Know your Instruments: The Tabla.

The tabla is a widely popular South Asian percussion instrument used in the classical, popular and religious music of the northern 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 which means “drum”, and this attests to its status as a product resulting from the fusion of musical elements from indigenous Hindu and the Central Asian Muslim cultures that began in the late 16th century. The traditional Drum Tabla is a rich traditional musical instrument which has a beat sensation like our heartbeat. It also became popular in pop music. The term tabla derived from the Arabic word “Tabl” which means “drum”. It consists of two high pitched drums one is called “Chattu” (Dayan) and other is called “Duggi”(bayan). Chattu is played with the fingers and palm of the right hand & Duggi is played with fingers, palm and wrist of the left hand. These drums positioned on two toroidal bundles which called “Chutta”. Musician recognises six famous gharanas of tabla in Indo-Pak. Delhi gharana, Ajrara gharana, Farukhabad gharana, Benares gharana, Punjab gharana, Lucknow gharana. Each gharana has its own compositional aspects and playing styles. Craftsmen of every region making tablas according to their gharanas. Almost all tabla players of Pakistan belong from Punjab gharana.

History

The history of classical music in India is considered to be at least 5000 years old as represented by a continuum of musicians passing the music down in the oral tradition. As one of the oldest musical traditions in the world, there are qualities that many feel bridge the gap from the divine aspect of the creation of sound itself to musical expression. The first references to the melodic and rhythmic systems of Indian music are found in the Vedas, a sacred collection of literature in the ancient Sanskrit language dating from 1500 BC. The first mention of ragas (melody) and talas (rhythm) are in the Vedas and these ancient eternal qualities are still used in modern classical music. The original percussion instrument of North Indian classical music was a two-headed barrel-shaped drum called the pakhawaj. The pakhawaj was used to accompany vocalists as well as instrumentalists playing string instruments (vina, sitar) or winds (bansuri bamboo flute). Indian musicians of the 17th and 18th centuries were employed as court musicians, just like their European counterparts of the time. Legend has it that an argument ensued between two pakhawaj players employed by the Moghul court of Mohammed Shah in the early 18th century over a drum competition. The single-barrel drum was chopped in two by an angry sword-carrying drummer named Sidar Khan. Whether that is true or not, modern research suggests that the tabla was invented in the first half of the 18th century (about 1738) by a drummer named Amir Khusru, who was instructed to develop a more subtle and melodic percussion instrument that could accompany the new style of music called Khayal. That style, with tabla accompaniment, is the basis of the modern performances of Indian classical music.

Artists galore

There are hundreds of artists who with their continuous sadhana and life long dedication enriched the instrument’s technicalities and in its vast repertoire and popularity. Some unforgettable names are Ameer Husain Khan, Thirukva Khan, Habibuddin Khan, Ram Sahay, Abid Husain Khan, Anokhelal, Lateef Ahmed and Gudai Maharaj, along with the living legends like Alia Rakha Khan, Kishan Maharaj and Sharda Sahay. Among the younger generation Zakir Hussain, Sapan Chaudhari, Anindo Chatterjee, Kumar Bose, Shafaat Ahmed, Bikram Ghosh and several others are the prominent tabla players that India has produced. The traditional Indian music creates magic like no other… So what are you waiting for start your musical journey only with instrurentals!