Tips to becoming a good tabla player

So you want to play the Tabla? Good choice - the tabla is one of the most popular instruments in India, and while its major use is in Hindustani classical music, it is increasingly being used in fusion music as well. Some exponents of the tabla are Ustad Alla Rakha, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ravindra Yavagal, Trilok Gurtu, etc. These musicians have popularized the tabla from being strictly a classical instrument into one with a much more versatile scope.

Beginning to play the tabla, as with most instruments, requires a huge amount of patience and practice. It might be difficult to get a hold of the basics - however, if you get past the initial “beginners” stage, you will find yourself enjoying tabla playing a lot more. So don’t give up early on!

Here are some things we think are essential to becoming a good tabla player:

• Develop a good sense of rhythm. Since the tabla is a percussive instrument, its role in maintaining beat is huge! If you want to learn tabla well, a steady beat is a must. Practice tapping out different kinds of beats on your tabla, with an emphasis on maintaining steadiness.
• Get a teacher. This can help - a lot. A good tabla teacher will help you develop the rigour and discipline required to play. Since the tabla is, traditionally, a classical instrument, much of the playing you will do will be to fit that context, and so discipline is important. Moreover, a teacher will be useful in giving you specific, personalized advice, which will help you in improving your playing.
• Develop a strong beat sense. As with any percussion instrument, beat sense is extremely important. Develop yours by counting or tapping out rhythms with your hands, or timing your practices of specifictaals. The vilambit (very slow) style of music requires a keen sense of beat - so practice playing uniformly at very slow paces.
• Learn the basics well:
  • Bols. Bols are simply the strokes you make on the tabla. A few basic bols are dha, dhin, ga, ka, titaand tirakita. Practice these and the others several times before you move on to stringing them together!
  • Taals. Taals are sequences of a specific number of bols - teentaalhas 16, ektaal has 12, etc. Learn the basic taals well, and practice them several times so you can perfect them.
• Practice! Yes, we are going to say this over and over! Nothing can improve your playing as much as regular, focused practice. For the tabla, perfection of stroke and beat is the key. A regular practice schedule of about an hour every day will do you wonders.
• Improvise. The tabla is an instrument with a huge scope for you to show off your skills and personality. Once you’ve mastered the basics, start becoming creative with the basic taals by infusing a few of your own ideas into them - provided you maintain rhythm, of course!

TABLA PRIMER FOR THE OLDER STUDENT

The Tabla is an ancient percussion instrument. This instrument is related to the other instruments frequently used in the Indian music such as the Mrudangam, Pakhawaj and Dholak. It is generally believed that the Tabla is a precise but a complex percussion instrument. If one knows how to play the Tabla, any other percussion instrument can be played with ease, of course with some practice.

There is much mystery attached to learning the art of Tabla playing. The reasons may be that until recently there has not been much written material about this learning process and there is no consistent, standardized pattern of playing. This was further complicated by the different stylistic schools, distinctive playing styles of individual tablists and introduction of Pakhawaj words into the Tabla language. Surprisingly, even today, Tabla playing is taught by verbal instruction without any written material. In this age of multimedia this deficiency could be easily remedied with audiovisual and text material.

It would be difficult to make a living solely by playing Tabla in the U. S. A. Since not many people can afford to spend full time learning the Tabla , it is essential that the teaching methods need to be adapted for the “part-time” student and be “student friendly”. The Tabla faces, at least in the U. S. A., intense competition from “one man band” keyboard musical instruments. If this instrument is to survive the test of time, it is imperative that teaching methods should be adopted to modern times and lend itself to being played as a solo instrument for personal pleasure, and not promote it as a purely accompanying instrument.

The learning process of Tabla involves understanding of the following three fundamental concepts:

1. Learning the language: Learning the language of tabla is like learning any other language that we learnt during our lives. We start with alphabets, words, sentences and progress towards writing essays and poetry, etc. When we verbally communicate, we may utilize many variations of accents, dialects, and tonal qualities. Learning the Tabla language and playing is very similar. Knowledge of the Hindi language will be useful in learning this art. (Lack of it should not be made to stand as a barrier for the learning process as English equivalent terms may be used to convey the concept and meaning of the terms fairly well).

2. Home or Still Position: Familiarity with the typewriter, computer keyboard or piano finger positioning and home key concepts are useful. As the principle of playing the Tabla with the fingers of both hands is very similar.

3. Action of muscles: In playing the Tabla, we call into substantial action our non-dominant hand (left for the right handed person and vice versa). We use muscles and joints which we would not normally use as they are required in playing the Tabla. This is of greater importance to the older student, as a younger student hardly notices the imposition on the musculo-skeletal system.

Instruments

The word Tabla is used broadly to describe both drums. Tabla is the actual name for the right (Hindi = Dayan) drum, which is made of wood and is the treble drum which keeps the time. The left (Hindi = Bayan) drum made of metal and is the bass drum used to create special effects. Besides these two names there are several different names for these instruments but remember simply the Right wooden drum and theleft metal drum. Know the different parts of the drums as depicted in the pictures. Remember the computer keyboard and the home position concept.

Paraphernalia:

Talcum powder is mandatory. A “hammer” is needed. Do not use the hammer if you are a beginner and are not familiar with the process of tuning, you may damage the drums. A metronome and auto tuner are optional for the beginner.

Posture and Position:

Practice sitting cross legged-yoga position. Start with brief periods. Sit with your back straight and shoulders square. Always check to see that there is no tension in the neck and shoulder muscles. If strokes are not coming right, check for these things periodically. Older students may find difficulty with this posture. Try a chair and table or a bench. The important point is to make sure the drums are not wobbly.

Home Position:

Remove watch from the left wrist, you may wear it on the right wrist if you so desire. It is better for the beginner to remove any rings from the fingers. The left metal drum, should be kept straight and upright on the floor. Keep left forearm parallel with the drum head and relaxed but firm. The heel of the left hand should always be touching the lower border of the black circle and never lift it from the drum. The middle and the ring fingers of the left hand should strike the drum in the narrow area between the black circle and the upper periphery in a hammer stroke fashion.

The right wooden drum is placed approximately 30 degrees tilted forward and left, towards the metal drum. The right hand fingers are positioned so that the right little and ring fingers touching the field and periphery at about 4:O’clock, middle finger in the center of the black circle, index finger at approximately 8 : O’clock position on the periphery and finally the thumb resting lightly on the braid at about 7: O’clock position. The right hand fingers should hit the drum with tension in them and the stroke is delivered from the wrist and knuckles straight in one line. Do not bring the elbow and shoulders into action at this stage of learning.

This article is intended to give an insight into the basics of learning to play the Tabla and not as an instruction for playing. This basic knowledge should help you find a teacher and talk meaningfully, follow instructions easily, and hopefully shorten the time for learning the fundamentals (shorten the learning curve!) of these exciting percussion drums.

---

---

---

Words - (Bols)

I. Single Words Produced only by the Right hand on the wooden drum (Dayan)

Na / Ta

Tin

Tun

Ti Te/Ti Ra

Da / na

Di

II. Single Words produced only by the Left hand on the metal drum (Bayan)

Ga (2 finger)

Ga / ka (1 finger)

Ka (4 finger)

III. Joint words produced by the combination of Right & Left hand together

Dha

Dhin

IV. Compound Words produced by the Right & Left hand - used sequentially:

Ti Ra Ki Ta

TiRa KiTa

TiRaKiTa

Gi Da Na Ga

Ki Da Na Ka

THE TABLA PUDI - I

INTRODUCTION

Tabla has intrigued Western percussionists for a number of years. This drum of Indian origin, is noted for its unique tonal quality. This quality is derived primarily from the complexity in construction of its drumhead. The drumhead, known as pudi, puddi or purri, is indeed so complex that it would be safe to say that no other drumhead on earth surpasses it in this regard, though others may occasionally equal it.

The word tabla is commonly applied to both drums as a pair. This is not correct by the strict definition of the word, because actually only the smaller right hand drum is the tabla. The larger left-hand drum is called variously dagga, bayan or madda. Other names for the smaller tabla are siddha, or dayan. For convenience sake we will use the term tabla for both drums while the left and right hand will be called bayanand dayanrespectively.

The fashioning of the pudi (drumhead) is a highly specialized craft. This craft is passed down from father to son in a manner typical of India tradition. A craftsman is known as a tablawala, and is usually distinct from the performer (tabaljii or tabalia). The apprenticeship usually starts in childhood and is completed only when the craftsman reaches full maturity. A close look at the construction will reveal why it takes so long to learn the craft.

---

BASIC STRUCTURE

It is helpful to have a rough idea of the anatomy of a tabla pudi before tackling the subject of its fabrication. Figure 1 shows an expanded cross section (minus the woven hoop called the gajara). There are basically three parts of the pudi. 1) the weaving (gajara) 2) the membranes 3) the syahi (black spot).

Figure 1. Exploded view of tabla

The weaving (gajara) is composed of several components. The gajara is the most important as well as the most visible. It is a heavy ring of woven leather and rawhide, composed of thong made of thick buffalo hide, which is woven into the pudi around its periphery. It functions as a tensioning hoop, fitting over the top of the body of the drum and transferring tension from the lacing to the sounding skin. The bharti is an invisible layer of skin on the inside surface of the pudi. This is important for giving mechanical strength to thepudi.

The resonation membrane is basically two components, the maidan and the chat. The chat is an upper annular layer of skin which covers only the outer periphery of the sounding surface. It serves a dual purpose. On one hand it gives mechanical strength to the weaving, but on another level, it is an important part of the resonating membrane. The chat is important because it has great effect upon the tonal quality of the tabla.

The maidan has the distinction of being the only skin which covers the entire opening. This is therefore the most important part of the pudi.

The syahi (the black spot in the center of the pudi) is probably the most distinctive part of the tabla. It is there to give the tabla its distinctive tone. It is actually quite complex and a considerable amount of discussion will be devoted to it later.

THE TABLA PUDI - II

CONSTRUCTION

Making the pudi for both drums is about the same. It begins by taking the rawhide of a goat and soaking it in water. Once the rawhide is wet, excess hair and tissue is removed and the whole is allowed to dry.

Templates, known as jal are used to mark off circles of various sizes for use on various drums. Great care is taken so that the small scars the goat acquired from ticks and other sources are avoided. The area of the neck and spine is avoided in the case of the dayan, but it is considered acceptable for the bayan.

The circles are then cut and the unused sections (chiller) are cut into trapezoids of varying sizes. These trapezoids will be used later.

The circular pieces of skin are now graded as to quality. The lowest grade will have the centers removed and be used for making the outer covering of the pudi (the chat). The medium grade is used for low cost, student grade tablas, while the highest grade is used for professional quality pudis.

The skins are again soaked in water and removed.

The chat must now be made. The lower quality skins are utilized by folding them in half several times to form a triangle. The tip is cut off, so that when it is unfolded, there will be a circle of about two to three inches in diameter that has been removed. This is very much like the paper “snowflakes” we used to make in elementary school.

The chat now has to be fixed to the main playing skin (maidan). The chat is laid on top of an intact skin so that the outer surfaces of both skins face up. Insertions are made parallel to the edge of the skins with a small chisel. Care should be taken so that the chatis slightly bunched up, so that on the drum all of the tension will be exerted against the maidan (figure 2). A piece of cord is inserted with a large needle and threaded back and forth through the two skins as the insertions are made. Finally the two ends of the cord are tied together.

Figure 2. Chat and Maidan

The chat serves several very interesting functions. One of the jobs is to give strength and durability to thepudi. The main resonating membrane undergoes a tremendous amount of abuse where it passes over the sharp edge of the drumshell. This extra layer of skin increases the life span of the head. Under normal use apudi may last anywhere from 2 to 10 years. The chat also effects the tone of the instrument. If the chat is very broad and extends inwards to a great extent, it will decrease the sustain of the instrument.

The effects of the chat upon the tone may be illustrated in several ways. The most obvious is the manner in which the craftsman trims the chat to give the right tone upon completion of the tabla. Another is a trick used by many musicians to enhance the tone of their instruments; a string is place around the drum between the chat and the maidan. This may have an effect which is sometimes subtle and sometimes great. There is another trick which is used to make the tabla sound like a mridangam (a south Indian barrel shaped drum). For this, small wooden pieces are inserted between the chatand the maidan such that the wood extends until it just touches the syahi. These are all tricks which utilize the acoustic interactions between the chat and the maidan, thus demonstrating the effect of the chat upon the tone of the tabla.

The bharti will now be made. The previously mentioned trapezoids are soaked in water, and laid around the rim of the drumshell. The shorter edges face inside (figure 3a).

Figure 3. Intermediate stage

The chat and maidan, joined previously, are now stretched over the bharti and drumshell and tied securely (figure 3b).

There is no real attachment between the pieces of bharti, maidan, and chat at the present stage of construction. The attachment will com with the weaving of the gajara.

The weaving of there gajara begins by making vertical slits around the edge of the tabla (figure. 4). Thebayan requires 64 slits while the dayan requires only 48. Care must be taken that all layers of the skin have been penetrated.

Figure 4. Making the insertion slits

THE TABLA PUDI - III

CONSTRUCTION (cont)

Two long pieces of buffalo hide are used for the weaving. Each thong (tasma) is first soaked in water, then lightly covered with oil. The two thongs are inserted into three adjacent holes up to their midpoints (figure 5a), thereby making four loose ends.

There must be a central core around which the gajara is woven. This is made by taking two or three lengths of inferior quality leather thong and wrapping them around the rim. The gajara is started in the following manner:

1. Insert two lengths of thong into three adjacent holes (figure 5a).
2. Twist in clockwise manner.
3. Go over two slits and insert (figure 5b).
4. Pull out third slit.
5. Go to next thong.
6. Repeat steps b, c, and d (figure 5c).
7. Go to next thong in same slit.
8. repeat step b (twist).
9. Go over three slips and insert.
10. Pull out from bottom of the fourth slit (figure 5d).
11. Go to next thong.
12. Repeat steps h, i, & j, but keep loose (figure 5e).
13. go to next thong.
14. Repeat steps h, i, & j, but keep loose (figure 5f).
15. Go to next tasma.
16. Repeat steps h, i, & j, but keep loose (figure 5g).
17. Insert core thong (figure 5g).
18. Tighten first two thongs.
19. Take next thong.
20. Repeat steps h, i, & j, but keep loose (figure 5h).
21. Insert last core thong.
22. Tighten last thong.

The gajara is now started. Continue weaving in the following manner (figure 6a).

1. Take thong from bottom.
2. Twist 1/2 turn in clockwise fashion.
3. Go over two slits and insert in the third slit on top of the core thong.
4. Pull out of the bottom of the fourth slit.
5. Go to next thong and repeat.

Eventually the weaving must be finished. The weaving will end in the following fashion:

1. Stop weaving when thong exits at the starting point (figure 7a & 7b).
2. Cut outer core thong so that it extends 1 1/2 inches over the starting point
3. Cut inner core thong so that it just touches starting point.
4. Cut middle core thong so that it extends
   1/2 to 1 inch beyond the starting point.
5. Twist thong 1/2 turn in clockwise direction.
6. Pull thong over four spaces and insert between chat and gajara.
7. Pull Tight (figure 7c).
8. Go to next thong and repeat steps 5, 6, 7, and 8, for the next seven times (figure 7d, 7e, & 7f).
9. Trim off excess thong.

The gajara is nearly complete at this point. The only remaining step is to weave the bunad. Many craftsmen eliminate the bunad entirely. The weaving of the bunad goes as follows (figure 6b):

1. Pull a strip of dry goathide, rexine or similar material between thegajara and the chat (pull up).
2. Skip closest thong and pull bunad through under the next one.
3. Pull into correct position.
4. Skip next thong and pull bunad through under next one.
5. Pull down to proper position.
6. Pull tight.
7. Put another piece of bunad through the next hole.
8. Repeat steps b, c, d, e, & f.
9. Go back and pull the first bunad through the next hole.
10. Repeat steps b, c, d, e, & f.

This alternating back and forth proceeds until all of the gajara is done. Upon completion of the bunad, the gajara is finished.

As mentioned earlier, the gajara the function of transferring the tension from the lacing to the maidan. However it does so in a manner which is considerably more refined than the hoop found in Western drums. Unlike Western drums the gajara has a buffering effect upon this tension. This buffering is important because very little variation in tension is tolerated by the tabla. This low tolerance is a natural consequence of the requirement for precise tunability. An interesting feature of this buffering effect is that changing the tension on the lacing functions as a “course tuning” while lightly hitting the gajara with a small hammer acts as the “fine tuning”. In practice the majority of the tuning is done without any change in the tension of the lacing at all.

The gajara also performs the necessary but mundane function of joining all three levels of skin (i.e.,bharti, maidan, and chat) together.

The pudi is now removed from the shell and the bharti is trimmed. It is trimmed by taking a flat piece of bamboo and slipping it between the maidanand bharti. The bamboo piece is used to shield the maidanfrom the blade. Thebharti is trimmed so that there is an even 1/2 inch projecting into the middle of the pudi.

The function of the bharti appears to be primarily mechanical in nature. Thebharti reinforces the maidanand keeps it from tearing under high tension.

The pudi must now be mounted. This mounting process is beyond the scope of this article.