Pancham Sawari, online — fifteen matras of showpiece

Matras

15, in vibhags of 4 + 4 + 4 + 3

Taali

claps on 1, 5 and 13

Khali

wave on 9

Form

Farrukhabad — thekas differ by gharana

Pancham Sawari is what a tabla player brings out when there is something to prove: fifteen matras — four, four, four, three — whose long arc leaves room for elaborate kaidas and tihais that land on sam from improbable distances. Instrumentalists love it for the same reason; audiences count along and lose the thread, delightedly.

dhi na dhidhi na | tirakita dhidhi na dhin | dhi na dhidhi na | ti na ka

Its theka differs by gharana; Sangat plays the Farrukhabad form, and says so rather than pretending there is only one. The strokes are recorded tabla, re-pitched to your Sa, held steady across the whole 10–720 BPM range — so you can walk the fifteen slowly enough to learn where the three-matra vibhag shortens the turn, then bring it up to performance speed.

It is one of the ten taals that cost nothing. Open it and start counting.