Sitarkhani Theka — 16-Matra Taal | Tabla Focus

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.

This taal in the glossary

Tempo80 BPM

Demo sound: manjira samples recorded by Tejus and Geetha for Tabla Focus.

Theka

ClapWave (khali)

Keeping it

Clap on 1, 5 and 13. Wave on 9. Nothing structural falls on the other matras.

Structure

A 16-matra 4-4-4-4 tal whose identity is its syncopated lilt: each group runs Dha (grace) Dhi (grace) Ka Dha, the grace-note pickups giving the characteristic sitar/instrumental swing. Some traditions treat it as identical to Panjabi or call it Addha; Misra treats Sitarkhani and Panjabi as distinct but similar.

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Tabla Focus — the practice companion app for tabla and daily riyaz on iOS

The practice companion for the tabla, coming to the App Store for iPhone and iPad: mastery tracking and practice goals, your own repertoire in bol notation, a private personal record, Parampara, and focused practice tools.

Core Features

Practice: Lehra, Sangat, Lehra Composer, Sheet Music, the Taal Metronome, and Practice Progress with its charts and Activity Map.
Library: your Compositions and phrases in bol notation, your Scan Notes, your Recordings, and the Set List.
Explore: the Listening Room's tabla discography, Parampara for lineage, artist context, the artist map, and recordings, plus the Mock Exam, Tabla Tuner, Tabla Math, and the Taal Guide.
Only in Tabla Focus: .tabla Sharing, Siri, Hands-free control, Live Activity, and Widgets.

Technical Specifications

Platform: coming to iPhone and iPad; requires iOS or iPadOS 18.0 or later.
Notation: keyboard-entered bol notation.
Compositions and Scan Notes: stored separately in your private iCloud account.
Availability: coming to the App Store for iPhone and iPad.

Join the waitlist