Tabla Compositions - teental peshkar 1

Updated: 2025-04-04 | Published: 2025-04-04

Hand-bound book in Urdu from Lybarger collection of Pakistani music materials - Harvard

🚧 draft post 🚧

Teental Peshkar 1

This composition is a lot to write out, but the variations are constructed very logically:

take one bol at a time from the theme and reinforce it in the variation line:

_dha_  dha dha dhin na trkt ta ...
_kra_  dha dha dhin na trkt ta ...
_dhin_ na  dha dhin na trkt ta ...
_trkt_ dha dha dhin na trkt ta ...
_ti_   dha dha dhin na trkt ta ...

then repeat the same sequence, but close the variation line by introducing a short tisra jati phrase
then again, but extending the tisra jati section and swapping with the variation section
then squeeze in a double speed chatusra jati phrase after a shortened theme phrase, then tisra jati, then normal speed, then kali (or sam) - all together producing a delightful 'squash and stretch' feeling!
slow tempo: ~30-40 bpm

Theme

Played twice to fit one cycle.

dha -kra dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti dha ti dha dha tin  na
ta  -kra ta  tin  na trkt ta | dha ti dha ti dha dha dhin na

Variation 1 (Dhora)

dha -kra dha dhin na trkt ta | dha -kra dha dhin na  tr  kt  ta
dha -kra dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti   dha ti   dha dha tin na
ta  -kra ta  tin  na trkt ta | ta  -kra ta  tin na   tr  kt  ta
dha -kra dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti   dha ti   dha dha tin na

Variation 2

dha -kra dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti dha ti dha dha dhin na
dha dha  dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti dha ti dha dha tin  na
ta  -kra ta  tin  na trkt ta | ta  ti ta  ti ta  ta  tin  na
dha dha  dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti dha ti dha dha dhin na

Variation 3

dha -kra dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti dha ti dha dha dhin na
kra dha  dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti dha ti dha dha tin  na
ta  -kra ta  tin  na trkt ta | ta  ti ta  ti ta  ta  tin  na
kra dha  dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti dha ti dha dha dhin na

Variation 4

dha -kra dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti dha ti dha dha dhin na
dhin na  dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti dha ti dha dha tin  na
ta  -kra ta  tin  na trkt ta | ta  ti ta  ti ta  ta  tin  na
dhin na  dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti dha ti dha dha dhin na

Variation 5

dha -kra dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti dha ti dha dha dhin na
tr  kt   dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti dha ti dha dha tin  na
ta  -kra ta  tin  na trkt ta | ta  ti ta  ti ta  ta  tin  na
tr  kt   dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti dha ti dha dha dhin na

Variation 6

dha -kra dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti dha ti dha dha dhin na
ti  dha  dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti dha ti dha dha tin  na
ta  -kra ta  tin  na trkt ta | ta  ti ta  ti ta  ta  tin  na
ti  dha  dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti dha ti dha dha dhin na

Variation 7

Starts a repetition of the previous sequence, but with the introduction of a small tisra jati (triplet feel) phrase, notated in [ ... ] brackets:

dha -kra dha dhin na trkt ta | dha  ti     dha  ti      dha dha dhin na
dha dha  dha dhin na trkt ta | [dha-ti-dha dha-dhin-na] dha dha tin  na
ta  -kra ta  tin  na trkt ta | ta   ti     ta   ti      ta  ta  tin  na
dha dha  dha dhin na trkt ta | [dha-ti-dha dha-dhin-na] dha dha dhin na

Variation 8

dha -kra dha dhin na trkt ta | dha  ti     dha  ti      dha dha dhin na
kra dha  dha dhin na trkt ta | [kra-dha-ti dha-dhin-na] dha dha tin  na
ta  -kra ta  tin  na trkt ta | ta   ti     ta   ti      ta  ta  tin  na
kra dha  dha dhin na trkt ta | [kra-dha-ti dha-dhin-na] dha dha dhin na

Variation 9

dha -kra dha dhin na trkt ta | dha   ti    dha  ti      dha dha dhin na
dhin na  dha dhin na trkt ta | [dhin-na-ti dha-dhin-na] dha dha tin  na
ta  -kra ta  tin  na trkt ta | ta    ti    ta   ti      ta  ta  tin  na
dhin na  dha dhin na trkt ta | [dhin-na-ti dha-dhin-na] dha dha dhin na

Variation 10

dha -kra dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti     dha ti       dha dha dhin na
tr  kt   dha dhin na trkt ta | [tr-kt-dha dha-dhin-na] dha dha tin  na
ta  -kra ta  tin  na trkt ta | ta  ti     ta  ti       ta  ta  tin  na
tr  kt   dha dhin na trkt ta | [tr-kt-dha dha-dhin-na] dha dha dhin na

Variation 11

dha -kra dha dhin na trkt ta | dha ti     dha ti       dha dha dhin na
ti  dha  dha dhin na trkt ta | [ti-dha-ti dha-dhin-na] dha dha tin  na
ta  -kra ta  tin  na trkt ta | ta  ti     ta  ti       ta  ta  tin  na
ti  dha  dha dhin na trkt ta | [ti-dha-ti dha-dhin-na] dha dha dhin na

Variation 12

Starts another repetition of the previous sequence, but with an extended tisra jati phrase, swapped with the final variation phrase:

dha -kra     dha dhin  na tr      kt ta        | dha ti  dha ti dha dha dhin na
[dha-dha-kra dha-tr-kt dha-ti-dha dha-dhin na] | dha dha dha ti dha dha tin  na
ta  -kra     ta  tin   na tr      kt ta        | ta  ti  ta  ti ta  ta  tin  na
[dha-dha-kra dha-tr-kt dha-ti-dha dha-dhin na] | dha dha dha ti dha dha dhin na

Variation 13

dha -kra     dha dhin  na tr      kt ta        | dha ti  dha ti dha dha dhin na
[kra-dha-kra dha-tr-kt dha-ti-dha dha-dhin-na] | kra dha dha ti dha dha tin  na
ta  -kra     ta  tin   na tr      kt ta        | ta  ti  ta  ti ta  ta  tin  na
[kra-dha-kra dha-tr-kt dha-ti-dha dha-dhin-na] | kra dha dha ti dha dha dhin na

Variation 14

dha -kra     dha dhin  na tr      kt ta        | dha  ti dha ti dha dha dhin na
[dhin-na-kra dha-tr-kt dha-ti-dha dha-dhin-na] | dhin na dha ti dha dha tin  na
ta  -kra     ta  tin   na tr      kt ta        | ta   ti ta  ti ta  ta  tin  na
[dhin-na-kra dha-tr-kt dha-ti-dha dha-dhin-na] | dhin na dha ti dha dha dhin na

Variation 15

dha -kra   dha dhin  na tr      kt ta        | dha ti dha ti dha dha dhin na
[tr-kt-kra dha-tr-kt dha-ti-dha dha-dhin-na] | tr  kt dha ti dha dha tin  na
ta  -kra   ta  tin   na tr      kt ta        | ta  ti ta  ti ta  ta  tin  na
[tr-kt-kra dha-tr-kt dha-ti-dha dha-dhin-na] | tr  kt dha ti dha dha dhin na

Variation 16

dha -kra    dha dhin  na tr      kt ta        | dha ti  dha ti dha dha dhin na
[ti-dha-kra dha-tr-kt dha-ti-dha dha-dhin-na] | ti  dha dha ti dha dha tin  na
ta  -kra    ta  tin   na tr      kt ta        | ta  ti  ta  ti ta  ta  tin  na
[ti-dha-kra dha-tr-kt dha-ti-dha dha-dhin-na] | ti  dha dha ti dha dha dhin na

Now it really starts cooking. This variation truncates the theme line in order to squeeze in a double speed chatusra jati phrase, leading into the longer tisra jati phrase introduced in the previous sequence, then back to normal speed to close out bhari and kali. In both cases, we land back on the first dha of the theme line, which has an extra punch because of the brief rest before -kra - producing a sort of compression and gradual expansion feeling that's just delightful!

dha -kra     dha dhin  na tr      kt ta        | (dha dha dha ti dha dha tr kt dha ti dha ti dha dha dhin na)
[dha-dha-kra dha-tr-kt dha-ti-dha dha-dhin-na] | dha      dha    dha     ti    dha    dha    tin     na
ta  -kra     ta tin    na tr      kt ta        | (ta  ta  ta  ti ta  ta  tr kt ta  ti ta  ti ta  ta  tin  na)
[dha-dha-kra dha-tr-kt dha-ti-dha dha-dhin-na] | dha      dha    dha     ti    dha    dha    dhin    na