Welcome to the Tabla Theka blog, your trusted resource for authentic tabla knowledge.

Exploring Tagore's Unnamed Taals (Part 4): The 10-Beat Variations
Welcome to the fourth part of our series on Rabindranath Tagore's unique unnamed taals. After covering various foundational cycles in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, we now arrive at the expansive 10-beat cycle. Tagore explored this taal with different rhythmic divisions, creating distinct moods for his compositions.
The 10-Beat Unnamed Taals
Watch the Demonstration
This beat count features multiple popular variations in Rabindra Sangeet, each with a unique feel.
Variation 1 (3 | 2 | 3 | 2)
Structure | 4 Divisions (3 | 2 | 3 | 2) |
---|---|
Tali (Claps) | 4 claps on the 1st, 4th, 6th, and 9th beats. |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
---|---|---|---|
Dhi | Dhi | Na | Dhi |
X (Sam) | 2(Clap) | ||
5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
Na | Ti | Ti | Na |
3(Clap) | |||
9 | 10 | ||
Dhi | Na | ||
4(Clap) |
Example Song: "Pakhi Bole Champa Amare"
Variation 2 (5 | 5)
Structure | 2 Divisions (5 | 5) |
---|---|
Tali (Claps) | 2 claps on the 1st and 6th beats. |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
---|---|---|---|
Dha | Dhi | Dhi | Na |
X (Sam) | |||
5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
Dhi | Na | Dhi | Dhi |
2(Clap) | |||
9 | 10 | ||
Na | Dhi | ||
Example Song: "O Dekha Diye Je Chole Gelo"
Coming Up in Part 5
You have now explored the variations of the 10-beat cycle. In the final part of our series, we will cover the grand and majestic 11 and 12-beat unnamed taals.