Conventionally, paltas are regarded as ascending and descending execution of the scale (scale palta). They are prime constituents of music practice, wherein the emphasis is on technical perfection and grammatical correctness. Their pursuit leads to an effortless execution of musical ideas.
Pt. Arvind Parikh ’s approach to the palta routine is inspired by his singular insight into the interaction of cerebral and creative processes with the mechanical processes of music-making. A mastery over paltas, according to him, should push the execution onto the sub-conscious mind, so that the conscious mind is free to pursue fresh musical ideas in performance. Thus, the conscious mind would create music and subconscious mind would execute it.
Pt. Arvind Parikh believed that, in order to become competent performers, his students needed additional three categories as follows:
(a) Tan paltas, that can be deployed as tans in performance. These paltas incorporate elements of geometry and symmetry.
(b) Raga-vachak paltas, specifically composed to express the phrasing patterns characteristic of a raga.
(c) Bhav-vachak paltas, which incorporate the expressive aspect of a raga. Pt. Arvind Parikh has composed and taught such paltas in several popular ragas. These exercises introduce the aspects of alpatva-bahutva in phrasing, along with variations of volume and timbre.
These categories of paltas are Pt. Arvind Parikh ’s original contribution to pedagogy, and has been praised by his peers in the music world.