Tablas are Indian hand drums from the 18th century that are still used in popular, classical, and artistic music today. They are made up of two small drums of varying sizes, one for each hand. Tablas are an important part of Indian culture and music, and are the primary drums for popular and classical music north of India. They are frequently played during religious ceremonies.
Non-frame drums, such as tablas, are common. The tabla is a set of two drums with different shapes and timbres that are played together. They’re frequently played sitting down, with the drum in front of or across the lap. They produce different sounds depending on the size of the drum and can be played with fingers, thumbs, palms, and knuckles. Tablas have a perfect tunable pitch, and their acoustical properties allow them to play a wide range of notes.
Tablas can be made out of a variety of materials. A tabla shell, unlike many ancient Middle Eastern drums, is usually made of brass, aluminum, or metal, though it can also be made of less expensive materials. The drum head, like most of its predecessors, is typically made stretching goat skin over the drum’s face.
A right-hand drum called the dayan and a left-hand drum called the bayan make up a tabla. The dayan, like most Indian drums, has a cylindrical shell made of hard wood. The base of the dayan drum is slightly larger than the top. The bayan drum has a semi-circular shape, rounded on the bottom and flat on top, and is best made of polished brass. Both drums are less than one foot (30 cm) tall, with the dayan’s head measuring 5.5 inches (14 cm) and the bayan’s measuring 8.6 inches (22 cm).
Tablas are a descendant of a long line of ancient Middle Eastern and Indian instruments. They are descended directly from the Indian mrdangm and puskara, which first appeared in pictographs in the sixth and seventh centuries. In the 1700s, lap-drums were developed into tablas. The name comes from the Arabic word tabl, which means drum, and refers to the Arab invaders of India who played an important role in Indian music at the time.
Tablas are usually played in one of six different Indian classical music styles known as gharanas. The lessons were created in a sequential order and include a variety of teaching styles. Different types of improvisation, special notes, continuous playing, powerful strokes, and delicate and sensitive playing with a curved ring finger are all examples of these styles.