RĀGĀKIT · TAALS
Hindustani · 8 beats · 4+4
Keherwa
The groove of countless film songs, bhajans and folk songs
One cycle, one beat per quarter note (4/4), looping on whole bars. The tabla is tuned to your Sa. Free to use in your releases, royalty-free.
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.
- 0 · Khali is the "empty" section: you wave instead of clapping, and the bass drum goes quiet.
Turn on Clap along and clap on the numbered beats, and wave on 0.
Good to know
- An 8-beat taal whose two halves each feel like a bar of 4/4, so it sits easily over Western grooves.
- In the khali half the open bass stroke Ge gives way to the closed Ka.
- Some teachers write its theka a little differently; this is one widely taught form.
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 tabla syllable (bol) is a stroke. The drum-kit MIDI maps them to standard drum notes so it plays on any kit.
| Bol | How it's played | Drum kit |
|---|---|---|
| Dha | both drums: Na on the right, Ge on the left | Kick + Clap |
| Ge | left drum, open bass | Kick |
| Na | right drum, rim | Clap |
| Ti | right drum, closed | Closed hi-hat |
| Ka | left drum, closed slap | Side stick |
| Dhi | both drums, shorter | Kick + Low tom |
How was Keherwa for you?
Tell me what helped and what's missing. It goes straight to the person building this. No sign-up; your email is optional and only used to reply. Musicians: tick the box to share your note on this page. It appears after review.
Notes from musicians