RĀGĀKIT · TAALS

Folk · 8 beats · 4+4 · Dholak

Bhangra chaal

The galloping long-short beat under Punjabi bhangra

Dha·NaXGe·NaDha·NaGe·NaDha·Na2Ge·NaDha·NaGe·Ta8beats
XDha·NaGe·NaDha·NaGe·Na
2Dha·NaGe·NaDha·NaGe·Ta

Real dholak recordings. Tap any beat to hear its bols.

How to count it

  • X · Sam is beat 1, the strongest beat. Phrases and tihais land here.
  • 2, 3 · Tali are the clapped beats that start each section.

Turn on Clap along and clap on the numbered beats.

Good to know

  • Chaal is the basic beat of bhangra: a long-short gallop, felt in threes inside each beat.
  • On stage it is played on the dhol, a big drum hit with two sticks. Here it is played on the dholak, the hand drum of Punjabi weddings and folk songs.

Taals are new on RāgāKit. Spotted a mistake? Corrections from musicians are very welcome in the feedback box below.

Try it with a raga

Bols and the drum-kit map

Each dholak syllable (bol) is a stroke. The drum-kit MIDI maps them to standard drum notes so it plays on any kit.

BolHow it's playedDrum kit
Dhaboth heads: bass and treble togetherKick + Clap
Naright head, openClap
Geleft head, open bassKick
Taright head, sharp slap at the edgeSide stick

Dholak: CC0 recordings by curesforbrokenhearts and iyankc on Freesound. About the sounds