Jhaptal is one of the most famous talas of Hindustani music, after Teental. It presents quite a different rhythmical structure from teental, unlike which, it is not symmetrical.
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Arrangement
Jhaptal is a 10-beat pattern used in raga exposition. It has ten beats in four divisions (vibhag), of 2-3-2-3, the third of which is the khali, or open division. To follow the tal the audience claps on the appropriate beat, which in jhaptal is beats 1, 3 and 8 (the first beat in each full division). A wave of the hand indicates beat 6, the first beat of the khali section.
Series of Claps and Waves: clap, 2, clap, 2, 3, wave, 2, clap, 2, 3
Theka
It has a characteristic pattern of bols (theka).
Note the bols used for the first beat of each division: Dhi, is played at the beginning of the first, second and final divisions; for the khali section, Na - a right hand bol - is used to indicate that the division is open.