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Char-taal ਚਾਰ-ਤਾਲ

A 12-matra taal (also known as Chartaal), counted in 6 vibhags of 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2.

Practise over this theka A palta in Char-taal

Matras

12

Vibhags

2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2

Sam (×)

matra 1

Taali (clap)

matras 5, 9, 11

Khali (0, wave)

matras 3, 7

The theka

This reading of the page has not yet been checked by hand against the printed book. If you see a bol that differs from your copy, please write.

What the studio plays

The book prints its own theka for Char-taal. When the studio plays Char-taal it sounds the common Chautal theka instead, keeping the book's sam, taali and khali, because that is the one most players will know:

How to keep Char-taal

Count the 12 matras aloud while you clap the taal: a clap on sam, the first and strongest beat, and on every taali, and a wave of the hand on khali, the empty beat. The vibhags of 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 tell you where each clap or wave falls; the theka above is what the tabla plays across one avartan, and the melody of a bandish lands back on sam at the end of every avartan.

In the studio, every bandish and palta in Char-taal plays over this theka, with the matra that is sounding lit in the notation and the bol lit in the theka, at any tempo from 30 to 260 matras a minute.

Other taals of 12 matras

• Dhakka ਧੱਕਾ (ਇਕ-ਤਾਲਾ)2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2