Jhaptaal, online — ten matras, two-three-two-three

Matras

10, in vibhags of 2 + 3 + 2 + 3

Taali

claps on 1, 3 and 8

Khali

wave on 6

Tradition

Hindustani

Ten matras that refuse to settle into fours: two, three, two, three. The limp is the lesson. Jhaptaal teaches a singer to feel vibhags of unequal length without counting on fingers, and a great deal of madhya-laya khyal and teaching repertoire lives in it for exactly that reason.

dhi na | dhi dhi na | ti na | dhi dhi na

Practising it against a real theka is what makes the asymmetry become instinct, and that is what Sangat plays: recorded tabla strokes, re-pitched to whatever Sa your tanpura is set to, at any tempo from 10 to 720 BPM. The cycle ring traces the uneven vibhags so your eye learns them along with your ear, and tap tempo matches the app to the speed you are already singing.

Jhaptaal is free in Sangat — one of the ten starter taals. No account; just the cycle, around and around.