The complete system · Suladi Sapta Tala
ताल
The whole of Carnatic rhythm grows from three hand-actions, five jatis, and seven talas — thirty-five cycles, each played in five gatis, giving one hundred and seventy-five. Here is all of it, with a player to practise any one in three speeds.
Building blocks · anga
A tala is spelled with the hand. Every one of the seven talas is just a sequence of these three units — and only the Laghu changes length.
A clap, then finger-counts. Its length equals the jaati (3 – 9).
A clap, then a wave — palm flipped up. Always two beats.
A single clap. Always one beat.
Five jatis · the Laghu length
The jaati sets how long the Laghu is — which sets the length of the whole cycle. Each jaati also has its own sollukattu, spoken syllables you'll use again for gati.
| Jaati | Count | Sollukattu | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tisra | 3 | Ta Ki Ta | 3 |
| Chatusra | 4 | Ta Ka Dhi Mi | 4 |
| Khanda | 5 | Ta Ka Ta Ki Ta | 2+3 |
| Misra | 7 | Ta Ki Ta Ta Ka Dhi Mi | 3+4 |
| Sankeerna | 9 | Ta Ka Dhi Mi Ta Ka Ta Ki Ta | 4+5 |
Seven talas · Suladi Sapta
Each taal has a fixed anga sequence. The Laghu (I) inside it stretches with the jaati — that is how one taal becomes five.
How the numbers grow
Each layer multiplies the last. Structure first (jaati), then texture (gati), then tempo (kaala).
The key distinction · jaati vs gati
Both use the same five names — Tisra to Sankeerna — and that is exactly why they confuse. But one shapes the cycle; the other fills each beat.
Sets the Laghu length, so it decides how many beats are in the row. Change the jaati and the whole cycle grows or shrinks.
↑ more boxes = longer tala
Subdivides every beat into equal pulses. The number of boxes never changes — only how densely each one is filled.
↑ tisra gati = 3 pulses per box
The 35 · every tala, every jaati
Numbers are total beats (aksharas) per cycle. The dashed cell is Adi. Tap any cell to load it into the player below — then pick a gati and speed to reach all 175.
Practise · all 175, in three speeds
Set the structure with Tala and Jaati, the texture with Gati, and the tempo with Speed. Keep the tala with your hand as the beats light up and the syllables sound.
Concept · trikaala
Your hand keeps the same tala at the same tempo. What changes is how many sollus flow through each beat — one, then two, then four. The phrase runs on across the beats and lands back on sam. Example: chatusra jaati, Eka tala, 4 beats.
One sollu per beat — the phrase fills the cycle once.
Two per beat — twice through.
Four per beat — four times through.
Outside the seven · chapu
These sit outside the 175. They have no anga — just clap-based counting — yet they are everywhere in padams, javalis and lighter pieces.
| Tala | Beats | Split | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khanda Chapu | 5 | 2 + 3 | Padam, javali |
| Misra Chapu | 7 | 3 + 4 | Very common; kritis, javalis |
| Sankeerna Chapu | 9 | 4 + 5 | Rare |