एकतालEktaal

Ektaal has twelve matras, in six vibhags of two. It is the taal of the bada khayal, the slow, expansive first half of a khayal performance, where a singer unfolds a raag phrase by phrase over a cycle that can take a minute or more to come round. Played fast, the same taal carries drut khayals and taranas. Its six short vibhags make it feel quite unlike Teentaal: the claps come thick, and two of them are waves.

The theka

Ektaal's two khalis are counted more than heard. The first falls on the 3rd matra, on DhaGe TiRaKiTa, as full a sound as any in the cycle; only the second, Kat Ta on the 7th and 8th, goes quiet, the bayan closed and dry. DhaGe TiRaKiTa, a rolling figure that comes twice, is Ektaal's signature, and Dhin Dhin at sam and Dhi Na at the end frame the cycle.

In vilambit Ektaal each matra is so long that the tabla fills it with many more strokes than the theka shows; the theka here is its skeleton, as it is taught.

Counting with the hands

Six vibhags, so six movements of the hand: clap, wave, clap, wave, clap, clap, written X 0 2 0 3 4. Sam on the 1st matra, khali on the 3rd and 7th, talis on the 5th, 9th and 11th.

At a slow tempo, count the matras on the fingers between the claps; at a fast one, the claps come every second matra and the hands are kept busy.

The bols

TiRaKiTa is four strokes in one matra: in the theka they fill the 4th and 10th matras, and their quick, closed patter is what makes Ektaal recognisable at once.

How fast it is played

• Vilambit (very slow, below about 40 matras a minute, and often far slower): the bada khayal. The tabla subdivides each matra; the singer's phrases stretch across several.
• Madhya (about 60 to 140): a good place to learn the theka and count it.
• Drut (fast, above about 140): the chhota khayal and the tarana, where the twelve matras race and the claps come in a rush.

Layakari: dugun, tigun, chaugun

Two, three and four of the theka's bols to every matra, the matras keeping their pace. In Ektaal the DhaGe TiRaKiTa pairs crowd together quickly: chaugun is a real test of clarity.

A tihai

TiRaKiTa Dha, a matra's rest, three times: eight matras from the first stroke to the last. To land on sam it begins on the 6th matra, so the theka plays the first five and the tihai fills the rest of the avartan.

For the flute

Start the tabla and play these with it: they begin with its next sam, in your Sa.

Count the six vibhags on the hands while you play: with two waves in the cycle, it is easy to lose the place, and the hands keep it.

Questions

How many matras does Ektaal have?

Twelve, in six vibhags of two. Its signs are X 0 2 0 3 4.

Why does Ektaal have two khalis?

Its six vibhags are counted with two waves, on the 3rd and 7th matras, among four claps. On the tabla the second is the one you hear: Kat Ta, closed and dry.

Is Ektaal slow or fast?

Both. Its most famous use is the very slow bada khayal, but drut Ektaal carries fast khayals and taranas.

How is Ektaal different from Chautaal?

They share their count: twelve matras, X 0 2 0 3 4. Chautaal belongs to the pakhawaj and to dhrupad, its bols heavy and open; Ektaal belongs to the tabla and to khayal.