Jhaptaal: the 10-beat taal

Jhaptaal

Jhaptaal is a taal, a repeating rhythmic cycle, with ten matras, or beats. Count those beats in four groups: 2 + 3 + 2 + 3. Each group is called a vibhag, a division of the cycle.

Try saying “one two, one two three, one two, one two three.” That alternation between two and three gives jhaptaal its uneven swing. Listen for the groups as well as the full count of ten.

The theka, or basic tabla pattern, follows these same divisions: dhi na | dhi dhi na | ti na | dhi dhi na.

How jhaptaal divides into 2 + 3 + 2 + 3

Those four groups are 2 + 3 + 2 + 3. Each group is called a vibhag, a division within the rhythmic cycle. Jhaptaal’s ten beats fit into these divisions like this:

• Beats 1 and 2: the first two-beat division.
• Beats 3, 4 and 5: the first three-beat division.
• Beats 6 and 7: another two-beat division.
• Beats 8, 9 and 10: another three-beat division.

A two-beat group gives way to a three-beat group, then that pairing repeats. This alternation gives jhaptaal its uneven swing. The groups change length, but the cycle still contains ten beats.

Where to clap and wave in jhaptaal

Now add hand gestures to the count. A tali is a clap marking a division. Khali is the empty division, marked with a wave instead of a clap.

• Beat 1: clap. This is sam, the first beat of the cycle.
• Beat 3: clap again.
• Beat 6: wave for khali.
• Beat 8: clap.

Each gesture begins a vibhag, a group of beats within the cycle. Your hands mark the starts of the 2 + 3 + 2 + 3 groups, not every beat.

The basic tabla pattern for jhaptaal

Now put tabla sounds to those counts. The theka, or basic repeating tabla pattern for a rhythmic cycle, is: dhi na | dhi dhi na | ti na | dhi dhi na.

• Beats 1 and 2: dhi na.
• Beats 3, 4 and 5: dhi dhi na.
• Beats 6 and 7: ti na.
• Beats 8, 9 and 10: dhi dhi na.

Each group is a vibhag, a division of the cycle. The khali, or waved division, carries ti na on beats six and seven. These are closed strokes, not missing sounds.

How to hear and practise the two three pattern

On the BeatRootRaga metronome, choose the Jhaptaal (10) cycle. Count aloud from one to ten, then return to one. Keep each beat steady as you mark the groups with your hands.

• Clap on one and count two beats: 1, 2.
• Clap on three and count three beats: 3, 4, 5.
• Wave on six and count two beats: 6, 7.
• Clap on eight and count three beats: 8, 9, 10.

Forms that use jhaptaal

You can hear jhaptaal in madhya [laya](/learn/glossary/madhya-laya) khayal, a vocal form performed here at a medium tempo, and in gats, instrumental compositions. In both settings, follow the same ten-beat cycle rather than treating each group as equal in length.

Jhaptaal is also a common choice for tabla solos and for practising laykari, or rhythmic play within the cycle. Its uneven divisions make cross-rhythms, patterns that cut across the beat grouping, interesting to practise. Keep counting 2 + 3 + 2 + 3 as your reference.