog post regarding this music! The video did a great job explaining and demonstrating the rhythmic pattern and you have done a great job with providing information and resources to help an outsider understand this foreign music. Your incorporation of the Chicago song to demonstrate an American song that incorporates this Indian rhythm is a great asset in bringing Americans into the concept! Thanks for sharing!