Chautaal
Cautālचौताल
12 matras · 6 vibhags · 4 claps, 2 waves
Madhya
Sourcing
The structure and theka on this page come from the sources this project works from. A note with no source number is still being checked.
Demo sound: manjira samples recorded by Tejus and Geetha for Tabla Focus.
Theka
ClapWave (khali)
Keeping it
Clap on 1, 5, 9 and 11. Wave on 3 and 7. Nothing structural falls on the other matras.
Sources differ
Alternate division
Several references give Chautaal as four vibhaags of 4+4+2+2 with four tali (X 2 3 4) and no khali, rather than the six-vibhaag Ektaal-style map encoded here; chandrakantha.com lists both readings as current.
Structure
A pakhawaj/dhrupad taal of six 2-matra cells with four tali (1,5,9,11) and two khali (3,7) — 'chau'=four claps. The pakhawaj bols (Din, Kita, Tita, Kata) are heavier and more open than tabla equivalents, matching dhrupad's grave character. Sources disagree on the exact rendering of the closing cells (see theka_variants) — 'Gadi Gina' is one such variant reading, not part of the primary theka encoded here.
Sources differ
Theka details vary between pakhawaj sources — the last two vibhaags (Tita Kata / Gadi Gina variants) especially. Flagged for a sourced pass before publishing as documented.
Origins
'Chau' = 'four', referring to the four tali. Played on pakhawaj, it is the primary dhrupad taal.
The principal DHRUPAD taal, played on pakhawaj; older lineage than its tabla/khyal counterpart Ektaal, which shares the same 6x2 skeleton.