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The SwarPlug synth plugin includes Bols and over 100 other perfectly sampled
virtual Indian instruments. It can be loaded in most VST, Audio Units and AAX compatible DAWs
(Digital Audio Workstations) like Cubase, Logic, Ableton Live, Protools, FL Studio etc... It also
comes with lots of ready-made MIDI loops for each instrument.
Bols are one of the key components of Indian rhythm and contribute greatly to developing the tala or rhythm structure in Indian music. Bol is derived from bolna, which means "to speak" in Hindi. Bols are the literal representation of tabla or pakhawaj - the most common rhythmic instruments in Indian classical music - strokes.
Traditionally, rhythmic patterns are transferred from teacher to student in an oral way, through these bols, these vocalizations of the Tabla's real sound.
There are over 30 distinct bols used. Some relate to right hand strokes (like na, ta, te, tu, …) some to left hand strokes (ge, ke, …) and some to combined strokes (dha, dhin, …). Any rhythmic pattern can thus be spoken as a combination of all these syllables, and the way strokes are emphasised and accentuated or modulated also gives a clear indication on how the rhythmic pattern needs to be played on the drum.