Taal তাল

Material: Brass

The taal, Kartal or gini is a pair of clash cymbals, originating in the Indian subcontinent, which make high-pitched percussion sounds. In its simplest form, it consists of a pair of small hand cymbals. The word taal comes from the Sanskrit word Tālà, which means a clap. It is a part of Indian music and culture, used in various traditional customs e.g. Bihu music, Harinaam etc. It is a type of Ghana Vadya.

Types:  There are many types of Taal, categorised by size, weight and appearance.

The Bortaal is the big size clash cymbal, Its weight is approx. 1½−2 kg. The player who plays Bortaal is called in Assam as Gayan. Bortaal is a symbol of Assamese traditional culture. Sometimes, the players perform dance music with both e.g. in Gayan-Bayan, Bortaal Nritya etc. Sometimes the player performs with only music e.g. in Harinaam, Dihanaam etc. The rhythmic high-pitched sound of the Bortaal makes the surroundings pure and sacred.