Dadra tabla online: 6 beats, theka and free practice player
Dadra has 6 beats in two sections of three. You clap on beat 1 and wave on beat 4. The theka is Dha Dhin Na, Dha Tin Na. It is the shortest of the seven taals in SurRoots. Courtney calls it extremely common in lighter music.
Free, no sign-up. SurRoots opens on the Tabla panel with Dadra already chosen. Press play.
New to the words? A matra is one beat. A vibhag is a section of the cycle. Sam is the first beat, marked X. Khali is a beat you wave, marked 0; the other marks are claps (tali). The theka is the taal’s basic pattern of bols, the spoken names of tabla strokes.
Dadra at a glance
| Beats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Sections (vibhag) | 3+3 |
| Clap and wave | Clap on beat 1; wave on beat 4 |
| Pattern | Clap, 2, 3, wave, 2, 3 |
| Tempo | Moderately slow to extremely fast; very slow is rare |
| Often heard in | Light music: qawwali, film songs, bhajan, ghazal and folk music |
| Also spelled | Dadra Tal |
The Dadra theka, section by section
| Section | Beats | Mark | Bols |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section 1 | 1 to 3 | X · sam · clap | Dha Dhin Na |
| Section 2 | 4 to 6 | 0 · khali · wave | Dha Tin Na |
Bols are the spoken names of tabla strokes. Where a bol is spelled differently by different teachers, we say which spelling we print in the section below.
A taal of lighter music
Courtney calls Dadra extremely common in the lighter forms of music: qawwalis, film songs, bhajans, ghazals and folk music throughout India. Gangolli says it is also widely used in folk song. The DigiTabla guide groups it with Keherwa as a light-classical taal. The name itself comes from the dadra style of singing, a semi-classical form somewhat similar to thumri.
How to count Dadra
Two groups of three:
1 2 3 | 4 5 6
Clap on 1 and wave on 4. The second half repeats the first half’s bols with Tin for Dhin: Dha Dhin Na, then Dha Tin Na. With only six beats, there is little time to lose your place. Count aloud and keep your eyes on the cycle display.
One name, many rhythms
Courtney points out that virtually any folk-origin taal of three, six or twelve matras is routinely lumped under the name Dadra, even when the traditions are unrelated. That is part of why Dadra has so many variations. DigiTabla agrees: the standard Dadra theka is the one taught in the classical tradition, but lineages, regions and genres vary it. If a song you know sounds busier than the plain theka, that is not a mistake.
Where the sources differ
The standard theka is the same in SwarGanga, Courtney, Gangolli and DigiTabla: Dha Dhin Na, Dha Tin Na. The differences are in how it is played, not in the bols. SurRoots Basic shows these bols but does not play them quite literally: following one reference recording, it adds a bass (Ge) stroke under the Na on beat 3 and a very light bass touch under the Dha on beat 4. Pro adds variations for practice.
How fast is Dadra played?
Courtney says Dadra can be heard anywhere from moderately slow to extremely fast speeds, and that only extremely slow (vilambit) performances are conspicuously absent. None of the sources we checked gives a numeric range for Dadra, so we do not either. A good place to start is the Slow preset (80 BPM), then move up as the six beats become automatic.
One Dadra cycle takes 4.5 seconds at SurRoots’ Slow preset (80 BPM), 3 seconds at Medium (120) and 2.5 seconds at Fast (145).
Practise Dadra with SurRoots
- Press Open Dadra in SurRoots. The taal menu is already set to Dadra (6).
- Pick a tempo (start with Slow) and press the round play button.
- Clap and wave along. Basic keeps a steady theka with no variations; Pro adds variations, fills and a tihai.
- Press the tabla’s stop button once to end on sam, the way a tabla player would.
Try this: practise Dadra at Slow, then Medium. Use the Tap button to match the speed of a song you know.
Questions about Dadra
How many beats are in Dadra and how do I count them?
Six, in two groups of three: “1 2 3, 4 5 6”. Clap on beat 1 and wave on beat 4.
Is Dadra a classical taal?
DigiTabla calls it a light-classical taal and says its standard theka is the one taught in the classical tradition. Courtney describes it as extremely common in lighter music: qawwali, film songs, bhajans, ghazals and folk music.
Why do different sources write Dadra differently?
The standard theka is the same, but many variations exist by lineage, region or genre. Courtney adds that many unrelated three-, six- and twelve-matra folk taals get called Dadra.
The other six taals in SurRoots
- Teentaal: 16 beats, 4+4+4+4. The most common taal in north Indian classical music.
- Ektaal: 12 beats, six pairs, two waves. The taal of slow khayal.
- Jhaptaal: 10 beats, 2+3+2+3. A medium-tempo taal with uneven sections.
- Rupak: 7 beats, 3+2+2. The one taal that starts on a wave.
- Keherwa: 8 beats, 4+4. The folk-and-film taal, spelled four ways.
- Deepchandi: 14 beats, 3+4+3+4. Four silent beats and two versions.
Sources
Beats, sections, marks and bols checked against these pages on 6 November 2026. Where they disagree, we say so above rather than pick one quietly.