Korvais — ‘structured’ rhythmic patterns, their aural Geometry and Arithmetic

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KavyaVriksha

7 min readJan 21, 2023

In the Pulse of rhythm series, we have encountered korvais(rhythmic patterns) in the context of percussion accompaniment and kalpana svaras(on the spot singing or playing of svara(musical note) patterns for a particular line of a song adhering to its underlying tala).

We are also aware that these fundamentals apply when creating these rhythmic patterns:

Eduppu or starting point of the musical lyrics in the tala cycle
Leveraging Kaarvais(musical pause, elongation) for more intricate patterns
A special type of korvai called the Porutham (the culminating pattern which matches the underlying melodic pattern of the eduppu)
Changing time signatures that result in even more complex patterns

Let us delve deeper into the fascinating realm of korvais where the arts and mathematics intersect.

The Pancha (5) Nadais are the basic building blocks:

Tisra Nadai (Tha ki ta) (3),
Chatusra Nadai (Tha ka dhi mi) (4) — default
Khanda Nadai (Tha ka tha ki ta) (5)
Misra Nadai (Tha ki ta Tha ka dhi mi) (7)
Sankeerna Nadai (Tha ka dhi mi tha ka tha ki ta) (9)

When we deconstruct some examples of korvais, we shall see that most of the arithmetic revolves around these digits and their multiples.

Korvais in Bharatanatyam

The dazzling nritta(rhythmic dance) segment in the above video is woven together with rhythmic syllables. The concluding pattern, that is repeated thrice as the finale, is a complex korvai.

finale korvai followed by the explanation

Let us take a simpler korvai example from this lecdem and deconstruct it.

Structure of this korvai with kaarvai(musical pause) that has elements of tisram(3), chatusram(4) and khandam(5); we hear the solkattu(spoken rhythmic syllables) as well as its subsequent representation in the natya(dance) syllables.

Korvai Example in Madurai R Muralidharan’s lecdem that is set in Adi Tala

This korvai example in Madurai R Muralidharan’s lecdem is set to Adi tala in default chatusra nadai. The underlying arithmetic reveals a repeating structural pattern that includes cross rhythms of tisram(3) and khandam(5):

8 beats, 8x4=32 subunits for each tala cycle and it spans two tala cycles, for a total of 64 beats.
3+4+5+6+(5)(kaarvai) = 23
3+4+5+6+(5)(kaarvai) = 23
3+4+5+6 =18(tala cycle concludes)
23+23+18=64

Korvai Fundamentals in Percussion

“Korvai is a rhythmic pattern set to a meter (tala), adhering to a structure” — Mannarkoil Balaji

In percussion accompaniment, “the structure of the korvai contains multiple parts, namely the Purvangam(first part), madhyangam(optional middle part) and Uttarangam(last part)”. The korvai also contains repetitive phrases that are usually repeated 3 times.

Mannarkoil Balaji shares the concrete steps to create a korvai in this workshop. The three phases are:

“Arithmetic(calculations)
Representation in Solkattu(rhythmic syllables)
Presentation(on the percussion instrument such as mridangam, kanjira or ghatam).”

3 steps to create a Korvai

Mannarkoil Balaji details the following 3 steps to create a korvai:

1.“Understand the Meter — tala and what speed (first, second or third speed)”

For example, a song in Adi 1-kalai tala in Chatusra nadai(4/4 time signature) is 1 beat per count, 4 subunits per beat and so a total of 8*4 = 32 subunits for each tala cycle

2. “Represent in a rhythmic pattern”

Source: Rhythmic Syllables: Introduction, Analysis and Conceptual Approach in Carnatic Music of South India by Mannarkoil Balaji

3. “Fit the pattern into the meter”

A korvai can span multiple cycles of a tala. Mannarkoil Balaji explains the importance of counting backwards from the end to fit the korvai pattern into the tala.

Positional Values — reverse counting explained in Mannarkoil Balaji’s lecdem

Constructing a korvai

First Example — 33+31 in Adi Tala (2 cycles)

33=8+(3)+8+(3)+8+(3)
31=7+(5)+7+(5)+7

**Source:korvai in** **Mannarkoil Balaji’s lecdem**

Adi Tala 1 Kalai Chatusra Nadai, hence a total of 64 subunits
The purvangam or first part is 33 subunits; hence the uttarangam(last part) has to be 64–33=31 subunits to fit into the tala, after 2 cycles
It is not a random calculation to arrive at the totals of 33 and 31. The elegance of the arithmetic is creating the repetitive pattern using one of the pancha nadais(3,4,5,7 or 9) or their multiples.
Kaarvai(musical pauses) are leveraged to create these repetitive patterns.
Mannarkoil Balaji shares that we can choose the pattern 8(3), namely rhythmic syllables of 8 followed by a kaarvai(musical pause) of 3, hence 11*3=33
Mannarkoil Balaji shares that there are multiple choices for 31, namely, 5(8) which is 13+13+5 or 7(5) which is 12+12+7 or 9(2)which is 11+11+9. The number in parenthesis is the length of the kaarvai. The excel table image shows the korvai choosing the 7(5) pattern.

Second Example — 36+28 in Adi Tala (2 cycles)

36 = 9+(3)+9+(3)+9+(3)
28 = 6+(5)+6+(5)+6

This kanakku(arithmetic) transcends into the magic of laya(rhythm) when we hear the intricate korvais played during the percussion solo in a concert.

The challenges are far greater in a concert since the percussion solo is played for a particular song whose eduppu(starting point) may not necessarily begin at the start of a tala cycle. And of course, the complexity will be exponentially more for ragam tanam pallavis, since the pallavis are usually in far more intricate talas and are also in other nadais(time signatures).

Intricate and Interesting Percussion Korvais

Multiple korvais in this epic rhythmic sequence inspired by the Fibonacci series by B C Manjunath

The Art of the Korvai
Korvai with multiple nadais(time signatures)

Solkattu has become popular all over the world. Here are some examples from the #takadhimituesdays featured by Berklee India Exchange:

Korvai with the purvanga(first part) featuring different combinations of 11 (7+4, 6+5, 5+6, 4+7, 3+8, 2+9, 1+10,11) and uttaranga(second part) featuring multiples of 3. It also includes karvais(pause/elongations).
Korvai (Adi tala) that features yatis(rhythmic patterns based on geometric shapes) and four different time signatures
Korvai(Misra Chapu) that features yatis and karvais
A longer Korvai(Misra Chapu) that has all 3 parts — purvanga(first), madhyanga(middle) and uttaranga(end).

Korvais in Thillanas

As we are aware, thillanas contain rhythmic syllables and hence offer a great opportunity for the composer to weave in complex korvais too.

Thillana in Raga Revathi composed by Lalgudi Jayaraman and its analysis by Curtis Andrews

In this lecdem, a key point shared is that modern day thillanas offer more scope for complex korvais because their pace is slower.

Fast paced thillana in raga Poornachandrika
Slower paced thillana in raga Khamas composed by Lalgudi Jayaraman with korvais and also poruthams woven ‘organically’ into the melody

Korvais in Music

While in sarvalaghu patterns the calculations take the shape of syncopation as we know it in western music, which serves to emphasize the steadiness of the beat, in kanakkus the flow of the tala is broken by musical events that entirely ignore the pulse, and instead assume a pulse function themselves.” — Robbert van Hulzen in Tadikinatom Improvisation

In music, the korvai patterns are articulated by the svaras(musical notes) in the song itself(chittasvaras) or during improvisation of kalpana svaras. Unlike the percussion korvais, most of these svara korvais usually tend to have only the ending section called a ‘muktayi’, repeated thrice.

”R Vedavalli shares this historic example of the introduction of a korvai pattern, repeated three times in the chittasvara of a song by the composer Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar:

“For example, the Kedaragaula kriti, Saraguna palimpa, has an interesting chittaswara pattern. It is said that in those days, a korvai that is structured in threes was not in vogue; it would be in fours or twos.
In this kriti, Saraguna palimpa, the end of the chittaswaram has a pair of similarly constructed patterns, which is the same as in the beginning of the kriti — resulting in a korvai of twos in the swaram and one from the sahityam — thus making it a korvai of threes.”

And since it dovetails into the beginning of the song, it is also a ‘porutham’.

Here are a couple of examples of korvais with both the rhythmic and musical solfa syllables:

Many artists like to culminate the multiple rounds of kalpana svaras with a flourish by repeating a korvai three times. And, there is definitely arithmetic involved to create these korvai patterns and to ensure they fit into the tala cycles. Of course, the dual challenge is not only executing the korvai flawlessly, it is also making sure that the raga melody is not sacrificed during this elucidation.

Spellbinding Korvais in Kalpana Svaras

For accompanists the level of difficulty is exponentially higher, since they have to decipher the korvai’s arithmetic and respond in real time during the concert.

It is indeed awe inspiring when the mind melding math and melodious music converge with impeccable precision.