I am quite tired and bleary, running entirely on ritual energy. A lot of the hour I have my eyes shut, though my mind is waking up and cutting through the fog as I solve the musical problems of the day. I hear a few greetings from drivers in the morning commute, wave and/or smile in response, but mostly mind my own business in a state of quiet concentration.

2/

Today I add a new polymetric to the bol-bant exercises I've been studying. The previous days' practice has incorporated 2:5, 3:5, 4:5 and the utterly straightforward 5:5 tempo levels, all inside a medium rupak cycle. This morning I include a 6:5, the first such tempo level that's actually faster than the prevailing pulse. It takes a few iterations, but it "settles" in my muscles fairly quickly.

3/

After 10-12 minutes simply establishing this relationship and ironing out the rough spots (it's difficult to get a smooth syllabic flow when there are accented tabla beats hitting anywhere BUT the places I have to sing), I begin incorporating the new piece into an accelerating/decelerating sequence: 15-beat variation 1/mukhda/variation 2/mukhda/3/mukhda/4/mukhda, and then back down.

4/

This sequence of gradual increase and decrease in syllabic density is likewise tricky to keep even, but as it solidifies, it carries with it a kind of rhythmic omniscience in which I feel like I'm looking down at the cycling tabla "from above," and (at least when it's working) I can land anywhere without having to think too hard. Big fun.

5/

I take intermittent breaks and sing free taankari, sargam variations, and even the occasional bit of free bolbant in simpler tempo relationships. The 3-part beat structure I'm using for the exercises is now easy to detect, and I make some parallel forms across the three groups of five beats before resolving.

6/

I also try starting the formal exercise a few beats earlier, taking advantage of its 15-beat length to move the incremental accelerations closer to the mukhda point with each iteration until I resolve. This is a real brain-bender and I decide to put a pin in it and return tomorrow with a dedicated session. At 8:25 I make a video, then sing through the hour and pack up.

7/