The pattern
| Instrument | Beat 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Beat 2 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Beat 3 | Step 10 | Step 11 | Step 12 | Beat 4 | Step 14 | Step 15 | Step 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kick | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest |
| Snare | rest | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest |
| Clap | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest |
| Tambourine | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest |
How to play it and where it comes from
The chaal is the basic rhythm of the Punjabi dhol (Sikhiwiki: an 8-beat cycle, written straight but played with a slight shuffle, close to a dotted eighth). The dhol is played with two sticks: the dagga (thick stick, low head → kick lane) and the tilli (thin stick, high head → snare lane). Here the chaal is transcribed over one bar of 4/4 in sixteenths as a producer's approximation: dagga on 1, 2& and 3; tilli on the swung offbeats; tamb = chimta or shaker in eighths; clap on 2 and 4 for the UK/pop version (Panjabi MC, the 1990s–2000s remixes). The swing runs high (in FL Studio 50–60 in the channel rack swing) because the “hop” of the chaal is the heart of the genre. Tempo: in modern pop bhangra 90–110 BPM is the most common range for dance tracks; the live dhol can go well beyond (Sikhiwiki mentions 200+). Variants: dhamaal (faster, energetic), jhummar (slower), bhangra-hip hop with an 808 kick under the dagga. Indicative transcription: the real bols alternate Dha (both heads), Na/Ta (high), Ge (low).