Keherwa, online — the eight everyone knows

Matras

8, in two vibhags of four

Taali

clap on 1

Khali

wave on 5

Tradition

Hindustani

Eight matras in two fours — the beat under half the bhajans, folk songs and film songs ever recorded. Keherwa is usually the first taal a harmonium student meets and the last one anyone stops using; it is folk and stage and kitchen-radio music all at once.

dha ge na ti | na ka dhi na

Familiarity is its trap: everyone can start Keherwa, and almost everyone rushes it. A theka that refuses to hurry is the cure. Sangat's recorded tabla holds the eight steady at any tempo from 10 to 720 BPM, re-pitched to your Sa, with ×2 and ÷2 a tap away when a song moves between verse and refrain feels.

Keherwa is free in Sangat, along with nine other starter taals and the metronome. No account — open, play, sing over it.