INDIAN MUSIC FORUM ARCHIVES: Tabla Forum: Searching Tirakhwa's Kaidas

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Vivekanand (Apr 02, 2004 02:03 a.m.):
Dear Tabla Lovers,
I want to know the Peshkaars, kaidas and compositions played by Ustad Ahmadjan Tirakhwa.
Please assist

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Dear Vivekanand,

IMHO - Ust. Ahmedjan Thirakawa wasn't necessarily known as an innovator as much as that he 'revived' the classic form of the art of tabla. Most of his repertoire were classic Delhi, Farhukkabad, Lucknow compositions. Like his contemporary, vocalist Ust. Amir Khansaheb, the quality that puts him above all others and makes him the preeminent "artist's artist" is the incredible musicality of his performance and the uniqueness of his 'hand'.
These are the qualities and not the compositions that you ought to be seeking.

Aanaddha

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I completely agree with Aanaddha above. If you have been playing tabla for a while it is very likely that you know some of the compositions already. If you have been playing for less than ten years, I think you shouldn't even worry too much with complex compositions other than the few simple ones given to you by your master. After eight to ten years playing and after mastering most of the basics really well, then you can start seriously widening your repertoire. I have been playing for nearly six years and for the first two years I have only played one single dilli kaida i.e. dha te te dha te te dha dha tin na ki na etc and added other two kaidas two years later. Today I concentrate on one Banarasi theka (Banaras version of Peshkar) two kaidas and one rela and a couple of gats, a couple of tukras, two chakradars and two uthans and a couple of moharas and mukras. I do venture into other kaidas (funy enough, the very first beginners kaidas given to me by my master wich I had ignored in the first place)and some fixed compositions sometimes but since I consider myself still a beginner, I try to concentrate on the basics of good quality and clear sound production, precise timing etc.

It is said that Samta Prasad didn't know lots of compositions but the few he knew, he played so well that it sounded like a different one every time. That could be a great lesson for all of us. We must learn to open the creative gates of the heart. Then irrespective of which and how many compositions we know, it will always sound sweet.

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Vivekanand (Apr 05, 2004 03:35 a.m.):
Dear Aanaddha,
I know that Ustad was playing the formal compositions of Farrukabad and others. But What are those "Gharanedaar Compositions" He was playing. My seek is to gather those Gharanedaar Kaidas and peshkaars etc. I am not claiming that Ustad was playing only unique things. These same compositions canalso be played by you. But I can't because I don't know the script of this. This is what I want to tell. If you know that very common compositions of Delhi, Lukhnow,etc. please give me so that I too can try them.
With Wishes
Vivekanand

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Dear V.,
I know I appear like a "know-it-all" sometimes, but I'm really just a student like you and Rod and Jake. The truth is I haven't ever sat down and analyzed Thirakawa's recordings (thankful that we have as many that we do) for the compositional content. Even if I did I'd be hesitant to write them out, not because they're a big secret, but because it takes time, there'd be a lot of mistakes and corrections, and there's really no standard form of notation in the english language that would do justice to such an endeavor. (Gottlieb spent ten years notating five short performances and they're full of mistakes). Besides that my gut feeling tells me it would be very much beside the point. Hell, I can't even read my own notations!
If it's purely research you're looking for then I'm afraid you'll have to sit down with the recordings and do it yourself. If you want to 'Be like T." then I would take Rod's suggestion and take one kaida theme or one peshkar variation at a time and get to know it like your first name and middle initial or your face in the mirror - backwards in your sleep. That's what Thirakawa did - That's the reason his playing is so unbelievably natural. That's what Zakir does, and Anindo, and Swapan-da, etc. . - That's the ONLY way to do it .
Ustad Ahmejan Thirakawa probably forgot more compositions than all of us put together will ever learn - but he KNEW them. After that the variations are mere child's play- literally.
Seriously, the secret - as difficult as this is to accept - is not in the compositions, or in the talent, or in the tablas, or even in the teacher - it's in your practice, pure and simple - nothing could be more simpler.
Wishing I could be more help,
Sincerely,
Aanaddha

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Compositions at that level can't be done any justice anyways by transcribing them and passing them along - you need an Ustad to teach the subtlety that makes every bit unique.

Dha trk Dhinaghena Dhagetrk Dhinaghena
Dhagena Dhatrk Dhina Dhatidhage Dhinaghena

Khali. . .

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Randeep (Apr 07, 2004 09:21 p.m.):
I don't think that this approach is appropriate. You can't just go and collect something that Ustadji spent years and years of complete dedication accumulating himself. I think that if you want to learn these compositions, you need to study in that Gharana for some number of years.

Compositions at that level can't be done any justice anyways by transcribing them and passing them along - you need an Ustad to teach the subtlety that makes every bit unique.

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Dha trk Dhinaghena Dhagetrk Dhinaghena
Dhagena Dhatrk Dhina Dhatidhage Dhinaghena

Khali. . .

Thanks TRKTDHA,
Your readers are assuming this is a kaida in teental with a slight pause between the 'Dha" and the subsequent "trk" in both instances and that the 'trk' is a flam (treke), not 'trkt' (terekete) ?

Aanaddha

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Vivekanand

Have a look
at http://www.tabla-schule.ch/sounds.htm

Kenavo , e bre�zhoneg evel just !

http://www.musicindiaonline.com

instrumental - hindoustani - Tirakhwa

Its a teentaal Kayada with no gap in between bols, and as you mentioned, its not "terekete" but "treke or trk". Its hard to write tabla bols in English where the script could vary depending on the language one speaks.(I am at home with hindi and its seems you are very familiar with Bengali !!)

Infact Ballu Khan Saheb used to play same kayda in Ektaal by manipulating the gaps inbetween.

Regards,
TRKTDHA
Your readers are assuming this is a kaida in teental with a slight pause between the 'Dha" and the subsequent "trk" in both instances and that the 'trk' is a flam (treke), not 'trkt' (terekete) ?

Aanaddha

_[/quote]

http://www.filmsdivision.org/home.htm

Title: Ahmed Jaan Tirakwa
Director Name: G. P. Asthana
Duration: 14 mins Year: 1971

and:

http://music.calarts.edu/~bansuri/pages/thirakwa.html

Aanaddha

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MEWAN (Apr 12, 2004 12:56 p.m.):
Hy every body

Have a look
at http://www.tabla-schule.ch/sounds.htm

Kenavo , e bre�zhoneg evel just !

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dha tirekitetaketirekite
dhatige tingeta dhatige ta dhatidha getinke tata
khaly

with baya who does always the same thing ; do� do� do� do� do� do�

Bye

dha tirekitetaketirekite
dhatige tingeta dhatigeta dhatidha tige tinketa
ta tirekitetaketirekite
tatige tinketa dhatigeta dhatidha tige tingeta

variation etc . .
Now its ok bye
kenavo la distro e bre�zhoneg evel just !

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MEWAN (Apr 14, 2004 02:48 p.m.):
WOW There is a problem
modification ;

dha tirekitetaketirekite
dhatige tingeta dhatigeta dhatidha tige tinketa
ta tirekitetaketirekite
tatige tinketa dhatigeta dhatidha tige tingeta

variation etc . .
Now its ok bye
kenavo la distro e bre�zhoneg evel just !

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Is this in ari or barabar layakari? The lehara is in sixteen beats (or is a fifteen beats?) but here the transcription is a bit confusing. You have groups of three(tatige) bols (ari), groups of four(dhatigeta) and two(tige)(barabar).
Can you type the composition again but devide the matras and its bols in a more clear way?

The other thing, where can I get this record if possible?

cheers

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rod (Apr 15, 2004 09:05 a.m.):
[quote]MEWAN (Apr 14, 2004 02:48 p.m.):
The other thing, where can I get this record if possible?

cheers

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I believe this clip (heavily compressed) is from the 1969(?)LP recording of Ahmedjan Thirakwa (side A) & Amir Hussain Khan (side B) titled
"Rhythms of India - Tabla Recital" [gramophone co. of india, STC 04b 7140, re-released as a cassete in1983]
I've seen the original LP on eBay occasionally and as recently as three weeks ago.

Aanaddha

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dha(s)tire kitetake tirekite
dhati getin geta dhati geta dhati dhati getin keta
ta(s)tire kitetake tirekite
tati ketin keta dhati geta dhati dhati getin ge ta

try it it is not so difficult , listen it carefully
In don't know about barabar , i m not a musicologist

Bye

I guess I wanted it so much to be a 16 beat lahara that I heard a sixteen beet instead. Typical of me!
The chalan looks good now and it is in Barabar as I thought.
This is waht David says about layakari.
https://chandrakantha.com/tablasite/articles/cad1.htm
"The relationship between the performed and the abstract is referred to as layakari. Common layakari are single-time, double-time, triple-time, etc. One also finds interesting layakari such as three-beats-over-two, seven-beats-over-four, etc."

In this case is in double time (barabar) i.e. multiple of two for the matra. Single time is also barabar layakari I think. Ari would be in triple time or multiples of three. I believe these to be the most comom layakari in use.

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MEWAN (Apr 15, 2004 04:29 p.m.):
No it is 12 beats

dha(s)tire kitetake tirekite
dhati getin geta dhati geta dhati dhati getin keta
ta(s)tire kitetake tirekite
tati ketin keta dhati geta dhati dhati getin ge ta

try it it is not so difficult , listen it carefully
In don't know about barabar , i m not a musicologist

Bye

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