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Tabla
The history of this instrument is at times the subject of heated debate. The most common historical account credits the 13th century Indian poet Amir Khusrau as having invented the instrument, by splitting a Pakhawaj into two parts. However, none of his writings on music mention the drum (nor the string instrument sitar). Another common historical narrative portrays the tabla as being thousands of years old, yet this is mere conjecture, based on slipshod interpretations of iconography. Reliable historical evidence places the invention of this instrument in the 18th century, and the first verifiable player of this drum was Ustad Sudhar Khan of Delhi.
The smaller drum, played with the dominant hand, is sometimes called dayan but is correctly called the "tabla." It is made from a conical piece of mostly shesham or teak and rose wood hollowed out to approximately half of its total depth. One of the primary tones on the drum is tuned to a specific note, and thus contributes to and complements the melody. The tuning range is limited although different dâyâñ-s are produced in different sizes, each with a different range. For a given dâyâñ, to achieve harmony with the soloist, it will usually be necessary to tune to either the tonic, dominant or subdominant of the soloist's key.
The larger drum, played with the other hand, is called bâyâñ. The bâyâñ has a much deeper bass tone, much like its distant cousin, the kettle drum. The bâyâñ may be made of any of a number of materials. Brass is the most common; copper is more expensive, but generally held to be the best, while aluminum and steel are often found in inexpensive models. One sometimes finds wood used, especially in old bâyâñs from the Punjab. Clay is also used, although not favored for durability; these are generally found in the North-East region of Bengal.
The playing technique for both drums involves extensive use of the fingers and palms in various configurations to create a wide variety of different sounds; these are reflected in the mnemonic syllables (bol). On the bâyâñ the heel of the hand is also used to apply pressure, or in a sliding motion, so that the pitch is changed during the sound's decay. This "modulating" effect on the bass drum and the wide range of sounds possible on the instrument as a whole are the main characteristics that make tabla unique among percussion instruments.
Last Updated: September 26, 2008, 2:35 pm
