Introduction to Compositional Forms

Classical tabla includes a wide, and sometimes confusing, variety of compositional forms. This includes the kayda, tukra, rela, and many others.

For both students and listeners, I highly recommend learning the basics of compositional forms. It will help you make sense of what you learn as a student, and what you hear as a listener.

Two General Categories

Most forms are commonly put into just two categories: theme-and-variation and fixed, or into other similar categories such as cyclic and cadential (more on this below).

As we discuss below, not all forms fit neatly into categories. But using categories as a reference point can help you understand the different forms.

So I suggest that you learn at least the basics about the categories, and then look more closely at the most important forms in the two groups. Below are suggestions for how to do this.

Confusion About Forms

A word of caution: traditional form definitions and theory are not always consistent across lineages.

A term in one lineage may have a different meaning in another. Other forms may be similar between lineages, but will have different structures, performance "rules", or theory behind it. Even within one gharana, there are often differences and inconsistencies.

However, for the most common forms, there is more agreement than disagreement. And in the form descriptions I will try to present the most common shared definitions and theories, as well as the most common differences of opinion.

Compositional Categories

Compositional forms are often divided into two general categories, especially in tabla literature. The two most common categories are:

• Theme-and-Variation
• Fixed

These two terms are self-explanatory, but as I discuss below, not all theme-and-variation forms are performed in the same way, and not all fixed forms are truly fixed.

Other writers have used different categories. Most notably, Rebecca Stewart in The Tabla in Perspective divided the tabla repertoire into these two forms:

• Cyclic: forms which show, or reflect, the structure of the tal^[1]
• Cadential: forms which build up to the sam (the 1 of the tal)

So this gives us two pairs of related categories:

• Theme-and-Variation/Fixed
• Cyclic/Cadential

Note that these two pairs of categories are not identical.

However, most theme-and-variation forms are also cyclic, and most fixed forms are also cadential.

But there are a few significant exceptions. And some forms contain elements of more than one category (see the list below).

On DigiTabla, I prefer cyclic and cadential because they are generally more accurate. But I might use any of these categories depending on which characteristic I want to emphasize.

For example, if I say the kayda is a theme-and-variation form, this tells us something about how a kayda is performed. But if I say that the kayda is cyclic, I am commenting on its structure.

Similarly, I might call a traditional chakradar fixed, meaning that it is usually played the same way in a particular lineage. But if I say that a chakradar is cadential, I am describing the musical effect that it creates.

Problems with Categories

Although many Indian tabla players now mention categories, these terms come originally from tabla literature, and not from the gharanas themselves. I personally was not taught to categorize compositions, and my teacher rarely mentioned them.

Not surprisingly, using categories creates some problems and contradictions. Here are a few examples:

• Two different theme-and-variation forms may have very different approaches to creating variations.
• Some cyclic forms may have cadential features.
• Some fixed forms are not always fixed.

Because of such problems, don’t be too strict with compositional categories. Use the categories as a point of reference, but be ready for exceptions and inconsistencies.

List of Compositional Forms by Category

(Forms which do not fit perfectly into a category include comments in parentheses.)

Cyclic/Theme-and-Variation Forms

• Theka (very loose form of theme-and-variation but strongly cyclic; may include cadential elements in performance)
• Kayda
• Rela
• Bant (loose form of theme-and-variation)
• Peshkar (very loose form of theme-and-variation; may include cadential elements)
• Theka Prakar (very loose form of theme-and-variation; may include cadential elements)
• Gat Kayda
• Laggi (may or may not include variations; strongly cyclic)
• Chalan (most are strongly cyclic; may include variations in some traditions; may also be fixed)

Cyclic/Cadential/Fixed Forms

• Gat (cyclic in structure; always fixed; may have cadential features)
• Fard (in Benares, cyclic in structure; always fixed; always cadential)

Cadential/Fixed Forms

• Tihai (both fixed and improvised)
• Nauhakka (both fixed and improvised)
• Mukra/Mohra (both fixed and improvised; strongly cadential)
• Tukra (both fixed and improvised; may include variations)
• Chakradar (both fixed and improvised; may include variations)
• Paran (usually fixed; may include variations; may be improvised)
• Uthan (both fixed and improvised)

Note: The gat and fard are the most difficult to categorize as they are typically both cyclic and cadential. Both are fixed, however.

Where to Begin?

Tabla student will learn different forms as they progress. For serious listeners, I recommend focusing mostly on the five forms below:

• Most important cyclic/theme-and-variation forms: theka and kayda
• Most important cadential/fixed forms: tihai, tukra, and chakradar

Of all compositional forms, the kayda is the most important in the modern classical tradition. And for listeners, it’s the most helpful form to learn about.

The theka is also important because we hear it so often, but you’ll want to spend as much time as possible with kaydas.

For cadential forms, start with the tihai. Tihais are everywhere, and they also form part of tukras and chakradars.

See the Listener’s Guide for more guidance.

Notes

1. The term "cyclic" is borrowed from David Courtney, who used it to refer to Stewart’s first category. Stewart herself did not always name this category, sometimes calling cyclic compositions “gat” (a term often used for other forms), but usually referring to it as “a pattern type which clarifies the internal structure of a tal”, or other wordy phrases. ↩

References