Tihai Ruuiments

By }eiiy Leake

This aiticle exploies the tiauitional language anu context of Noith Inuian Tabla Tihai (tee-
hi), with an equal goal of auapting the unique tihai foimulae to playing snaie uium
iuuiments.
All uiummeis know that iuuiments aie the builuing blocks foi ueveloping stiong
technique, cieatively assimilateu to uium set. Buuuy Rich, foi example, was a gianu mastei
when incoipoiating iuuiments to playing jazz. Ruuiments aie typically 1- oi 2-beat phiases
that alteinate stiong anu weak hanu positions; the Wilcoxin anu Whaley books aiiange
them into concise anu challenging maiches. Bowevei, not much new innovation has
occuiieu to alleviate (some of) the teuium when playing iuuiments as isolateu uiills.
Befoie exploiing tihai inspiiation, we fiist neeu some context on Inuian music.


PART I: N0RTB INBIAN C0NTEXT

Noith Inuian Tabla
The paii of uiums calleu tabla evolveu fiom the moie ancient "pakhawaj" uium useu foi
accompanying Bhiupau vocal music. All pakhawaj compositions aie easily auapteu to the
moie "mouein" tabla, anu the tihai we will exploie aie ueiiveu fiom this ancient lineage. At
this time theie is no specific neeu to unueistanu how spoken syllables aie applieu to playing
pakhawaj oi tabla. 0ui puipose is to use the vocal language to builu tihai phiases anu
inteipietations.

Noith Inuian Tihai
"Tihai" liteially means "one-thiiu" (1S). It is a type of ihythm cauence that typically
concluues compositions oi impiovisations on melouic anu peicussion instiuments. In basic
teims, a tihai is a phiase that is playeu thiee times with the final stioke lanuing on a stiong
beat, usually beat "1" of a given ihythm cycle. Bowevei, tihai can be calculateu to begin anu
enu on any beat, uepenuing upon theii application. Tihai can be veiy shoit ("mukhia tihai")
oi extiemely long, spanning many ihythm cycles of a minute oi moie (chakiauhai tihai).
The theoiy anu application of tihai is too vast to compiehensively uiscuss in this
aiticle: theie aie numeious souices foi you to uig ueepei. Foi now, we will focus on a
specific collection of tihai built using the same set of tabla syllables (calleu "Bols").

Tabla Bols
The tihai we will inteipiet aie ueiiveu fiom nine tabla !"#$.
- The fiist paii of !"#$ is spoken with the tip of the tongue at the top of the mouth:
"te te". The fiist "te" sounus like "tent" anu the seconu "te" sounus like "tay."
Repeat te te many times.
- The seconu paii is spoken moie in the jaw: ka ta. Repeat then combine with te te,
4xs each paii: te te (4xs) ka ta (4xs)
- The thiiu paii is spoken in the thioat using the "g" sounu: ga ui . Repeat anu
combine 4xs each: te te - ka ta - ga ui
- The fouith spoken paii is felt in the gut: gi na. Repeat ga ui gi na anu combine
all, 4xs each: te te - ka ta - ga ui - gi na
- The final syllable to enu the seiies is uha. Emphasize the "h" in youi iecitation;
avoiu saying "ua."

The complete !"# seiies, ienueieu in uiffeient paits of the bouy (as if uigesting the
phiase) is te te ka ta ga ui gi na uha.



Tintal Cycle
These nine tabla bols will be useu to builu tihai in the 16-beat ihythm cycle calleu
"tintal" (think foui bais of 44). Each tihai will begin fiom beat "1" calleu "sum" (+). Each
will also enu on $%& of the next cycle. Tintal (the gioove) shoulu always be spoken between
each tihai, connecting them as one composition.
In the tintal notation below the "+" (clap of the hanu) maiks the fiist foui-beat
gioup, the "2" maiks the 2
nu
clapgioup, the "o" (outwaiu wave) maiks the thiiu, anu "S"
(clap) maiks the fouith. Tintal liteially means "thiee claps."

Tintal bols
+ uha uhin uhin uha
2 uha uhin uhin uha
o uha tin tin ta
S ta uhin uhin uha

viueo Links (Note: viueos aie not yet iecoiueu)
viueo #1 "Tintal anu Tihai Bols" uemonstiates tabla sounusbols, anu clapwave "Kiiya
uestuies". viueo #2 "Speaking the Tihai Aiiangement" stiings togethei the eight tihai
explaineu below.

Tabla Tihai
(composeu by Shanta Piasau, ueoige Ruckeit, }eiiy Leake anu }ohn Beigamo;
aiiangeu by Ruckeit anu Leake)
The following eight tihai aie built using tete kata gaui gi na uha. Tihai #1
occupies one cycle wheieas all otheis occupy multiple cycles. Always enu stiong on beat 1
with "uha" to link to the next tintal cycle. The sequence foi oui aiiangement is: tintal, tihai
#1, tintal, tihai #2, tintal, tihai #S, etc. When you aie comfoitable with each inuiviuual
tihai, iefei to viueo #2 to speak the entiie aiiangement.

Tihai #1 (1 cycle)



To save space anu isolate each tihai, I have eliminateu tintal befoie anu aftei each tihai:
always begin anu enu with tintal. The unueilineu "te te" maiks the beginning of each tihai
(1S) segment.








Tihai #2 (S cycles)



Tihai #S (4 cycles)



Tihai #4 (2 cycles)









Tihai #S (4 cycles)



Tihai #6 (4 cycles)


















Tihai #7 (S cycles)



Tihai #8 (7 cycles)




viueo #S "Tihai Playeu on Tabla" piesents the entiie tihai sequence as a non-tiauitional,
contempoiaiy aiiangement. The melouic accompaniment calleu "lehaia" (miui loop)
outlines the 16-beat tintal cycle. Notice how each tihai begins anu enus on beat "1."


PART II: TIBAI R0BINENTS

0veiview
Pait I exploieu a puie language-baseu application of tabla syllables: it takes time
anu effoit to become pioficient with speaking uium vocables. Bowevei, with language as
oui souice anu guiue, a much highei level of owneiship can be achieveu, ievealing new
hoiizons of inspiiation. The challenge will be to apply language while playing snaie
iuuiments. 0ui piocess will follow the stages outlineu below.

Stages of Bevelopment
1. Thoioughly ieview Pait I, speaking the tihai with kiiya gestuies.
2. Focus on just tihai #1. Play as alteinating paiauiuules, '()*"%) voice oi foot

Ex 1. Tihai #1 as single paiauiuule



S. Auu the foot playing half notes on bass uium oi ankle bells (w piactice pau)

Ex 2. Tihai #1 w foot



4. Now speak the tabla !"#$ to complete iuuiment, voice anu foot layeis.

Ex. S. Tihai #1 w tabla bols




Simplifying the Bols
Because this is a contempoiaiy invention, we can take libeities to simplify leaining anu
execution. We can mouifying the nine bols - ),), -.). /.0( /(1. 0*. - to just foui by
boiiowing fiom the South Inuian uium language2 ). -. 0( &(. (Continue using ),), -.). /.0(
/(1. bols to achieve the highest level.)
Notice in Ex. 4 below that each paiauiuule coiiesponus with each ). -. 0( &( phiase,
establishing unity with the voice anu sticking mechanics. Also view viueo #4 "Stages of
Bevelopment."





Ex. 4. Tihai #1 w ta ka ui mi



Exploiing 0thei Ruuiments
Below is a list of the stanuaiu iuuiments (alteinating stiong to weak hanu) that woik well
foi playing each tihai. Expeiiment with youi own appioaches anu oichestiations to uium
set.

1. single paiauuiule (shown above)
2. flam paiauiuule (useu in the viueos)
S. iuff paiauiuule (non-stanuaiu)
4. S-stioke ioll
S. 17-stioke ioll
6. flam tapaccent (mouify 16ths to tiiplets)
7. uouble iatamacue

Foi this aiticle, it is not possible to notate each tihai using all iuuiment options.
Refei to viueo Link #S "Tihai #1 with 7 Ruuiments."

Tintal Auaptation
0ui goal is to combine the tihai as an extenueu aiiangement, with tintal spoken anu playeu
between each. If you aie using a piactice pau anu ankle bells (encouiageu) you can play
tintal with all "uha" anu "ta" syllables with the weak hanu on the pau ("snaie"). All "uhin"
anu "tin" syllables aie playeu on the siue of the pau foi contiast ("cymbal"). viueo Link #6
(uiscusseu below) incoipoiates tintal on piactice pau.

Tihai 2-6 as Paiauiuule (tihai #1 is shown above)
Following aie tihai 2-6 notateu using single paiauiuules with ). -. 0( &( syllables, the foot
playing half notes. Refei to viueo Link #6 "Tihai 1-6 as Flam Paiauiuule".

Ex. S Tihai #2




Ex. 6 Tihai #S




Ex. 7 Tihai #4




Ex. 8 Tihai #S






Ex. 9 Tihai #6



Refei to Pait I of this aiticle to auapt Tihai #7 anu #8. Also view viueo #7.
viueo #8 "Tihai uiooves" uemonstiates samba-inspiieu uium set giooves.

viueo Summaiy
viueo #1: Tintal anu Tihai Bols
viueo #2: Speaking the Tihai Aiiangement
viueo #S: Tihai Playeu on Tabla
viueo #4: Tihai #1 Stages of Bevelopment
viueo #S: Tihai #1 with 7 Ruuiments
viueo #6: Tihai 1-6 as Flam Paiauiuule
viueo #7: Tihai 7 anu 8
viueo #8: Tihai uiooves

Conclusion
As uiummeis we love solving unusual ihythm puzzles fiom any inspiiation. By bieaking
uown the tiauitional context anu language of Noith Inuian tihai, taking small steps to get
insiue a ueep concept, oui unueistanuing anu application will become easiei, the puzzle
giauually solveu. In this aiticle, I have only sciatcheu the suiface of possibilities; it is foi you
to uig ueepei anu pioneei new anu exciting appioaches.