The Tabla
The Tabla is
the percussion instrument of choice in the North Indian music tradition since
the mid-18th century. Legend says that the Tabla was invented when
an angry drummer cut a Pakhawaj, a single barrel drum, in half during a
drumming competition. Whether or not the legend is true, Amir Khusru has received
credit for inventing the Tabla after seeking a more melodic percussion
instrument to accompany other musicians. The Tabla is a set of two drums, the
Bayan and the Dahina. Both drums are tuned, utilizing tuning blocks, and have a
double layer of goat-skin that serves as the drum heads. A black paste, Shyahi,
is spread on the center of the heads allowing for the unique sounds of the
Tabla. The Bayan is the larger drum of the set played with the left hand.
Traditionally, it is made of clay but is now made of metal. The Dahina is the
smaller drum made of wood and played with the right hand. The Dahina is tuned
to the tonic of the music it is accompanying.
The Tabla
is played using one’s finger tips and palms. I think the most fascinating part
of the Tabla is utilizing a rhythmic solfege system. In the North Indian music
tradition, Tabla players are expected to be masters of solfege before they begin
playing the Tabla. Serious Tabla players have traditionally undergone a rite of
passage known as Chilla. Traditionally lasting 40 days, a student vows to play
as long as he is awake, taking short breaks only to eat, sleep, and use the
restroom and spends their time in an isolated room designed for a person to
lose track of time. Needless to say, Tabla playing is a very serious tradition
and it’s musicians are highly respected around the world.
This video shows students learning the rhythmic solfege
system.
Great video that shows how to tune a Tabla using the tuning
blocks with the added benefit of learning how a tuner works.
Renown Indian musician Ravi Shankar explains Tabla. Video
shows application of rhythm solfege and explains some of the playing practices
of fixed and improvised compositions.
Master table player Ustad Hussain plays a solo performance. This
is a good example of an Indian performance having blended Western and traditional
practices. Hussain utilizes the Tintal rhythmic cycle. Other instruments shown
are he Tonpura, the tall string instrument providing a drone effect, and the
Sarangi, the bowed melodic instrument.
Video is a performance of the Rag Mishra Pilu in Carnegie
Hall. Performers include renown musicians Ravi Shankar and Ustad Hussain.
Works Cited
Church, Michael. The Other Classical Musics: Fifteen
Great Traditions. Woodbridge: Boydell, 2015. Print
Phinney, Eric. "WORLD MUSIC." World Music.
Bloomingdale School of Music, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.
Tuning the Tabla might be the most intense thing I have ever seen. Its hard enough guessing how far you should turn a lug on a drum to achieve the appropriate pitch. Im also curious to know if it takes the tabla off of the stand and sets it on the carpet to eliminate some of the overtones.
ReplyDeleteThe dedication of the students in the first video is amazing. The video title says that it is a summer school... That is some true dedication.
ReplyDeleteIts so cool that they use rhythmic solfege. To me this further exemplifies the need for our brains to have verbal and mental representation before we apply it to an instrument.
ReplyDeleteWow the video on how to tune a Tabla is insane. The touch and precision a tabla player needs to have just to get the instrument in tune blows my mind. This is just another great reason why only a elite group of people can play the tabla.
ReplyDeleteI honestly never thought about tuning the drums. It's such a different world than modern western drum tuning. Rope drum tuning seems entirely too difficult to bother with it.
ReplyDelete