# 4-Week Starter Practice Plan

A realistic ramp for ~15–20 minutes a day. Adjust to your pace — repeat a week if
something isn't clean yet. Cleanliness > speed, always.

## Week 1 — Tone & the five bols

Focus: make each stroke sound consistent.

- **Daily:** [Level 0](drills.html#drills-l0) drills (`drills.md`) — all five sounds, 60 BPM.
- Add Level 1a (Ghin/Taang alternation) from day 3.
- Watch: *Intro to Madal Bols* (Hawaiʻi archive) and the Kathmandu Post guide
  (`resources.md`).
- **Week goal:** pass the self-check at the bottom of `01-basics.md`.

## Week 2 — First beats + coordination

Focus: turn strokes into a groove.

- **Daily warm-up:** Level 0 (2 min) + Level 1 drills (5 min).
- Learn **Khyali/Samala Taal** (`beats.md` #1). Loop it for 3–4 min daily.
- Add **Maruni Taal** (`beats.md` #2) once Samala feels easy.
- Add Level 2c (Ghin-Ghin-Taang roll).
- **Week goal:** play Samala for 2 minutes straight at ~80 BPM without stopping;
  try one clean Maruni loop.

## Week 3 — The signature folk feel

Focus: the danceable Nepali groove.

- **Daily warm-up:** Level 1 + Level 2 drills.
- Learn **Sangini (3/4)** then **Jhyaure (6/8)** then **Kaharba (4/4)**
  (`beats.md` #3, #4, and #5).
- Practice playing along to an actual Nepali folk song each day (*Resham Firiri*
  is a classic Samala song).
- **Week goal:** switch between Samala, Jhyaure, and Kaharba on demand.

## Week 4 — Consolidate + odd meters

Focus: timing under pressure and new cycles.

- **Daily warm-up:** Level 3 drills, including the speed pyramid (3b).
- Add **Dadra (3/4)**; if feeling strong, try **Rupak (7/8)**.
- Do Drill 3c (call & response improv) for 3 min daily.
- **Week goal:** hold any Week 1–3 beat steady while gradually speeding up, and
  attempt one full cycle of Rupak.

## Beyond week 4

- Learn songs, not just beats — pick favourite Nepali folk/lok-pop tracks and
  work out which taal fits.
- Explore **Jhaptaal (5/4)** and regional variations.
- Record yourself weekly; comparing recordings is the fastest way to hear progress.
- Consider a few lessons with a teacher (Dalima Music, infonskill, or a local
  ustad) to fix technique habits early.

## Progress log (fill this in)

| Date | Minutes | What I worked on | Tempo reached | Notes |
|------|---------|------------------|---------------|-------|
|      |         |                  |               |       |
|      |         |                  |               |       |
|      |         |                  |               |       |


## Clickable ladder (HTML)

On the site, each week on [`plan.html`](plan.html) links into Basics / Drills / Exercises sections.