Glossary · glossary · 1 min read

Dadra

दादरा; the six-beat cycle

Dadra is a six-beat taal, a repeating rhythmic cycle, arranged in two groups of three. Dadra also names a light-classical song form sung in this rhythm.

By SJN, Founder, BeatRootRaga · Reviewed by BRR · Last reviewed 27 Sept 2026

What does dadra mean?

Dadra is a six-beat taal, a repeating rhythmic cycle, arranged in two groups of three. The pattern has a clap on beat one and a wave on beat four.

Dadra is also the name of a light-classical song form sung in this rhythm. So the word can name either the rhythmic cycle or the song form.

This is a short definition. For the full explanation, visit BeatRootRaga’s taal learning page, which includes dadra’s clap pattern.

How to count dadra and where to read more

Try counting aloud: “one two three, four five six.” Keep the count in two groups of three, and use your hand to mark each group’s start.

On “one,” clap, then count “two, three” to finish the first group.
On “four,” wave, then count “five, six” to finish the second group.

Together, these groups make dadra, a six-beat taal, or repeating rhythmic cycle. The clap on one and wave on four mark its two groups of three.

For the full explanation, continue with Taal for beginners. You can also compare dadra’s six-beat count with the other cycles there: eight beats for keherwa and 16 for teentaal.

Keep going

Taal for beginners: teentaal, keherwa and dadra with clap patterns · A taal is a repeating rhythmic cycle: count 16 beats for teentaal, eight for keherwa, and six for dadra. For teentaal, clap on 1, 5 and 13, wave on 9; for keherwa, clap on 1, wave on 5; for dadra, clap on 1, wave on 4.
What is a ghazal? Structure explained with two BeatRootRaga originals · A ghazal is poetry built from self-contained couplets, or pairs of lines, joined by rhyme and a shared pattern of line length and rhythm. When sung, a returning melody connects the couplets, while repeated lines, melodic changes and pauses give listeners time to hear the meaning.