ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the context of combinations anuloma-pratiloma. Anuloma defined as when the number of matras in a beat is doubled, tripled or quadrupled. Pratiloma defined as when the number of matras in a gati is spread throughout 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 beats. A few irregular groupings used frequently in western contemporary music as well as jazz, from the 1960s onwards, namely 5:6, 7:6 and 4:3. These can be practised using a glimpse of combinations anuloma-pratiloma. In order to develop ideas with anuloma-pratiloma speeds it is necessary to fully understand the concept of speed, according to the karnatic tradition. Anuloma-pratiloma speeds belong to the category of regular phrasing' in the tree of gati bhedam. Tisra has no discrepancy between the karnatic and western ways of notating the chosen speeds. The 2nd speed the equivalent of the western is used quite frequently, with the exception of the 2nd speed misra, which tends to be used mostly by percussionists.
