Thāḷa or Taal (Sanskrit thāḷa, literally “clap”, also transliterated as “tala”) is the term used broadly in Indian classical music, defining the rhythmic pattern of any composition, and for the entire subject of rhythm in general, roughly corresponding to the ‘meter’ in Western music. Rhythm in Indian music performs the function of a time counter. A Taal is a rhythmic cycle of beats with an ebb and flow of various types of intonations.

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