Keherwa Strumming Pattern

161 strumming patterns from beginner to funk and Bollywood, played with real chords, with slow motion and a moving strum hand.

Follows the keherwa taal, the eight-matra rhythm under countless film and folk songs: strong on 1 (sam), a scratch where the tabla plays “ka”, strong again on “dhi”. Written in arrows it is DU DU DX DU.

The player above plays it at 96 BPM over the chords G – Em – C – D. Press Start to hear it, or slow it down to see each stroke.

How to count Keherwa

Count	1	&	2	&	3	&	4	&
Strum	↓	↑	↓	↑	↓	✕	↓	↑
Hand	↓	↑	↓	↑	↓	↑	↓	↑

Say the count out loud and strum only on the bold words: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

↓ down · ↑ up · ✕ chuck (muted) · B bass note · b second bass note · bold: accent · dashed: palm-muted · underlined: short. The last row is the strumming hand, which keeps moving even where nothing sounds.

DU DU DX DU fills all eight eighth-note slots in the bar: four down and four up. Four strokes fall on the beat and four between beats. The bar ends with an up strum on the “&” of 4: many players let go of the chord there and change while the open strings ring.

Playing it

Keherwa’s eight matras are “dha ge na ti, na ka dhi na”. The strum follows the tabla: strong on dha (sam), a muted scratch where the tabla plays “ka”, and strong again on “dhi”.

Up strums

On the “&” of 1, the “&” of 2 and the “&” of 4, brush the top three or four strings, a little softer than the downs.

Accents

Hit beat 1 and beat 4 harder (the bold arrows), with a bigger swing rather than a tighter grip.

Chucks

On the “&” of 3, strum with the strings muted for a dry “chk” instead of a chord.

Practise it step by step

Rhythm only: mute the strings with your fretting hand and play it while saying “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &”.
Hold G, set slow motion to ×0.5 (48 BPM) and play along until four bars in a row are even.
Loop the trickiest moment on its own: the change from the down to the chuck on the “&” of 3.
Normal speed at 58 BPM, with the click on if you want the beat under you.
Chord changes: G – Em – C – D, one a bar (or every 2 bars until the changes are clean).
Up 4 BPM at a time to 96 BPM, then toward 120 BPM for faster songs.

At 96 BPM a bar lasts 2.50 seconds and you play 192 strokes a minute. Slow motion at ×0.5 brings that down to 96.

Chords to try

G – Em – C – D Am – F – C – G Em – C – G – D

Film and folk songs from India borrow their strumming from the tabla and dhol. Keherwa (eight matras) sits in 4/4, dadra (six matras) in 6/8, and the strum follows the drum: strong on sam, the first beat of the cycle, and light or muted on khali, the empty beat.

Change it in the pattern builder

Common questions

How do you count the Keherwa strumming pattern?

Count “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &” and play accented down on beat 1, up on the “&” of 1, down on beat 2, up on the “&” of 2, down on beat 3, chuck on the “&” of 3, accented down on beat 4 and up on the “&” of 4.

What tempo is Keherwa played at?

96 BPM here, 192 strokes a minute. Learn it near 58 BPM; songs with this feel usually sit between 70 and 120 BPM.

Is Keherwa good for beginners?

Yes, once four downs and chord changes feel easy. The one moment to watch is the change from the down to the chuck on the “&” of 3; start it at ×0.5, 48 BPM.

How do I play the chucks in Keherwa?

Lift your fretting fingers just enough that the strings stop sounding, or let your strumming palm land on them as you strum. It should sound like a snare drum.

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