Monday 25 August 2014

First lesson of Kathak: TATKAAR (Tintal/Teentaal)

TATKAAR

 So the first beat, the base foundation of Kathak is the TATKAAR. Yes, you got it right. Before you want to jump higher, Tatkaar is what one needs to be perfect at :)

 So we will completely dedicate this lesson to Tatkaar.

 Tatkaar is based on TEENTAAL or TINTAAL. Tintal has sixteen (16) beats in four equal divisions (vibhag). The period between every two beats is equal. The first beat out of 16 beats is called sam and the 9th beat is called khali ('empty'). To count the Teental, the audience claps on the first beat, claps on the 5th beat, then waves on the 9th beat and lastly again claps on the 13th beat; these three claps (Hindi tin 'three' + tāl 'clap') give the rhythm its name.

Theka: It has a characteristic pattern of bols (theka).

The Theka for Tintal
dhadhindhindha|dhadhindhindha|
x2
natintinta|tadhindhindha|
o3
This can also be shown using the following figure
Taal signsX203
Maatra12345678910111213141516
Bolsdhadhindhindhadhadhindhindhadhatintintatadhindhindha

Note the bols used for the first beat of each division: Dhaa, a bol involving both hands, is played at the beginning of the first, second and final divisions; for the khali section, Naa – a right hand bol – is used to indicate that the division is open. There are some pedagogical variations as to the actual syllables pronounced when reciting the bol, most of which occur in the final two vibhags.

Here goes the Tatkaar beats...

Ta thei thei tat... Aa thei thei tat...Ta thei thei tat... Aa thei thei tat


 As you can see these are 16 beats, lets see how the basic footwork goes for Tatkaar:

 Bol - Feet

 Ta   - Right
Thei - Left
Thei - Right
Tat  - Left

Aa   - Left
Thei - Right
Thei - Left
Tat   - Right

Ta   - Right
Thei - Left
Thei - Right
Tat  - Left

Aa   - Left
Thei - Right
Thei - Left
Tat   - Right

OK, now we know the beats but the speed in which we sing or dance to these beats are hugely important. 

Watch out the next lesson to know what are the measures of speed of Kathak music, and how we can manage the speed of our dance and using these ways. In Hindi, its called NAAPNE KA PAIMAANA.


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24 comments:

  1. Unknown18 January 2016 at 10:55

    hi ...could you help me out to see the next lessons and learn this beautiful form of dance

    ReplyDelete
  2. Suman18 February 2016 at 02:45

    hello, thank you for sharing the First lesson of Kathak. could you please share the next lessons of kathak. it would really help me. your kind help will be much appreciated. thank you

    ReplyDelete
  3. emadkhanwrites4 May 2016 at 09:44

    helpful. i am given assignment to present the use of maths in kathak. i got few points from this blog. keep it up. can you suggest me some other stuff that could help me in relating math to kathak?

    ReplyDelete
  4. emadkhanwrites4 May 2016 at 09:47

    helpful. i am given assignment to present the use of maths in kathak. i got few points from this blog. keep it up. can you suggest me some other stuff that could help me in relating math to kathak?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Alisha Mengi14 May 2016 at 22:42

    Thanks Emad Suman and Suchismita.. I'll put more lessons in this blog which will help you. Thanks again for putting comments

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So.....me7 June 2017 at 20:11

      Hi ALisha, thanks for such wonderful write up. Would you be continuing this? I am eagerly waiting for your next one :)

      Delete
    2. Unknown22 June 2018 at 06:09

      Yes she does it very well #Kathakismyfavourite

      Delete
  6. Anupriya Kumari9 August 2016 at 05:27

    Amazing blog Alisha...I am learning kathak since seven years and I would love reading more posts from your blog....do visit my blog too,i am a new blogger....

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anupriya Kumari9 August 2016 at 05:27

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Unknown12 November 2016 at 00:30

    Hi thank you for this post.
    I am a little unclear about the difference between "dha din din dha" and "ta thai thai tat". Are they both tatkar beats? What is the difference or similarity in them? I will be grateful if you could answer this question.
    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ala6 May 2017 at 04:32

      Hi there

      The difference is that dha dhin are the words used by the tabla player. Those words express the beats in the tabla "language"
      Ta thei are the words we use to express the beats in the kathak language but they refer to the same thing. It's just that as a kathak dancer tabla players may not understand if you told them to play ta thei thei tat so kathak dancers when speaking to a tabla player will instead use the words dha dhin dhin dha to give the tabla player instruction, but will practice dance using the words ta thei words. But as a kathak dancer you will be practicing counting and clapping out the beats on your hands using the words dha dhin as well since those are the words that are used from a music or instrument point of view.

      Delete
  9. shona27 January 2017 at 00:30

    very beautifully explianed. thank you so much

    ReplyDelete
  10. Unknown10 May 2017 at 11:47

    Hello Alisha....this lesson has been very informative. Please could you add more lessons.My daughter is learning Kathak and is preparing for Grade 1 examination.It's very hard to find any information regarding Kathak theory online.Imagine my relief when I found this article. But sadly there is no more articles. Please can we expect more articles from you? It will be much appreciated. Thanks very much

    ReplyDelete
  11. Unknown2 June 2017 at 04:59

    Very important and easy to understand, pls explain all popular taal with tatkar and bols as above. like ek taal, jhap taal and others. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Unknown12 January 2018 at 10:17

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Unknown12 January 2018 at 10:23

    Is tatkar only based on tintal?For each and every taal so far I know tatkar is applicable. Like jhaptal tatkar is ta thei ta thei tat, aa thei aa thei taat.The difference between taal and tatkar is unclear.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Unknown11 June 2019 at 06:09

    Bakwas

    ReplyDelete
  15. sur_its tym to change6 November 2019 at 22:44

    helped me!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Lavanya Maradani23 January 2020 at 13:34

    Hi, is there a place where i can get the notes of next lessons in kathak?

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Unknown3 May 2020 at 23:29

    I hv completed kathak... Vry helpful to students

    ReplyDelete
  18. Unknown18 July 2020 at 03:28

    Not at all it was helpful
    please write steps in all speeds 1st 2nd and 3rd

    ReplyDelete
  19. Unknown25 January 2021 at 03:29

    Hey, I am an aspiring kathak dancer. would someone be so kind as to explain the concept of ekgun, dugun, chaugun? I have watche countless videos but am unable to understand :(

    ReplyDelete
  20. Unknown2 June 2021 at 04:14

    How much time it takes to learn perfect takaar without hand moves

    ReplyDelete

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