Taals — Singing in Rhythm
A taal is a repeating cycle of beats. It is relevant to vocal practice — for keeping alankars honest and framing a bandish — but it is not part of the daily vocal routine itself. Use this page when you are ready to put sargam against a theka.
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beats.md
Common taals
Below: common cycles in tabla bols, plus how to sing sargam through them.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Matra | one beat |
| Vibhag | group of beats (shown with |) |
| Sam | beat 1 — strongest accent (marked X) |
| Tali | clap — accented section start |
| Khali | wave — unaccented “empty” section (marked 0) |
| Theka | basic tabla bol pattern that defines the taal |
samples/tabla/). Or use the bottom bar: pick a
Taal, leave Tabla checked, press
Metronome. Uncheck Tabla only if you want a plain click.
Keep the drone on while you sing.
How to sing sargam through a taal
- Set Sa, start the drone, start the metronome slow (Simple 4, or a taal).
- Clap the theka — feel where sam (X), talis, and khali fall.
- Lay an alankar on the cycle (e.g. one four-note group per beat of Teentaal).
- Always resolve on sam. Slow first; speed up ~5 BPM at a time.
1. Teentaal — 16 beats START HERE
Most common classical cycle. Tali on 1, 5, 13; khali on 9.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bol | Dha | Dhin | Dhin | Dha | Dha | Dhin | Dhin | Dha | Dha | Tin | Tin | Ta | Ta | Dhin | Dhin | Dha |
| Mark | X | 2 | 0 | 3 |
Sing through it: one four-note group (4) per beat, or sing the scale so Sa lands on sam.
2. Ektaal — 12 beats
Khayal favourite, especially slow. Tali on 1, 5, 9, 11; khali on 3 and 7.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bol | Dhin | Dhin | Dhage | Tirkit | Tu | Na | Kat | Ta | Dhage | Tirkit | Dhin | Na |
| Mark | X | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
3. Jhaptaal — 10 beats (2+3+2+3)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bol | Dhi | Na | Dhi | Dhi | Na | Ti | Na | Dhi | Dhi | Na |
| Mark | X | 2 | 0 | 3 |
Count “1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2, 1-2-3.” Fit 3 (threes) into the 3-beat vibhags.
4. Keherwa — 8 beats
Most common light rhythm (bhajan, geet, film). Tali on 1, khali on 5.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bol | Dha | Ge | Na | Ti | Na | Ka | Dhi | Na |
| Mark | X | 0 |
5. Dadra — 6 beats
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bol | Dha | Dhin | Na | Dha | Tin | Na |
| Mark | X | 0 |
Gentle waltz-like feel — good for lyrical singing and meend.
6. Rupak — 7 beats
Unusual: begins on khali. Tali on 4 and 6.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bol | Tin | Tin | Na | Dhin | Na | Dhin | Na |
| Mark | 0 | 1 | 2 |