Bhatkhande's twenty

Give every note its own duration without making the scale sound like eight separate starts. In Keherwa, count eight matras at one note each, reaching upper Sa on eight. The common slip is to hurry through the middle and linger at the top. Sing once with playback, then once alone while your hand keeps the same pulse through the descent.

The second sound should confirm the first pitch, not repair it. In Teentaal's sixteen matras, eight pairs fill one cycle at one note per matra. Keep the repeated notes equal in length and avoid a fresh push of breath on each attack. Try one comfortable pair in aakar first, then carry that steadiness through the moving sequence.

Three repetitions expose a pitch that slowly sags or sharpens while apparently staying still. Count Dadra's six matras as two groups of three, changing pitch on counts one and four. Do not make the third repetition shorter to prepare the next note. Practise two neighbouring groups alone, listening for the same vowel and volume on all six sounds.

The join between pairs repeats a pitch, but the phrase boundary still matters. In Keherwa, four two-note cells occupy eight matras. Avoid turning the exercise into a continuous scale with accidental hesitations on the doubled sounds. Follow the phrase commas with your eyes while your hand counts steadily, and rehearse two cells together before taking the whole ascent.

This return tests whether you remember a pitch after leaving it for its neighbour. Dadra holds two three-note cells, beginning on matras one and four. The returning note can drift low when the voice relaxes too soon. Check the first and last sounds of one cell against the harmonium. At the top, remember that the displayed phrase reaches above upper Sa.

Doubling every stage gives the ear time to catch an uncertain return. One six-note cell fills Dadra at one note per matra. The middle repeated pitch occupies counts three and four, so keep it steady across that point rather than treating four as a new phrase. Practise one cell quietly, making the second sound of each pair match the first.

The run is straightforward; restarting it one step higher is the work. Two three-note cells fill Dadra's six matras. Watch the join, where the voice may keep climbing instead of returning to the next starting point. Loop two cells slowly and listen to their connection. Once that is secure, sing the same passage in aakar without letting the last note shorten.

Four moving notes need an even supply of breath, not a little acceleration towards the end. In Keherwa, place one cell on counts one to four and the next on five to eight. The written ascent need not end with the cycle. Keep counting rather than squeezing it to fit, and practise the joins separately if the next starting pitch arrives late.

Hear the skipped-to pitch before you leave the starting one. Four two-note cells fit Keherwa's eight matras, with each landing receiving a full count. A common mistake is to search upwards and settle only after arrival. Play one cell, pause, then sing it without accompaniment. Keep the same quiet attack when you repeat the exercise in descent.

The doubled destination makes a late correction easy to hear. If its second repetition is accurate but its first is not, slow the leap rather than accepting the pair. Each four-note cell takes half of Keherwa's eight matras. Practise one cell with equal lengths and equal volume, then listen especially to the first attack after the change of pitch.

The fourth asks for a larger reach without a larger shove of air. In Keherwa, count four pairs across eight matras and continue counting when the line extends beyond a cycle. The lower note can become too short as you prepare the jump. Hold both notes to their full counts, and rehearse the destination separately before connecting them.

Repeated fourths give you two chances at each pitch, but the second should not rescue the first. Two four-note cells fill Keherwa's eight matras. Keep the repeated lower note from gathering force before the leap. Sing one cell at a comfortable pitch, then play it back and compare. At the keyboard, release repeated keys cleanly without inserting extra time.

A fifth can tempt the chin upwards even before the voice moves. Keep the effort modest and hear the destination first. Four pairs fill one Keherwa cycle at one note per matra. Do not steal time from the lower note to prepare the higher one. Practise a single pair slowly, then its descending mirror, before joining the moving sequence.

The wider leap remains the main task, though repeated notes make the phrase look busier. Give each four-note cell four of Keherwa's eight matras. Listen for a destination that changes pitch between its two repetitions, or a lower pair that grows louder before take-off. Reduce the volume and practise one cell until all four attacks arrive without a search.

Try the descent first, since that is the direction the book actually prints. Each four-note cell fills half of Keherwa's eight-count cycle. The repeated opening can encourage you to rush the two moving notes afterwards. Count all four equally and keep the second repetition steady. The ascent shown here is a mirror, so learn its joins rather than assuming familiarity.

The repeated ending is still three separate counts, not one held note or a hurried flutter. Two five-note cells fill Jhaptaal's ten matras, beginning on one and six. The moving opening can make the repetitions arrive early. Count the full ten aloud before singing, then keep the last three sounds equal in pitch and duration through both halves of the cycle.

The early return can trick the voice into restarting the whole cell before it reaches its final extension. Give each five-note phrase five matras in Jhaptaal, with the second beginning on six. Speak the order while counting ten, then sing at that speed. Isolate the return and the following upward movement if you keep losing the fifth note.

A short run restarts and reaches one step further, so the ear must distinguish repetition from completion. One seven-note cell fills Rupak's seven matras. The usual trap is a tiny pause at the restart that makes the ending late. Count continuously from one to seven and practise just one cell, allowing no extra breath inside its written shape.

Each line turns lower than the previous one, so memory must surrender its old summit. No taal is assigned here. Keep one steady pulse per note and count the line lengths as fifteen, thirteen, eleven, nine, seven, five and three. Do not double the turning note. Before each line, look at its highest point and hear that pitch silently.

The growing pyramid asks you to extend the range without speeding up as the lines lengthen. It has no assigned taal; count three, five, seven, nine, eleven, thirteen and fifteen equal pulses across successive lines. The summit sounds once before the return. Rehearse the longer lines separately, taking a comfortable breath before each rather than forcing the whole pyramid into one.