Ektaal, online — twelve matras in six twos

Matras

12, in six vibhags of two

Taali

claps on 1, 5, 9 and 11

Khali

waves on 3 and 7

Tradition

Hindustani

Ektaal is the home of the bada khyal. Stretched to vilambit, each of its twelve matras becomes a small country — singers live inside one cycle for minutes at a time, placing a single phrase across dhage tirakita and arriving at sam like a homecoming. Pushed to drut, the same cycle turns crisp and chhota khyals ride it.

dhin dhin | dhage tirakita | tu na | kat ta | dhage tirakita | dhi na

Sangat ships Ektaal with both faces: a vilambit theka and a drut one, alongside the standard form. The tempo floor is a genuinely slow 10 BPM — slow enough for ati-vilambit counting without subdividing in your head — and the karaoke-style bol strip keeps you oriented when a cycle lasts a minute.

It is one of the ten free taals. Open it, set your Sa, and take the long way around the cycle.