TIN TAL
Lesson 5
Teaching Artist: Mir Naqibul Islam
SUMMARY
This is the fifth lesson of the South Asian Rhythm & Grooves unit. Students will be introduced to the sixteen-beat groove, tin tal. They will learn how to recite the groove and clap along with the rhythm. Students will then perform together as a group.
OBJECTIVE
Summarize important information about the culture, natural physical features, and popular landmarks of South Asia.
Describe the rhythmic structure and characteristics of tin tal by listening to examples in this groove.
Demonstrate and apply hand gestures for keeping time.
Recite bols in a steady rhythm: “Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Na Tin Tin Na | TeTe Dhin Dhin Dha.”
Perform the tin tal groove using counting patterns and tabla bols (tabla words).
MATERIALS
Body percussion
Adaptive instrument options: feet, tongue clicking, harmonica, gripping aids for holding mallets or sticks
EXPLORE
Display the Google Slides: Tin Tal. Show students the “gallery” of natural physical features and landmarks of South Asia, including Himalayan Mountains, Sundarbans, the Taj Mahal, tea gardens, beaches of Sri Lanka, and Maldives water villas.
Ask students: If you could visit one place for one day, which one would you choose? How is this place similar to or different from places you’ve seen before?
Introducestudents to these songs that are based on tin tal. Allow students to react to the music. Ask: How did the songs make you feel? What did you notice about the beat? Was it fast or slow? Where do you hear strong beats (louder or emphasized sounds)?
Play Tin Tal Watch & Learn. After watching the instructional video with Mir, begin by leading the class in counting the sixteen-beat tin tal aloud together:
“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen,” keeping a steady medium tempo (around 120 bpm) with a light, even groove that reflects the 16-beat tin tal cycle.
Repeat the count in groups of four or eight cycles, emphasizing the accents on beats 1, 5, 9, and 13 to highlight the tin tal structure.
Introduce the hand gestures for keeping time: Practice these gestures together while continuing to count aloud:
Beat 1: Clap your right hand onto your left palm.
Beat 2: Touch right pinky to left palm.
Beat 3: Touch right ring finger to left palm.
Beat 4: Touch right middle finger to left palm.
Beat 5: Clap your right hand onto your left palm.
Beat 6: Touch right pinky to left palm.
Beat 7: Touch right ring finger to left palm.
Beat 8: Touch right middle finger to left palm.
Beat 9: Wave your right hand in the air.
Beat 10: Touch the tip of your right pinky with your right thumb.
Beat 11: Touch the tip of your right ring finger with your right thumb.
Beat 12: Touch the tip of your right middle finger with your right thumb.
Beat 13: Clap your right hand onto your left palm.
Beat 14: Touch right pinky to left palm.
Beat 15: Touch right ring finger to left palm.
Beat 16: Touch right middle finger to left palm.
Divide the class into two groups. Have one group keep time using numbers (1–16) and the other group mirror the pattern using hand gestures. Then switch roles so everyone practices both counting and physical timing.
Once students are confident, replace the numbers with *bols — reciting:
“Dha – Dhin – Dhin – Dha –
Dha – Dhin – Dhin – Dha –
Na – Tin – Tin – Na –
TeTe – Dhin – Dhin – Dha –”
*Bols are special sounds or syllables used in South Asian music to help remember and say rhythms out loud. Musicians use them like a musical language to practice and understand patterns of beats.
Repeat the cycle several times as a group, then play a short children’s song in tin tal and encourage students to clap or gesture along with the rhythm.
Have students practice independently or as a group using the Jhap Tal Practice video and maintain a steady ten-beat cycle. Clap or use hand gestures in time saying the bols, “Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Na Tin Tin Na | TeTe Dhin Dhin Dha.”
LEARN
PERFORM+SHARE
Invite a few individual students to demonstrate the full tin cycle — first counting “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16” twice; then repeating it with hand gestures; and finally reciting the bols “Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Na Tin Tin Na | TeTe Dhin Dhin Dha.”
After the individual demonstrations, invite the whole class to join in. Everyone performs together using claps, hand gestures, and bols of tin tal. Share a video, picture, or artifact of the performance on the S’Cool Sounds Padlet.
Tell students in the next lesson they will introduced to the sixteen-beat groove, tin tal.