Glossary · glossary · 1 min read
Keherwa
कहरवा; the eight-beat cycle
Keherwa is an eight-beat taal, a repeating rhythmic cycle, arranged in two groups of four. Clap on beat one and wave on beat five, then repeat the cycle.
By SJN, Founder, BeatRootRaga · Reviewed by BRR · Last reviewed 27 Sept 2026
What does keherwa mean?
Keherwa is an eight-beat taal, a repeating rhythmic cycle. Its eight beats fall into two groups of four, with a clap on beat one and a wave on beat five. The wave marks the start of the second group.
Film songs and folk songs use keherwa. If you know a Western 4/4 groove, keherwa can sound close to that, with a lighter second half.
This is a short definition. For the full explanation, read BeatRootRaga’s taal learning page, which includes keherwa’s clap pattern.
An example of keherwa and where to learn more
Try keherwa, an eight-beat taal (a repeating rhythmic cycle), by counting aloud and using your hands. Keep the count in two groups of four: “one, two, three, four” and “five, six, seven, eight.”
- Clap on “one,” then count “two, three, four.”
- Wave on “five,” then count “six, seven, eight.”
- After “eight,” return to “one” with a clap. Repeat the same count and hand movements.
For the full explanation, follow this count into BeatRootRaga’s Taal for beginners. The page includes keherwa’s clap pattern alongside other repeating rhythmic cycles.
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.