Introduction On Tabla Drums

By Benedict Perez

One of the most popular percussion instruments in the rich musical culture of South Asia is the tabla. It originated as far as 300 years ago. Its name came from the Arabic word tabl meaning drum. It is said to be a mixture of characteristics of pre-existing drums such as dholak, naqqara, and pakhawa but its exact history is still unclear. This instrument is commonly used in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

In its earlier evolutions, tabla is just one drum. It is just the dayan. It means right in Hindi and is named as how it is played - with the right hand. Its body is small and made of wood. The tabla we have today now includes the one played by the left hand called bayan, which is translated as left in Hindi. It is larger and is made of metal.

Both drums have similar parts. The head of the drums, called the puri, is made up of goat hide. An extra ring of hide is laid over the head as well as on the bottom of the drums. These rings hold the lacings, or tasma, on the side of the drums, which in turn control the tension and pitch of the drums through a number of wooden cylindrical blocks called ghatta. These are placed between the body and the lacings. There is a black circle in the middle of the drum heads called syahi made up of gum, soot and iron fillings. There is a difference, however, in the position of the syahi of each drum as the dayan's is in the middle while the bayan's is slightly off the center.

The drums produce a characteristic bell-like timbre made possible by the syahi. The tuning is different for each drum. The dayan is tuned to the tonic note of the vocalist or the instruments accompanying it. It has the higher pitch between the two. The low end of the instrument is produced by the larger bayan. It is interesting to note that the tune of the bass is not confined to a single note but can cover a whole scale based on the position and pressure of the left wrist on the syahi. Thus sliding notes are possible on the bass tone because it is easy to do.

Tabla is not easy to play because the principles of Indian music are a little different from the Western styles of music. The beats are conceptualized through mnemonic syllables called bol. Basic understanding of Indian rhythm conceptualization is essential for one to be able to play the instrument well.

Tabla can cover both melodic and rhythmic concepts in the Indian system. However, as in most percussion instruments, it is in the rhythm that it is mostly focused on. Just as the Western style has the beat, measure and cycle, so does the Indian style. The only main difference is that the latter focuses more on the cycle unlike the former which focuses on the measure and the beat. Timekeeping when playing the tabla is based on claps and waves. These claps and waves basically describe the measure of Indian music. It is important in the conceptualization and execution of the whole song as the other instruments also follow this rhythm as a guide. Thus the player can play in different syllables as long as the cycle remains constant.

The sound and feel of the tabla is rich and exotic. As an instrument, it can stand on its own when played just right but will also do very well when combined with vocals and other instruments. It may not be easy to learn but with time and dedication plus a good understanding of Indian musical concepts, one is bound to produce beautiful music through this instrument. - 18418

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If you want to listen and feel the beat of ethnic musical instruments, you shuold try tabla drums. It has a distinct sound that creates music to hear. Or you may want to try oud.