Carnatic musicians use a metronome when singing. This metronome is not an electronic one or one provided by a conductor standing on a platform. The metronome is nothing but the musician hit their hand on their thigh. Different kinds of slaps denote different locations in the beat cycle.
Here's a video of a 17 year old kid putting talam as she is singing:
Why do Carnatic musicians do this? It turns out They put talam for multiple reasons:
1. To demonstrate to the audience that their recitation falls properly within the constructs of the talam.
Otherwise a singer might be able to get away with anything, and most of the audience would probably think nothing of it.
2. To help them remember where they are in the beat cycle during improvisation.
The key here is improvisation. It's harder to keep track of where you are in a beat cycle when you're just singing notes freely for what could be minutes. Also, when you end your improvisation, you can't just end wherever you want. You have to end at the proper location within the beat cycle. How would you know where that is if you haven't been putting talam?
3. To demonstrate cleverness during improvisation.
Cleverness, as in the ability to render complicated but still elegant rhythmic patterns that still fit within the beat cycle. And to prove to the audience that your rendition falls within the beat cycle like it should.
Here's a video of a 17 year old kid putting talam as she is singing:
Why do Carnatic musicians do this? It turns out They put talam for multiple reasons:
1. To demonstrate to the audience that their recitation falls properly within the constructs of the talam.
Otherwise a singer might be able to get away with anything, and most of the audience would probably think nothing of it.
2. To help them remember where they are in the beat cycle during improvisation.
The key here is improvisation. It's harder to keep track of where you are in a beat cycle when you're just singing notes freely for what could be minutes. Also, when you end your improvisation, you can't just end wherever you want. You have to end at the proper location within the beat cycle. How would you know where that is if you haven't been putting talam?
3. To demonstrate cleverness during improvisation.
Cleverness, as in the ability to render complicated but still elegant rhythmic patterns that still fit within the beat cycle. And to prove to the audience that your rendition falls within the beat cycle like it should.
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