Teen Taal is the rhythmic backbone of most khayal and instrumental concerts you will hear on Saarey. Its sixteen beats divide into four vibhags of four — a perfectly symmetrical grid that gives a soloist room to stretch a phrase and still land cleanly on the sam.
The clapping pattern (theka) is the giveaway: a clap on beat 1, another on 5, an open wave (khali) on 9, and a clap again on 13. On the tabla the canonical bols run Dha Dhin Dhin Dha / Dha Dhin Dhin Dha / Dha Tin Tin Ta / Ta Dhin Dhin Dha.
Because its cycle is long and even, Teen Taal suits everything from a slow (vilambit) khayal to a blazing fast (drut) gat on sitar, usually closing with a tihai that resolves on the sam.