The tabla

The tabla (or tabl, tabla) (Hindi :
तबला, Urdu: ﻃﺒﻠﮧ , Arabic : ﻃﺒﻞ،
ﻃﺒﻠﺔ, Persian : ﻃﺒﻞ ) is a
membranophone percussion
instrument (similar to bongos ),
used in Hindustani classical music
and in popular and devotional
music of the Indian
subcontinent . The instrument
consists of a pair of hand drums
of contrasting sizes and timbres .
The term tabla is derived from an
Arabic word, tabl, which simply
means "drum." [1] The tabla is
used in some other Asian musical
traditions outside of India, such
as in the Indonesian dangdut
genre. [2]
Playing technique involves
extensive use of the fingers and
palms in various configurations to
create a wide variety of different
sounds, reflected in the
mnemonic syllables ( bol). The
heel of the hand is used to apply
pressure or in a sliding motion on
the larger drum so that the pitch
is changed during the sound's
decay.
History
The tabla is reputed to have been
invented by the Sufi poet and
musical genius Amir Khusro in
the 13th century, originating
from the need to have a drum
that could be played from the
top in the sitting position to
enable the more complex
rhythm structures that were
required for the new Indian Sufi
vocal style of chanting and Zikr .
Its invention would also have
complemented the complex early
Sitar melodies that Amir Khusrow
was composing. [3][4] The Tabla
uses a "complex finger tip and
hand percussive" technique
played from the top unlike the
Pakhawaj and mridangam which
mainly use the full palm and are
sideways in motion and are more
limited in terms of sound
complexity. [5]
Amir Khusro supposedly created
the tabla by splitting the
mridangam or the pakhawaj in
two. ("Toda, tab bhi bola – tabla"
– "When broke, it still spoke" – is
a fairly well known Hindi pun.)
However none of his writings on
music mention the
drum, [ citation needed ] and there
are Hindu temple carvings of
double hand drums resembling
tabla that date back to 500
BC. [ citation needed ]
Rebecca Stewart has suggested
that the tabla was most likely a
product of experiments with
existing drums such as pakhawaj ,
mridang, dholak and
naqqara. [citation needed] The
origins of tabla repertoire and
technique may be found in all
three and in physical structure
there are also similar elements:
the smaller pakhawaj head for
the dayan, the naqqara
kettledrum for the bayan, and
the flexible use of the bass of
the dholak. [6]
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Nomenclature and
construction
The smaller drum, played with
the dominant hand, is sometimes
called dayan (literally "right"),
dāhina, siddha or chattū, but is
correctly called the "tabla." It is
made from a conical piece of
mostly teak and rosewood
hollowed out to approximately
half of its total depth. The drum
is tuned to a specific note, usually
either the tonic, dominant or
subdominant of the soloist's key
and thus complements the
melody. The tuning range is
limited although different dāyāñ-
s are produced in different sizes,
each with a different range.
Cylindrical wood blocks, known as
ghatta, are inserted between the
strap and the shell allowing
tension to be adjusted by their
vertical positioning. Fine tuning is
achieved while striking vertically
on the braided portion of the
head using a small hammer.
The larger drum, played with the
other hand, is called bāyāñ
(literally "left") or sometimes
dagga, duggī or dhāmā. The
bāyāñ has a much deeper bass
tone, much like its distant cousin,
the kettle drum . The bāyāñ 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. Sometimes
wood is used, especially in old
bāyāñs from the Punjab. Clay is
also used, although not favored
for durability; these are generally
found in the North-East region of
Bengal.
The name of the head areas are:
chat, chanti, keenar, kinar, ki
sur, maidan, lao, luv
center: syahi, siaahi, gob
Both drum shells are covered
with a head (puri) constructed
from goat or cow skin. An outer
ring of skin (keenar) is overlaid on
the main skin and serves to
suppress some of the natural
overtones. These two skins are
bound together with a complex
woven braid that gives the
assembly enough strength to be
tensioned on the shell. The head
is affixed to the drum shell with
a single cow or camel hide strap
laced between the braid of the
head assembly and another ring
(made from the same strap
material) placed on the bottom
of the drum.
The head of each drum has a
central area of "tuning paste"
called the syahi (lit. "ink"; a.k.a.
shāī or gāb). This is constructed
using multiple layers of a paste
made from starch (rice or wheat)
mixed with a black powder of
various origins. The precise
construction and shaping of this
area is responsible for
modification of the drum's
natural overtones, resulting in
the clarity of pitch (see
inharmonicity ) and variety of
tonal possibilities unique to this
instrument which has a bell-like
sound. The skill required for the
proper construction of this area is
highly refined and is the main
differentiating factor in the
quality of a particular instrument.
For stability while playing, each
drum is positioned on a toroidal
bundle called chutta or guddi,
consisting of plant fiber or
another malleable material
wrapped in cloth.