GuideRhythm7 min read
Taal basics: matra, vibhag, sam, taali and khali
A taal is a rhythmic cycle that repeats for the whole of a piece. Eight words describe any taal completely; learn them once and every new cycle becomes readable.
Matra मात्रा
One beat. Teentaal has sixteen.
Avartan आवर्तन
One full turn of the cycle, back round to sam.
Vibhag विभाग
A section of the cycle. Teentaal has four, of four matras each.
Sam सम
Matra 1. The cycle starts here, and phrases land here.
Taali ताली
A clap, on a stressed section: here on 5, and on 13.
Khali खाली
A wave of the hand, on the “empty” section: here on 9.
The words
Every taal is described with the same small vocabulary. A teacher, a book or a tabla player will use these words without stopping to explain them.
- Matra मात्रा
- One beat of the cycle.
- Avartan आवर्तन
- One full turn of the cycle, from sam back to sam.
- Vibhag विभाग
- A section of the cycle, marked by the hand.
- Sam सम
- Matra 1: where the cycle starts, and where phrases land.
- Taali ताली
- A clap, marking a stressed vibhag.
- Khali खाली
- A wave of the hand, marking an “empty” vibhag.
- Theka ठेका
- The basic pattern of tabla bols that defines a taal.
- Laya लय
- Tempo: vilambit (slow), madhya (medium), drut (fast).
Hear a taal
Pick a taal and press play. The ring turns once each avartan; the lit mark is the matra you are hearing, and the middle shows its bol and what the hand does — a clap, a wave, or nothing. It is the same recorded tabla the app plays, with a tanpura behind it.Bol बोलA syllable for a tabla stroke: dha, dhin, na, tin. Bols are spoken as well as played, and saying them aloud is how a theka is learned.
How they fit together
Take Teentaal: sixteen matras in four vibhags of four. You clap on matras 1, 5 and 13 and wave on 9. The tabla plays the theka, and on the khali vibhag the bayan (the bass drum) falls quiet, which is why dhin becomes tin. A singer’s phrase lands on sam, matra 1, and the listener feels the arrival.
In written notation sam is marked × (often written X), khali 0, and the other claps are numbered 2, 3, 4 in order. Read the signs and you know how to keep the taal with your hand before you have heard a single bol.Why “khali”Khali means empty. On the khali vibhag the tabla leaves out its open bass strokes, so that section sounds lighter — you can hear where you are in the cycle without counting.
Ten common taals, side by side
The shortest cycle here has six matras and the longest sixteen. Read each row the same way: the diamond is sam, a filled mark is a clap, a hollow one is a wave. Press play on any row to hear it in the player above.
- Dadra दादरा63 + 3
claps 1 · khali 4 - Rupak रूपक73 + 2 + 2
claps 4, 6 · khali 1 - Keherwa कहरवा84 + 4
claps 1 · khali 5 - Matta Taal मत्त ताल94 + 2 + 3
claps 1, 5 · khali 7 - Jhaptaal झपताल102 + 3 + 2 + 3
claps 1, 3, 8 · khali 6 - Rudra Taal रुद्र ताल114 + 4 + 3
claps 1, 5, 9 · khali none - Ektaal एकताल122 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2
claps 1, 5, 9, 11 · khali 3, 7 - Ada Chautaal आड़ा चौताल142 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2
claps 1, 3, 7, 11 · khali 5, 9, 13 - Pancham Sawari पंचम सवारी154 + 4 + 4 + 3
claps 1, 5, 13 · khali 9 - Teentaal तीनताल164 + 4 + 4 + 4
claps 1, 5, 13 · khali 9
Two curiosities stand out. Rupak is the common taal whose sam is khali, so the cycle starts on a wave and its claps are counted from 1. Rudra Taal has no khali at all: every vibhag is a clap.
Laya: one cycle, three speeds
The same taal can crawl or race. Musicians name three speeds — vilambit (slow), madhya (medium) and drut (fast) — and a bada khyal in vilambit Ektaal or Teentaal can run at well under thirty matras a minute. At slow speeds the tabla fills each matra with more strokes, so the cycle never stands still. Hear Teentaal at all three:In numbersSangat names the bands the way the app does: ati-vilambit below 30 BPM, vilambit to 60, madhya to 160, drut to 320, ati-drut above.
How to practise a new taal
- Say it.Say the bols aloud with the claps and waves, slowly, without singing.
- Listen for sam.Play the theka and keep only the hand going while you listen for sam.
- Sing on it.Sing a simple line — Sa Re Ga Ma — that begins and ends on sam.
- Then speed.Raise the tempo in small steps, and only once landing on sam takes no thought.
When you can keep a taal, test your ear on it. Sangat’s Taal by ear plays a theka and asks you to tap on sam, or to name the taal from its sound alone. It is free over the ten taals on this page.
Questions
What is the difference between taali and khali?
Taali is a clap and marks a stressed vibhag; khali is a wave of the hand and marks a lighter, “empty” vibhag, where the tabla usually drops its bass strokes.
What is sam in a taal?
Sam is matra 1, the first beat of the cycle. It is the strongest point, where compositions and improvisations resolve.
Which taal has 16 beats?
Teentaal has 16 matras in four vibhags of four, with claps on 1, 5 and 13 and khali on 9.
What is a theka?
A theka is the basic sequence of tabla bols that defines a taal — for example dha dhi na | dha tu na for Dadra.
What is the difference between a taal and a theka?
A taal is the cycle itself: its matras, vibhags, claps and waves. A theka is a way of playing it on the tabla. One taal can have several thekas — Sangat has four for Teentaal.