Matra

An inner time unit used when subdividing a tala count.

In the counting examples here, matra names a small pulse within an akshara-kala. In chatusra Gati, one primary count has four such pulses.

Example

One-fold Adi tala has eight primary counts. At four subdivisions each, it contains 32 matras.

Musicians sometimes use matra and akshara differently. The useful question is always: are we counting the main beat, or the smaller pulses within it?