Glossary · glossary · 1 min read
Khali
खाली; the empty beat
Khali means “empty” and names the section of a taal, a repeating rhythmic cycle, marked by a hand wave instead of a clap. The drummer plays lighter strokes here, and the contrast with clapped sections helps you feel where you are in the cycle.
By SJN, Founder, BeatRootRaga · Reviewed by BRR · Last reviewed 27 Sept 2026
What does khali mean?
Khali means “empty”. In a taal, a repeating rhythmic cycle, it is the section marked by a wave of the hand instead of a clap. The drummer plays this section with lighter strokes.
The wave and lighter strokes contrast with the clapped sections. That contrast helps you feel where you are in a long cycle. Khali is therefore a way to recognise your place as the rhythm repeats.
This is a short definition. For the full explanation, visit Taal for beginners, the linked BeatRootRaga learning page.
An example of khali and where to read more
Try counting teentaal, a taal (repeating rhythmic cycle) of 16 beats. Its khali, meaning “empty”, falls on beat 9 and is marked by a hand wave instead of a clap.
- Beat 1: clap.
- Beat 5: clap.
- Beat 9: wave for khali.
- Beat 13: clap.
Take this pattern to Taal for beginners for the full explanation, alongside the clap patterns for 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.