4=5, a unique tala ensemble

The ensemble led by vocalist Abhishek Raghuram weaves diverse and exciting rhythm patterns

The function of rhythm in a composition is to maintain balance in the music as Prof. Sambamoorthy explained. The famous aphorism, ‘Sruti Matha, Layam Pitha’ (Sruti is the mother and layam is the father) brings out the importance of singing to accurate sruti and time. The presumption about tala is that it is in the Chatusra gathi, i.e., four matrais between two beats. This time frame, which contains four, can be made to accommodate three, five, seven or nine as well. Then they become tisra, khanda, misra or sankeerna gathis. Based on this, well-known musician Abhishek Raghuram and his team have conceptualised a unique tala ensemble, named 4=5. As 4 becomes the new 5, so do a few other numbers change as well.