Taal16 matrasHindustani
Teentaal Online — the sixteen that carries everything
Teentaal is the most common taal of khyal and instrumental music, and the cycle most often counted. Four even vibhags — clap, clap, wave, clap — sixteen matras that carry everything from a crawling bada khyal to a sprint of taans. If a bandish does not say otherwise, it is probably in Teentaal.
- Matras
- 16
- Vibhags
- 4 + 4 + 4 + 4
- Taali, claps on
- 1, 5, 13
- Khali, a wave on
- 9
Sangat plays it as a real tabla — recorded dayan and bayan, re-pitched to your Sa so the drum agrees with your tanpura — anywhere from 10 to 720 BPM. Four thekas ship with it: the plain theka above, a vilambit form for bada khyal, a drut form with fills, and a laggi. Bols light up as they sound, and a cycle ring shows exactly where sam is.
Teentaal is one of the ten taals in the free tier: no account, no payment, press play.
Counting Teentaal, matra by matra
Teentaal has 16 matras in 4 vibhags (4 + 4 + 4 + 4). The hand keeps the cycle: a clap for each taali, an open wave for khali. Sam, matra 1, is where every cycle begins and every phrase aims to land.
| Matra | Bol | Vibhag | Hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | dha | 1 | sam — clap (X) |
| 2 | dhin | 1 | |
| 3 | dhin | 1 | |
| 4 | dha | 1 | |
| 5 | dha | 2 | clap (2) |
| 6 | dhin | 2 | |
| 7 | dhin | 2 | |
| 8 | dha | 2 | |
| 9 | dha | 3 | wave (0) |
| 10 | tin | 3 | |
| 11 | tin | 3 | |
| 12 | ta | 3 | |
| 13 | ta | 4 | clap (3) |
| 14 | dhin | 4 | |
| 15 | dhin | 4 | |
| 16 | dha | 4 |
Practising Teentaal
- Open Teentaal in Sangat and set Sa to your key, so the tabla and the tanpura agree.
- Start near 60–80 BPM for madhya laya; bada khyal practice often runs far slower, and Sangat goes down to 10 BPM.
- Say the bols aloud with the hand signs — clap, clap, wave, clap — for a few cycles before you sing. The wave on 9 opens the tin tin ta vibhag, the bayan falls silent, and the returning dhin on 13 is your cue that sam is four matras away.
- Sing an alankar or a sargam line over the theka, starting and ending each phrase on sam. Raise the tempo only once you land on sam without thinking about it.
New to matras, vibhags and khali? Taal basics explains them with every free taal side by side.
Questions
How many beats (matras) are in Teentaal?
Teentaal has 16 matras, divided into 4 vibhags of 4 + 4 + 4 + 4.
What is the theka of Teentaal?
The standard theka is: dha dhin dhin dha | dha dhin dhin dha | dha tin tin ta | ta dhin dhin dha.
Where are the claps and khali in Teentaal?
The claps fall on 1, 5 and 13, and khali (a wave) on 9.
What music uses Teentaal?
Teentaal is used in khyal (vilambit, madhya and drut), instrumental gats, tarana and most teaching bandishes.
Can I practise Teentaal online for free?
Yes. Teentaal is one of the ten free taals in Sangat: a recorded tabla re-pitched to your Sa, from 10 to 720 BPM, in the browser with no account.