The tabla 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.’ The tabla is used in some other Asian musical traditions outside of India, such as in the Indonesian dangdut genre.
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
A common myth says that the 13th century Indian poet Amir Khusrau is the inventor of the tabla.
He supposedly split the mridangam or the pakhawaj in two. (‘toda, tab bhi bola – tabla’: ‘When broke, it still spoke’ – a fairly well known Hindi pun).
However none of his writings on music mention the drum and this is a highly disputed fact based on lack of proof. Apparent evidence of late invention, combined with the absence of the instrument in South Indian music, and that the tabla closely resembles a mridanga cut into two (the closed-ended, paired design that relates it to the Western clay-drums and timpani), possibly suggests that the tabla is a comparatively recent development in northern Indian music.
This explanation is unlikely, however, because there are Hindu temple carvings of double hand drums resembling tabla that date back to 500 BC.
The tabla is an easy instrument to aquire. it is done out of leather and wood , so it is easy to make. Besides, it is easy to learn because it has only two sounds and there are different beats that one could learn depending on the song and the kind of ceremony it is used in.
An easy to aquire instrument, that is used in festivals and ceremonies
Related resources
The tabla 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.’ The tabla is used in some other Asian musical traditions outside of India, such as in the Indonesian dangdut genre.
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
A common myth says that the 13th century Indian poet Amir Khusrau is the inventor of the tabla.
He supposedly split the mridangam or the pakhawaj in two. (‘toda, tab bhi bola – tabla’: ‘When broke, it still spoke’ – a fairly well known Hindi pun).
However none of his writings on music mention the drum and this is a highly disputed fact based on lack of proof. Apparent evidence of late invention, combined with the absence of the instrument in South Indian music, and that the tabla closely resembles a mridanga cut into two (the closed-ended, paired design that relates it to the Western clay-drums and timpani), possibly suggests that the tabla is a comparatively recent development in northern Indian music.
This explanation is unlikely, however, because there are Hindu temple carvings of double hand drums resembling tabla that date back to 500 BC.
The tabla is an easy instrument to aquire. it is done out of leather and wood , so it is easy to make. Besides, it is easy to learn because it has only two sounds and there are different beats that one could learn depending on the song and the kind of ceremony it is used in.
An easy to aquire instrument, that is used in festivals and ceremonies
Related resources
A residential project: people live here as their primary home.
An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).
{{ item.label }}
{{ item.value ? item.value : currencyFormat( item.amount ) }}
Subtotal
{{ currencyFormat( pricing_summary.total_amount ) }}
