# 1. Basics — Anatomy, Posture & the Core Strokes (Bols)

Before any beat, you need clean strokes. Spend real time here; everything else is
just combinations of these few sounds.

## Anatomy of the madal

The madal has a head on each end, so one picture can’t show both clearly. Here
they’re split: **left** (bass) and **right** (treble). “Bayan/Dayan” are generic
drum terms; in Nepali the large left head is the **pothi** and the small right
head is the **bhale** — the names used throughout this guide.

![Labeled anatomy of the madal — left side (Bayan / Pothi)](images/madal-anatomy-left.png)

*Left · Pothi (Bayan) — larger head, deeper tones, bigger khari. Played with the
left hand (Ghin / Kha).*

![Labeled anatomy of the madal — right side (Dayan / Bhale)](images/madal-anatomy-right.png)

*Right · Bhale (Dayan) — smaller head, higher tones, smaller khari. Played with
the right hand (Taang / Taak).*

The madal is a **cylindrical wooden shell** with a **drumhead on each end**. The
two heads are different sizes and produce different pitches.

| Part | Nepali | Side | Sound |
|------|--------|------|-------|
| Higher-pitched (smaller) head | **Bhale** (भाले, "male") | Your **right** | Sharp, high, cutting |
| Lower-pitched (larger) head | **Pothi** (पोथी, "female") | Your **left** | Deep, round, bass |
| Black tuning paste on each head | **Khari** / **Khali** (the black spot) | both | Where you strike for closed/tuned tones |

A cloth strap (`namlo`/patuka) is tied around the middle so you can sling the drum
across your waist and play standing, or rest it across your lap sitting down.

## Posture

![Sitting and standing posture for playing the madal](images/madal-posture.png)

- **Sitting:** lay the madal horizontally across your lap, bhale (small head) to
  your right, pothi (big head) to your left.
- **Standing:** tie the strap around your waist so the drum sits horizontally in
  front of you at a comfortable height, heads facing left/right.
- Shoulders relaxed, wrists loose. Sound comes from **relaxed fingers bouncing
  off the head**, not from tense forearm hitting. If your hand hurts, you're
  hitting too hard.

## The core strokes (bols)

A **bol** is a spoken syllable that names a stroke. You say them out loud while
playing — this is how the whole tradition is taught and memorized.

There are only a handful of fundamentals. Master these five and you can play most
folk beats.

![Hand positions for the core madal strokes](images/madal-strokes.png)

*The four panels above (clockwise from top-left): open finger tap (**Taang**),
muted three-finger strike on the black spot (**Taak**), deep open strike
(**Ghin**), and a damped/closed stroke (**Kha**).*

### Right hand — on the Bhale (small/high head)

| Bol | How to play it | Sound |
|-----|----------------|-------|
| **Taang** (or **Ta**) | Strike with your **index finger** near the edge and let it bounce off — an *open* stroke that rings | High, ringing "ting" |
| **Taak** (or **Ti** / **Na**) | Join middle + ring + little fingers and strike the **khari** (black spot), keeping them pressed down — a *closed/muted* stroke | Sharp, dry "tak" |

### Left hand — on the Pothi (large/low head)

| Bol | How to play it | Sound |
|-----|----------------|-------|
| **Ghin** (or **Ge**) | Join all fingers (except thumb) and strike the head, letting it ring — an *open* bass stroke | Deep, ringing "ghin" |
| **Kha** (or **Ke**) | Strike the **khari** with fingers pressed down and held — a *closed/muted* bass stroke | Short, damped "kha" |

### Both hands together

| Bol | How to play it | Sound |
|-----|----------------|-------|
| **Dha** (or **Dhang**) | Play **Taang + Ghin at the same time** (right index + left open together) | Full, resonant — the "home" sound |

That's it. Five building blocks:

```
Right open   = Taang
Right closed = Taak
Left open    = Ghin
Left closed  = Kha
Both open    = Dha  (= Taang + Ghin)
```

> 🔊 **Real madal sounds:** the play buttons in `index.html` trigger *actual madal
> recordings* (individual `Ghin`/`Taang`/`Taak`/`Kha` strokes), released into the
> public domain (CC0) by Freesound user
> [pbimal](https://freesound.org/people/pbimal/). `Dha` is the real `Ghin` and
> `Taang` samples layered together, just like striking both heads at once.

## Count it: strong and weak

Before the taals, the counting they all use. Each row is its own loop: press ▶ and play along. Dha (both hands) is the strong beat and Taang the weak one, and Ghin keeps the pulse. The Rhythm room explains each in The beat and the bar and Dividing the beat.

**Pulse.** One stroke to every beat, all the same. This is the clock the others sit on.
```
Count: 1      2      3      4     
Bol:   Ghin   Ghin   Ghin   Ghin  
```

**March, two to the bar.** Strong, weak. The strong beat is Dha, with both hands.
```
Count: 1      2     
Bol:   Dha    Taang 
```

**Four to the bar.** One strong beat, then three weak. Say it: one-two-three-four.
```
Count: 1      2      3      4     
Bol:   Dha    Taang  Taang  Taang 
```

**Eighths.** Two strokes to each beat: the beat, then the half-beat between.
```
Count: 1      &      2      &     
Bol:   Dha    Taang  Dha    Taang 
```

**Sixteenths.** Four strokes to each beat. Keep the three weak ones even and light.
```
Count: 1      e      &      a      2      e      &      a     
Bol:   Dha    Taang  Taang  Taang  Dha    Taang  Taang  Taang 
```

**Gallop.** Long, rest, short, short on every beat: dah, da-da.
```
Count: 1      e      &      a      1      e      &      a      1      e      &      a      1      e      &      a     
Bol:   Dha    –      Taang  Taang  Dha    –      Taang  Taang  Dha    –      Taang  Taang  Dha    –      Taang  Taang 
```

## Quick self-check

Before moving on, you should be able to, with a relaxed hand and consistent tone:

- [ ] Play 10 clean **Taang** in a row (right index, ringing).
- [ ] Play 10 clean **Taak** in a row (right closed, dry).
- [ ] Play 10 clean **Ghin** in a row (left open, deep).
- [ ] Play 10 clean **Kha** in a row (left closed, damped).
- [ ] Alternate **Ghin–Taang, Ghin–Taang** smoothly.
- [ ] Play a solid **Dha** where both heads land *exactly* together (no flam).

Once those feel comfortable, go to [`drills.md`](drills.md).

> Note on spellings: different teachers/regions use slightly different syllables
> for the same strokes (Ta/Taang, Ti/Taak/Na, Ge/Ghin, Ke/Kha, Dha/Dhang). Don't
> worry about it — pick one set and stay consistent. This guide uses
> **Taang / Taak / Ghin / Kha / Dha**.