Glossary · glossary · 1 min read
Vibhag
विभाग; section of a cycle
A vibhag is a group of beats within a taal, a repeating rhythmic cycle. In teentaal, a 16-beat taal, the beats form four vibhags: 4 + 4 + 4 + 4.
By SJN, Founder, BeatRootRaga · Reviewed by BRR · Last reviewed 27 Sept 2026
What does vibhag mean?
A vibhag is a group of beats within a taal, a repeating rhythmic cycle. These groups form sections within the cycle and give it its shape.
Each vibhag begins with a clap or a wave of the hand. The pattern of claps and waves helps listeners keep their place as the cycle repeats.
This is a short definition. For the full explanation of vibhag, visit BeatRootRaga’s Taal for beginners learning page, which includes beat counts and clap patterns.
An example of vibhag and where to read more
Teentaal is a taal, a repeating rhythmic cycle, with 16 beats. Its beats form four vibhags, or groups of beats: 4 + 4 + 4 + 4. Each group begins with a clap or a wave.
- Beats 1 to 4: clap on 1.
- Beats 5 to 8: clap on 5.
- Beats 9 to 12: wave on 9.
- Beats 13 to 16: clap on 13.
Keep this pattern beside you as you read the full explanation on BeatRootRaga’s Taal for beginners teaching page.
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.