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Exploring Rabindranath Tagore's Beautiful Unnamed Taals
Rabindranath Tagore was not just a poet and composer; he was a master of rhythm. For his songs, known as Rabindra Sangeet, he often created unique rhythmic cycles (Taals) that broke free from traditional classifications. Many of these beautiful rhythms remain unnamed, identified only by their beat count (matra) and divisions (vibhag). This post is the first part of a series exploring these special taals.
Why Are These Taals Unnamed?
Tagore believed that the emotional essence (bhaav) of a song was paramount. To preserve the natural flow of his lyrics and melodies, he often deviated from the strict rules of classical taals. His goal was to enhance the song's emotion through rhythm, rather than confining it to a predefined structure. This is why these taals are known by their structure, not by a formal name.
The 12-Beat Unnamed Taal
Watch the Demonstration
| Structure | 4 Divisions (2 | 4 | 2 | 4) |
|---|---|
| Tali (Claps) | 4 claps on the 1st, 3rd, 7th, and 9th beats. |
| Example Song | "Aji Jhoro Jhoro Mukhoro Badolo Dine" |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dhi | Na | Dha | Dhi | Dhi | Na |
| X (Sam) | 2(Clap) | ||||
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Ti | Na | Dha | Dhi | Dhi | Na |
| 3(Clap) | 4(Clap) | ||||
The 11-Beat Unnamed Taal
Watch the Demonstration
| Structure | 3 Divisions (3 | 4 | 4) |
|---|---|
| Tali (Claps) | 3 claps on the 1st, 4th, and 8th beats. |
| Example Song | "Knapiche Deholota Thoro Thoro" |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dha | Dhi | Na | Dhi | Dhi | Dhi | Na |
| X (Sam) | 2(Clap) | |||||
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |||
| Dha | Dhi | Nage | Tite | |||
| 3(Clap) | ||||||
The 10-Beat Unnamed Taals
Watch the Demonstration
This beat count features multiple popular variations in Rabindra Sangeet.
Variation 1 (3 | 2 | 3 | 2)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dhi | Dhi | Na | Dhi | Na |
| X (Sam) | 2(Clap) | |||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Ti | Ti | Na | Dhi | Na |
| 3(Clap) | 4(Clap) | |||
Example Song: "Pakhi Bole Champa Amare"
Variation 2 (5 | 5)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dha | Dhi | Dhi | Na | Dhi |
| X (Sam) | ||||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Na | Dhi | Dhi | Na | Dhi |
| 2(Clap) | ||||
Example Song: "O Dekha Diye Je Chole Gelo"
Coming Up in Part 2
You have now learned about the 12, 11, and 10-beat unnamed taals. In the next part of this series, we will dive into the more complex and fascinating rhythms, including the various forms of the 9-beat taal, along with the 7, 6, and 4-beat cycles.