Taal and Rasa

The concept of rasa-anubuthi is deeply engrained in all forms of art and especially Indian classical music. All Desi sangeet was meant to please the minds of listeners. Just as swar and poetry help generate various rasas, Taals and laya also have equal importance in the act of generating rasa. All activities of life are performed in a rhythm. Walking, Talking, eating, singing, dancing use ideas of rhythm. Without rhythm there can be no sense of happiness and life. It will only be chaotic. 

Words and swar have innate power to kindle the mind and various emotions. A word of encouragement can bring positive energy in the person. Similarly, swars sung from the heart can bring about emotions in the listener. Rhythm also has power to induce various states of mind. A simple act of patting a child, an animal can be so pleasurable for the child and animals that they are put to sleep. Rhythm is used in army to instill courage and discipline in the soldiers. All activities like the march past are highly coordinated in rhythm. 

Hence rhythm has innate ability to create movement in the body. The vibrations of the instrument deeply affect the human body and blood. These sensations are processed by the brain. The heart and mind is directly affected by the life force and blood and vice versa. Bodily reactions to rhythm, such as movement, sweating, hair raising are but manifestation of the perceived emotion.

Natya shastra of bharat muni was the first text to talk about rasa. Rasa is the realization of one’s own consciousness when colored by emotions. This experience happens as and when the event occurs during the performance. 

Sangeet is the confluence of Gayan, Vadya and Nritya. The ultimate goal of sangeet was to please the minds of the audience and add emotional appeal to the occasion in which it was used. Sangeet is highly expressive and has the ability to convey meaning and emotions through swar, pad, taal and bhaav. Swar was crucial for development of Ras and bhaav. But, Laya and Taal are no less important. When taal accompanies swar, then the process of rasa development in only hastened. 

Ancient days, Drama was a popular activity and used sangeet extensively throughout its performance. Every scene had its own characters, its own music, raga, poetry, instruments, vocalists, dancers, and other elements for expression.

 Laya and Taal is the foundation on which all music was played and improvised on. The whole purpose of drama was to convey various rasas and bhaav to the audience through the use of all elements of sangeet. This led to development in all spheres of sangeet, New styles of voice, geet, instruments, Taal Playing styles were invented to the tastes of the audience and requirement.

Ancient texts like natya shastra have said that the three layas Vilambit, Madhya and drut Laya exhibit different rasas. Vilambit – karun, Madhya – shringaar, veer, haasya, Drut – adbut, bhayanak, veer, raudra. In today’s music, Raga is elaborated in all three layas and many rasas are generated, giving the audience a complete sense of satisfaction. 

Historically, Sangeet was divided into two based on usage of Taal

Nibadh geet and Anibadh geet. Even though Anibadh geet is not bound by taal, there was an inherent rhythm in the usage of swars in a Raag Alaap. The raag Alaap is the primary elaboration of the raga in a meditative pace. The rasa development begins with the Alaap. The laya is increased in four phases in the Alaap with increasing pulsation and combination of notes giving rise to a myriad of emotions. 

In the nibadh geet, Taal was used in all the three layas either individually or in combination. In a Khayal performance today, Vilambit Khayal has the scope for deep elaboration of the raga. The Madhya Laya chota khayal incorporates many ornaments, layakari and taan to create a dazzling effect on the audience. The Drut section of the performance futher heightens the tension, excitement, and rasa experience in the audience. 

Many Tribal dances are rhythm based only. The sounds of the drum and rhythm cause excitement in the dancers who go about making various moves and balancing various pots on their heads. With the increasing tempo, the dancers to get into a trance and create such vibrations in the surroundings. 

Ancient Drama had widely used all possible voices, instruments, and dance forms. A host of instruments were developed for the use in drama to create various sounds for the scene, the atmosphere, the situation, the mood, the gender, the character, the occasion. Many Ghan and avnad vadhyas were used for this purpose. The sounds of nature can be easily manifested with use of various instruments. Through the skillful taal vadhya, all gestures and rasa were displayed according to the scene and actor. The position of nayak-nayika, the rumble of thunder and rain, effect of fire and destruction, war, appearance of key characters – gods, devas, kings, demons, were given life with the help of instruments like dhol, nakkara, Pakhawaj, mridang players.

Many an instrument of different shape and size have come and gone which were used in Indian classical music. The Material, size and shape of instrument help determine the Frequency, loudness, Timbre of the instrument. The force of playing is an important aspect. Pakhawaj is more loud, resonant and Gambhir compared to the Tabla. Certain rasas are better suited for development in a tabla compared to a Pakhawaj. The gongs of the temple and church bells are highly resonant and create the mood for bhakti during the arti. The manjira used for taal accompaniment in bhajans and abhangs add a unique flavour and mood of bhakti to the art form.

Just as alphabet makes words and words make sentences and poetry, the sounds of the instruments make bols or paatakshars. These when grouped in a certain fashion and played in a certain laya have the ability to make rhythmic poetry. Thus various rasas are born out of Taals.

Today, in classical music the evolution of Taal and instruments suit the temperament of the artform and the geet which it supports. The taals of Dhrupad are Gambhir and hence the instrument Pakhawaj also was loud and Gambhir. Khayal was softer and hence the tabla was used for a mild and pleasing sound. Also, ati drut laya was possible with the Tabla and Taals of Tabla. With the development of various geet forms so did the instrument and the taals and laya used for each. After Dhrupad, Khayal, Tarana, Thumri, Dadara, Ghazal, bhajan all use both Pad, swar, Taal, and Laya in unison to express various types of rasas.

A skilled Tablaist can produce sweet sounds of Taals. A skillful Pakhawaj player can induce trance and bhakti in the atmosphere. It is often remarked that certain players and their style of playing is much sweeter compared to other tablaists. This aspect of sweetness and its ability to induce rasa comes out of clear pronunciation of the paataakshars or Bols, continuity in sound, attention to emphasis through soft and stress in bols, laya of taal, and dexterous use of fingers. Players must have proficiency in all the layas from ati-vilambit to ati-drut. The artiste must be well versed in the Ten angas of Taal which are considered the soul of a taal. Just as a baby is put to sleep with rhythmic pats on the chest, a skilled player can induce trance like states in the audience.