Tala Dasam Pranams

Question 1

What are the 10 Tala Dasa Pranas?

Answer 1

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1) Kalam
2) Angam
3) Kriyai
4) Graham
5) Jati
6) Yati
7) Layam
8) Kalai
9) Margam
10) Prastharam

Question 2

What is a kalam?

Answer 2

Kalam refers to the speed at which music is played. First speed is one swaram per akshrakalam, 2nd speed is 2 swarams, and 3rd speed is 4 swarams. In varnams, keerthanais, and kritis, 1st speed is 4, 2nd speed is 8, and 3rd speed is 16.

Question 3

What are kriyays?

Answer 3

Kriyai refers to action. There are 2 types, Sisabda Kriyai and Nissabda Kriya. Sisabda Kriya means using musical sounds like the beat of the right hand, where Nisabda Kriyai means no sound like finger counts.

Question 4

What is Graham?

Answer 4

Graham is the starting point of music in relation to the tala. There are 2 types: Sama Graham were the music starts simutaneously with the talam and Vishama Graham has 2 types, Agata Graham where the music starts after the talam, and Adita Graham, where the music starts before the talam.

Question 5

What is Yathi?

Answer 5

Yathi refers to the various rythmic patterns in a tala. There are 6 types:
1) Sama Yati
2) Gopuchu Yati
3) Srotvaha Yati
4) Damuru Yati
5) Miridinga Yati
6) Vishama Yati

Question 6

What is Layam?

Answer 6

Layam means speed or tempo. There are 3 types:
1) Vilambita Layam = Slow speed
2) Madhya Layam = Medium speed
3) Druta Layam = Quick speed

Question 7

What is Kalai?

Answer 7

Kalai refers to the fraction unit of a tala. there are 3 kinds:
1) Eka Kalai - 1 swaram/kriyai
2) Dvi Kalal - 2 swaram/kriyai
3) Chatush Kalai - 4 swarams/kriyai

Question 8

What is Margam?

Answer 8

Margam means path. There are 6 paths that are refered to as Shanmargams:
1) Dakshina = 8 = 32
2) Vartika = 4 = 16
3) Chitra = 2 = 8
4) Chitratara = 1 = 4
5) Chitratama = 1/2 = 2
6) Aditachitrama = 1/4 = 1

Question 9

What is Prastharam?

Answer 9

Prastharam means splitting up a Tala Angam into is possible component parts.