Continuing with the role of the tabla while accompanying the ghazal form, we listen to some more tracks pertaining to the traditional format of improvising with laggis when the vocalist returns to the first line of the ghazal after each successive couplet.
To ensure that the words are not rushed, the speed of the ghazal rendition should not change only to accommodate faster laggis. The tabla player, therefore, must be conscious of the scansion of the text and the extent to which the words can be delivered easily at a particular speed.
Here is a recording of a ghazal rendered by the incomparable Begum Akhtar. The melody is set to a rhythmic cycle of the eight-matra Kaherva. Tabla accompaniment on this track has been provided by Nizamuddin Khan, a maestro known equally for his solo recitals and the tabla accompaniment he provided to vocalists, instrumentalists and dancers.
However, there are moments when the vocalist may be able to sing the refrain at a slightly accelerated pace or may choose to stop singing briefly and hand over the refrain to the melodic accompaniment provided by the sarangi and/or the harmonium. In such cases, the tempo may be increased by the tabla player to explore a wider variety of laggis.
As is the convention with every laggi section, here too, the laggis end with a tihai, a rhythmic pattern mathematically arranged to be played thrice with the last syllable coinciding with the first matra or time-unit of the cycle. Once the tabla player returns to the theka or the original set of syllables marking the time-cycle, the tempo is back to the original one.
Listeners will note the change of pace during the laggi section in the next ghazal presented by the celebrated vocalist Shobha Gurtu. The ghazal is set to Kaherva. The tabla player is once again Nizamuddin Khan, who was particularly well-known for his exploration of laggis. Notably, his treatment of this section is different from that of the previous recording.
One of India’s leading tabla players, Aneesh Pradhan is a widely recognised performer, teacher, composer and scholar of Hindustani music. Visit his website here.
This article is based on Pradhan’s book Tabla: A Performer’s Perspective.
