In
Indian classical music
Indian classical music is the art music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It is generally described using terms like ''Shastriya Sangeet'' and ''Marg Sangeet''. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as ...
, 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 ...
(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 Indian classical music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent's northern regions. It may also be called North Indian classical music or ''Uttar Bhartiya shastriya sangeet''. The term ''shastriya sangeet'' ...
* 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 ...
References
Tala (music)
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