Keherwa Taal
कहरवा ताल
The eight-beat cycle of film songs and ghazals
Also spelled: Kaharwa, Kaharva, Keherva
An eight-beat cycle in two divisions of four — the taal heard most often in light and popular music.
8 Matras (beats)
2 Vibhags (divisions) 4 – 4
1 Taali (claps) on beats
5 Khali (wave) on beat
Theka
X = sam · 0 = khali · other numbers = taali, counted in order
Practise Keherwa on Tabla Online| Matra | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bol | धा | गे | ना | ती | न | क | धी | ना |
| Bol (Roman) | Dha | Ge | Na | Ti | Na | Ka | Dhi | Na |
| Sign | X | 0 |
Many variations of Keherwa are in circulation. The theka given here is the standard one used for examinations.
How to recite it (kriya)
- 1 Beat 1 (sam): clap
- 2 Beats 2, 3, 4: count on the fingers
- 3 Beat 5 (khali): wave the hand to the right
- 4 Beats 6, 7, 8: count on the fingers
Examined at
Learning this with a teacher
These pages will take you a long way on theory. The singing needs a guru — live online classes, one level at a time, with exam preparation built in.