Krsna Kirtana Songs est. 2001 www.kksongs.org

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Lesson 4: Four Matra Cycles

From this point, fixed cycles that will help accompany rhythmic cycles will be studied.

CYCLE 1

X
1	2	3	4
open		closed	closed

Figure 4.1

AUDIO CLIP 4.1

The first one is the famous “1-2-3” that is used in kirtans. It is actually a four-beat one which begins with the open stroke. It is an open followed by one beat of silence. Then two beats filled with closed strokes finish one cycle.

Note that what people ‘assume’ to be “3” is actually supposed to be “1.” The real counting should be 1-PAUSE-2-3-1-PAUSE-2-3-1-etc. Practice this cycle without the help of the audio clip. Then play the kartals with the clip.

CYCLE 2

X
1	2	3	4
open	closed	open	closed

Figure 4.2

AUDIO CLIP 4.2

Cycle 2 is what Western musicians know as “cut-time.” The playing technique has a groove of “1-2-1-2”. This particular cycle is very common for bhajani tala accompaniment or any fast speed accompaniment.

CYCLE 3

X
1	2	3	4
closed		open	open

Figure 4.3

AUDIO CLIP 4.3

The final kartal cycle in this lesson is Cycle 3. In regular time, it sounds like an inverted version of Cycle 1. However, this cycle is used for faster rhythmic cycles. In most cases, two cycles of on Cycle 3 fits with one cycle of Cycle 1.

It can be played on the kartal as it is (play closed, wait one unit of time, play open, play another open), however, one will get easily tired by playing it this way. Therefore, many kartal players adopted a unique technique. One hand has the cymbal going up and down, while the other hand turns rotates the angle of the kartal. Figure 4.4 shows this. Matra 1 has the kartals closed (as taught in Lesson 2). Matra 2 has no strike, but the kartals do not move from Matra 1. Since Matra 1 is closed, the two cymbals will not break apart until Matra 3 where one cymbal goes up and the other at an angle.

Figure 4.4

Continuously practice these three four matra cycles, as they appear very often.