Jhaptaal
Jhaptālझप ताल
10 matras · 4 vibhags · 3 claps, 1 wave
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, 3 and 8. Wave on 6. Nothing structural falls on the other matras.
Structure
The 2-3-2-3 grouping gives a built-in landmark absent in teentaal: the ear hears short-long-short-long. The two 3-cells rhyme melodically ('Dhin Dhin Na'), but one is tali (matras 3-5) and the other khali (Tin variant at 6-7 leading to matra 8) — so the same figure is heard once 'full' and once 'empty', which is the core of following the cycle.
Asymmetry (2-3-2-3) is the point: unlike teentaal, the uneven groups give the ear a built-in landmark, so orientation is easier — but the khali on 6 (start of the third group) still mirrors the sam. Note the two 3-groups (Dhin Dhin Na) rhyme, one tali one khali.
Origins
A modern tabla theka used chiefly in madhyalaya khyal and instrumental raga exposition; defined by theka, not by a treatise anga.