In
Indian classical music
Indian classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as '' Hindustani'' and the South Indian expression known as '' Carnatic''. These traditions were not ...
, a Matra is a beat, the smallest rhythmic sub-unit of a
tala - the musical meter. It is one of the three levels of structure for
tala along with
Vibhag
Vibhag (in music) represents a duration of rhythmic phrasing in Indian classical music made up of a certain number of beats. They are the rough equivalent of bars in western music, but instead of always being equal subdivisions of the tala (the rh ...
(measure) and Avartan (cycle).
Avartan
Retrieved 2016-11-08 The significance of beats depends on their occurrence in a cycle. However, the value of the beats may be stretched or contracted depending on various factors.
See also
*Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sita ...
* Tala
*Vibhag
Vibhag (in music) represents a duration of rhythmic phrasing in Indian classical music made up of a certain number of beats. They are the rough equivalent of bars in western music, but instead of always being equal subdivisions of the tala (the rh ...
References
Tala (music)
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