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Glossary · glossary · 1 min read

Teentaal

तीनताल; the sixteen-beat cycle

Teentaal is the most common taal, or repeating rhythmic cycle, in Hindustani classical music. It has sixteen beats in four groups of four, with claps on beats 1, 5 and 13 and a wave on beat 9.

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

What does teentaal mean?

Teentaal is the most common taal, or repeating rhythmic cycle, in Hindustani classical music. It has sixteen beats arranged in four groups of four. Those sixteen beats make one complete cycle.

The clap pattern marks the groups: clap on beats 1, 5 and 13, and wave on beat 9. Each clap or wave falls on the first beat of a four-beat group.

This is a short definition. For the full explanation, visit BeatRootRaga’s Taal for beginners learning page, which covers teentaal and its clap pattern.

A teentaal example and where to learn more

Try counting teentaal, a repeating rhythm of sixteen beats in four groups of four. Count aloud from 1 to 16, using a clap or wave at the start of each group:

  • Clap on 1, then count 2, 3, 4.
  • Clap on 5, then count 6, 7, 8.
  • Wave on 9, then count 10, 11, 12.
  • Clap on 13, then count 14, 15, 16.

Take this counting example to BeatRootRaga’s full explanation for more on teentaal and its clap pattern.

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