Metronome
A metronome that counts the way Indian music counts. Choose a taal, and the cycle shows every beat with sam, tali and khali marked and a different click for each. Plain 4/4, 3/4 and 6/8 are there too, with subdivisions and tap tempo.
This page needs JavaScript for the tool itself. Open it in a browser to use it.
How it works
Set the tempo with the slider, the buttons or by tapping, choose a cycle, press Start. The clicks are scheduled on the audio clock rather than on page timers, so they stay even when the tab is busy or in the background on desktop. The beat lights up on screen as it sounds.
Taal cycles
Each taal is a cycle of beats with a structure: sam is the first beat and the point of return, tali are the beats that get a clap, khali is the wave of the hand. Teentaal has 16 beats with tali on 1, 5 and 13 and khali on 9; Keherwa has 8; Dadra 6; Rupak 7 with khali on 1; Jhaptaal 10; Ektaal 12. The metronome gives sam the strongest click, tali a firm one and khali a soft low one, so the cycle can be heard as well as counted.
Subdivisions
Two, three or four quieter clicks per beat help with fast passages and with laya work in Indian music, where a phrase is placed against the beat in dugun, tigun or chaugun. Triplets are the three-per-beat setting.
Practising with it
Start slower than you can play cleanly, then raise the tempo in small steps. For a bandish or a composition, set the taal it is in and count aloud with the display before you sing. The bpm finder next door gives you the tempo of a recording to match.
From the label's own toolbox
BeatRootRaga is an independent label that records ghazals, Indian classical and film-song covers. A metronome that speaks in taals rather than bars is what its singers and tabla players asked for, so it is here for anyone.
Featured releases
All releases
Latest guides
All guidesTeentaal: the 16-beat cycle of Hindustani music
Teentaal is a 16-beat Hindustani rhythmic cycle counted in four groups of four, with claps on 1, 5 and 13, and a wave on 9. Its theka, or basic tabla stroke pattern, is dha dhin dhin dha | dha dhin dhin dha | dha tin tin ta | ta dhin dhin dha.
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.
Rupak: the 7-beat taal that starts on khali
Rupak is a taal, or repeating rhythmic cycle, with seven beats grouped 3 + 2 + 2. Its opening closed strokes make sam, the first beat, sound light; this beat is khali, marked by a wave, rather than tali, marked by a clap.
Keherwa: the 8-beat taal of film songs, bhajans and folk
Keherwa is an eight-beat taal, or repeating rhythmic cycle, arranged as 4 + 4. To recognise it, listen for two groups of four, a lighter second half, and the recurring drum pattern: dha ge na ti | na ka dhin na.
Jhaptaal: the 10-beat taal
Jhaptaal is a taal, a repeating rhythmic cycle, with ten beats. Its four vibhags, or divisions, follow 2 + 3 + 2 + 3, alternating two-beat and three-beat groups.
Ektaal: the 12-beat taal of khayal
Ektaal is a twelve-beat taal, or repeating rhythmic cycle, divided into six two-beat sections called vibhags. Its stretched beats let the tabla player elaborate the stroke pattern in vilambit (slow-tempo) bada khayal, the slow opening composition of a khayal performance.
Questions people ask
Is the BeatRootRaga metronome free?
Yes, free with no account. It runs in your browser.
Does the BeatRootRaga metronome keep time in a background tab?
On a desktop browser, yes: clicks are scheduled on the audio clock ahead of time. Phones may pause audio from a background tab; keep the page in front while you practise.
Which taals does the BeatRootRaga metronome include?
Teentaal, Keherwa, Dadra, Rupak, Jhaptaal and Ektaal, each with its sam, tali and khali marked, plus 4/4, 3/4 and 6/8.
What is the difference between tali and khali in a taal?
Tali is a beat shown with a clap, khali with a wave of the hand. Sam is the first beat and the strongest. The metronome uses three click sounds so you hear which is which.
Can I set the metronome tempo by tapping?
Yes. Press Tap tempo in time with the music for a few beats and the metronome takes that speed.