Drills — Building Control & Timing

These are progressive. A drill is “done” when you can play it relaxed, even, and in time for ~1 minute without a mistake. Say the bols out loud. Use a metronome — start at 50–60 BPM and only speed up once it's clean.

R = right hand (bhale) · L = left hand (pothi)

Level 0 — Single-stroke tone drills Day 1–3

Make each of the five sounds consistent. One click = one stroke, at 60 BPM.

Level 1 — Alternation & open/closed switching Day 3–7

Build independence between the hands (1a, 1d) and control over open vs. closed strokes within one hand (1b = right, 1c = left). Target 70–80 BPM.

Optional — permutations of 1d (1e–1j). These reorder the same four strokes from 1d — Ghin (L open), Kha (L closed), Taang (R open), Taak (R closed) — so your hands don’t settle into one habit. They are extra limb-independence exercises, not required to move on. Skip them for now if 1d isn’t solid yet; come back when you want a harder workout. Loop each for ~1 minute, keep every stroke even.

Sticking for the optional set (L = pothi/left, R = bhale/right) — 1e R L R L (right-lead) · 1f L R L R (articulations swapped) · 1g L R L R (both opens, then both closes) · 1h L L R R · 1i R R L L (same-hand doubles) · 1j L R R L (broken group). The same-hand doubles (1h, 1i) and the broken group (1j) are the hardest — start at 50–60 BPM and keep the left as steady as the right.

Level 2 — Accents, doubles & the signature roll Week 2

Now add dynamics and density. 2a trains loud vs. soft (accent the beat), 2b trains doubles (two strokes per beat). Target 80–90 BPM.

2a: play Dha loud on each number, Taang soft on each “&”. 2b: even doubles — two clean strokes per beat.

2c · The signature “Ghin-Ghin-Taang” roll. This 3-note cell is the heartbeat of tons of Nepali folk. It's a compound (6/8) feel counted in 2 — “1 & a, 2 & a” — with all six notes evenly spaced (no rest) and the pulse on each Ghin. This is the Jhyaure lilt. Loop it until it's automatic.

Level 3 — Coordination, independence & fills Week 3–4

Now combine everything. Play each slowly with ▶, then push the Tempo box.

3a · Four-count coordination phrase — a flowing bar that uses all five bols. Trains smooth hand-to-hand transitions.

3b · Speed pyramid method — take the 2c roll (or 3a) and play it 4× slow, 4× medium, 4× fast, then back down. Trains tempo flexibility while keeping the pattern locked. (No new grid — use ▶ on 2c and change the Tempo box between rounds.)

3c · Call & response — play the Call bar, then answer with the Response bar; loop the pair. Trains musical phrasing.

3d · Bass ostinato + right-hand independence — your left hand keeps a steady Ghin on every beat (1, 2, 3, 4) while your right fills each “&” with Taang/Taak. The cornerstone of two-hand independence.

3e · Accent displacement — play a steady stream of Taang, but move the accent: loud on beat 1 for one loop, then beat 2 the next loop, then 3, then 4. Frees your accents from the downbeat.

3f · Tihai (a fill that lands on “1”) — a tihai is a short phrase repeated three times so its final stroke lands right back on beat 1 (sam). Play this 3-stroke phrase 3× in a row, then land a big Dha on the next “1”. The classic way to end a cycle with flair. (▶ plays the phrase once — repeat it three times, then hit Dha.)

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