One of the most popular percussion instruments in the rich musical culture of South Asia is the tabla. It originated as far as 300 years ago. Its name came from the Arabic word tabl meaning drum. It is said to be a mixture of characteristics of pre-existing drums such as dholak, naqqara, and pakhawa but its exact history is still unclear. This instrument is commonly used in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
The modern version of the instrument is composed of a pair of drums. The dayan, which means right in India, is the smaller, wooden drum played with the right hand while the bayan, which is translated as left, is the larger drum with a metal body and played with the left hand.
One of the main differences of both drums is the size but their parts are mostly the same. The head of the drums, called the puri, is made up of goat hide. An extra ring of hide is laid over the head as well as on the bottom of the drums. These rings hold the lacings, or tasma, on the side of the drums, which in turn control the tension and pitch of the drums through a number of wooden cylindrical blocks called ghatta. These are placed between the body and the lacings. There is a black circle in the middle of the drum heads called syahi made up of gum, soot and iron fillings. The syahi is located in the center of the head, but in bayan, it is a little bit off to the side.
The drums produce a characteristic bell-like timbre made possible by the syahi. The tuning is different for each drum. The dayan is tuned to the tonic note of the vocalist or the instruments accompanying it. It has the higher pitch between the two. The low end of the instrument is produced by the larger bayan. It is interesting to note that the tune of the bass is not confined to a single note but can cover a whole scale based on the position and pressure of the left wrist on the syahi. Thus sliding notes are possible on the bass tone because it is easy to do.
Playing the tabla can be difficult to some percussionists as its principles are slightly different from the Western styles of music. The beats are conceptualized through mnemonic syllables called bol. To better understand and play it, one has to also understand the basic conceptualization of Indian rhythm.
Tabla can cover both melodic and rhythmic concepts but people are generally focused on its use as the one that gives the beat. Just as the Western style has the beat, measure and cycle, so does the Indian style. The only main difference is that the latter focuses more on the cycle unlike the former which focuses on the measure and the beat. Timekeeping when playing the tabla is based on claps and waves. These claps and waves basically describe the measure of Indian music. It is important in the conceptualization and execution of the whole song to follow this rhythm as a guide. The cycle in Indian music remains constant throughout the song but different syllables can be played along with it.
As an instrument, table is rich and exotic and can provide both rhythm and melody. It is a great accompanying instrument that can stand on its own. Learning it may not be an easy task but with time and dedication plus a good understanding of Indian musical concepts, the results are very satisfying. - 23815
The modern version of the instrument is composed of a pair of drums. The dayan, which means right in India, is the smaller, wooden drum played with the right hand while the bayan, which is translated as left, is the larger drum with a metal body and played with the left hand.
One of the main differences of both drums is the size but their parts are mostly the same. The head of the drums, called the puri, is made up of goat hide. An extra ring of hide is laid over the head as well as on the bottom of the drums. These rings hold the lacings, or tasma, on the side of the drums, which in turn control the tension and pitch of the drums through a number of wooden cylindrical blocks called ghatta. These are placed between the body and the lacings. There is a black circle in the middle of the drum heads called syahi made up of gum, soot and iron fillings. The syahi is located in the center of the head, but in bayan, it is a little bit off to the side.
The drums produce a characteristic bell-like timbre made possible by the syahi. The tuning is different for each drum. The dayan is tuned to the tonic note of the vocalist or the instruments accompanying it. It has the higher pitch between the two. The low end of the instrument is produced by the larger bayan. It is interesting to note that the tune of the bass is not confined to a single note but can cover a whole scale based on the position and pressure of the left wrist on the syahi. Thus sliding notes are possible on the bass tone because it is easy to do.
Playing the tabla can be difficult to some percussionists as its principles are slightly different from the Western styles of music. The beats are conceptualized through mnemonic syllables called bol. To better understand and play it, one has to also understand the basic conceptualization of Indian rhythm.
Tabla can cover both melodic and rhythmic concepts but people are generally focused on its use as the one that gives the beat. Just as the Western style has the beat, measure and cycle, so does the Indian style. The only main difference is that the latter focuses more on the cycle unlike the former which focuses on the measure and the beat. Timekeeping when playing the tabla is based on claps and waves. These claps and waves basically describe the measure of Indian music. It is important in the conceptualization and execution of the whole song to follow this rhythm as a guide. The cycle in Indian music remains constant throughout the song but different syllables can be played along with it.
As an instrument, table is rich and exotic and can provide both rhythm and melody. It is a great accompanying instrument that can stand on its own. Learning it may not be an easy task but with time and dedication plus a good understanding of Indian musical concepts, the results are very satisfying. - 23815
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If you want to listen and feel the beat of ethnic musical instruments, you shuold try tabla drums. It has a distinct sound that creates music to hear. Or you may want to try chinese gong.
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