The tabla is the most popular percussion instrument in India. It
is especially prevalent in the northern regions of the country, as
well as in Pakistan. The tabla can be heard in Indian classical music,
dance, religious, folk, and film music, as well as in modern-day
fusions. The
tabla is an integral part of North Indian classical music, where
it can be performed solo, in dance accompaniment (kathak), or to
accompany melodic instruments (sitar, sarod, voice, violin, etc...).
The instrument dates back approximately 300 years, though it is descended
from drums that have a history dating back over 2000 years.
The tabla is actually two drums - the smaller, right hand drum called
the dahina or tabla, and the larger, left hand drum called the baya
or dagga (the drums are actually reversed in the above picture).
The dahina is made of shisham (Indian rosewood) and the baya is made
of copper or brass, and is often nickel plated.
The tabla is an integral part of North Indian classical music, where
it can be performed solo, in dance accompaniment (kathak), or to
accompany melodic instruments (sitar, sarod, voice, violin, etc...).
It has a long history, with six different stylistic schools of playing
(gharanas), many varied techniques, and a repertoire made up of a
multitude of cyclic and cadential compositional forms.
The tabla has traditionally been taught through an oral tradition,
from teacher to student, a system referred to as guru-shishya-parampara.
Different regions of India developed their own styles, resulting
in what we now refer to as the six major gharanas of tabla; Pubjab,
Delhi, Ajrada, Farukhabad, Lucknow, and Benares.
Compositions are learned through a system of bols - oral representations
of the sounds themselves; a sort of solfege system for drums. Through
the system of bols, one can recite, notate, or read any combination
of sounds on the tabla in one single line of text; the sounds of
both drums can be expressed either individually, or when two sounds
are produced at once, simultaneously.
I like to break down the main sounds into resonant and non-resonant
categories, as follows :
Dahina
Baya
Resonant
sounds
NA, TA
Ge, Ga, Gi
Tin
Tun
Ran
Non-resonant
sounds
TeTe, TiRa, TeRe, Ta
Ki, Ke, Ka
TiRe
Kut
Combination
sounds
Dha = NA + Ge
Dhin = Tin + Ge
Dhe = Te + Ge
DhiRe = TiRe + Ge
Production of sounds
Sounds are produced by placing the fingers in a very precise
manner on the tabla, while maintaining relaxed movements and posture. It is
important to work with an experimented teacher, in order to develop a good
technique from the begining. A bad technique is hard to correct since bad habits
are difficult to break
When learning tabla, one must practive all compositions orally, reciting
the «bôls» in the proper rhythm. Once learned orally, the player can play
them on is instrument more easily.
Composition examples
Here are a few composition examples to practice orally:
Beginners's
Kaida
Dha Dha Te Te
Dha Dha Tin NA
TA TA Te Te
Dha Dha Dhin NA
Tintal Theka
Dha Dhin Dhin Dha
Dha Dhin Dhin Dha
Dha Tin Tin NA
NA Dhin Dhin Dha
A few terms related to tabla:
Baya – Drum played
by the left hand, made of metal, also called dagga.
Bol – System for oral
representation of sounds, a kind of solfege for tabla.
Example : Na, TeTe, Dha, etc.
Dahina –Drum played
with the right hand, made of wood, also called tabla.
Gharana – A style or
school. Nowadays, there are six principal tabla gharanas.
Guru-Shishya-Parampara –Oral
tradition of the passing of knowledge from master to student.
Kaida – System of rules
governing improvisation of variations on a given theme.
The
tabla is an integral part of North Indian classical music, where
it can be performed solo, in dance accompaniment (kathak), or to
accompany melodic instruments (sitar, sarod, voice, violin, etc...).
The instrument dates back approximately 300 years, though it is descended
from drums that have a history dating back over 2000 years.