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Lesson 16: Drut Lay Thekas
of Six Matras
Just
as eight matra cycles had drut
lay thekas, six matra
cycles are just as capable of having a drut form. However,
while there are many six matra drut
cycles, two are very important for khol playing.
INTRODUCING THE BOL “DA”
The
bol “da” is being
introduced now, as it will be necessary to use this bol
in both cycles here. The bol “da”
is just like playing “ti.” Remember that “ti” involved the middle, ring, and pinky fingers producing
a non-resonant. The bol “da” uses a similar
technique. Unlike ti, the fingers will bound off
immediately to produce a resonant sound, resembling a very
weak “tā.”
With
practice, da would come naturally, especially with dayan transitions such as “tā da ti”
and “ti tā da”.
Listen
to the audio clip to hear the way “da” sounds, ti tā da,
and tā da ti;
AUDIO CLIP: Lesson 16 “Da” Bol Introduction
DRUT DADRA TALA
Compared
to the madhya lay dadra theka studied previously, this cycle seems very lively. For
this reason, this cycle is preferred to the theka of dadra tala.
Even
though it is rare to hear a dadra tala
in drut lay today, it is quite possible to integrate
a fast dadra into kirtan.
As
this may be the first time attempting this rhythm, try practicing the “ti tā da”
on your dayan hand until it becomes second-nature and/or is
effortlessly done. Doing this rhythm with too much
conscious thought will spoil this cycle.
Also
remember, the “da” is a resonant bol
on the dayan. Therefore,
from rules of Lesson 4…
“ka +
resonant dayan bol =
emphasized dayan”
“ka + da = Da” found in Matra 3.
|
X |
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0 |
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|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
|
dhin |
tā |
Dā |
ti |
dhā |
dā |
AUDIO CLIP: Lesson 16 Drut Dadra Tala
Practice
SIX-EIGHT CYCLIC SET
This
is probably one of the harder sets studied in this course. Yet, it is used too
often, specifically in the middle refrain lines of the song “Jaya
Jaya Gauracander Aratiko Sobha (Sri Gaura Arotik).” The
unique thing about this cycle is that it can be played in vilambit
lay (with some variations), madhya lay, and drut lay (presented here).
This six-eight
set is named because this is a cycle that has four sets of six matra cycles. However, the eight component
is there because when this cycle is played in drut
lay, the overall rhythm can be viewed as one long cycle eight matra cycle. This has great use in heavy kirtans, as not everyone know how to play kartals for the six beat cycles, but everyone knows the
four (or eight) beat cycles.
This is a very refined version of the rhythmic
cycle. However, this version is a very tasteful one.
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X |
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0 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
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dhin |
tā |
Dā |
ti |
Tā |
dā |
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X |
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0 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
|
ti |
tā |
Dā |
ti |
Tā |
dā |
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X |
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0 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
|
ti |
tā |
Dā |
ti |
Tā |
dā |
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X |
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0 |
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|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
|
dhin |
dhin |
dhā |
dhin |
dhin |
dhā |
AUDIO CLIP: Lesson 16 Six-Eight
Cyclic Set Practice
UPDATED: June 11, 2009