a rhythm cycle that measures musical time in Indian music

a spoken syllable used to recite the rhythm (from ‘bolna’, the Hindi word for ‘speak’)

a set of two drums on which the taal is played with the hands

British English CC

1,  1,2,1

Hi Lo Chickalo

Samir introduces the components of Hindustani classical music

Hear the taal, raag and drone together

A drone played on the tanpura

Raag Bhimpalasi played on a sitar

Taal Ektaal played on the tabla drums

Raag Bhimpilasi audio clip

Taal on tabla audio clip

Jeevan explains how the bols represent the sounds the tabla drums make.

Samir introduces saying the bol using Rupak Taal

Practising Rupak Taal with Samir

Adding the wave and the claps to Rupak Taal

Samir introduces Teentaal

Counting and speaking the bols for Teentaal with Samir

Samir adds the claps and the wave to speaking the bols in Teentaal

Adding the claps and the wave to speaking the bols in Teentaal

Clapping or chanting to a tabla playing a 16 beat cycle

Playing taals and speaking bols

Music

Singing and playing raags

Singing and playing a melody in a five note raag

Improvising using a five note raag

Combining taals and raags

Bringing together taal, raag, and drone

This unit explores the three main components of Hindustani classical music. Pupils hear rhythmic patterns played on the tabla drums and learn how to recite a taal using the spoken mnemonic syllables (bols). They create texture by adding an improvised raag using five notes, and finally add a drone.

Compose and Create: improvising within Hindustani classical music

Which three of these instruments are you likely to see in a Hindustani classical music concert?

The three main components of Hindustani classical music are the raag, the drone, and the...

A bol is the drum on which the taal is played. 

A bol is a vocal sound that represents a sound on the tabla drums. 

A bol is a rhythm cycle that can have any number of beats. 

A bol is an instrument that plays the drone. 

Teentaal is a 16 beat rhythm cycle.  Put these bols in the correct order to show the taal Teentaal.

the steady, regular heartbeat of the music

the pattern of sounds of different lengths

how many layers of sound there are playing at one time

the regular, steady heartbeat of the music

a combination of notes to make a memorable tune

when two or more notes of different pitches are played together

a constant sound that runs throughout most or all of a piece of music

a sound that only features in orchestral music

In musical terms, which of the following do you think best describes a 'drone'?

What word do we use when we speak in time together to a steady pulse?

Starter Quiz

What is rhythm?