तबला
The tabla is the percussion heart of Hindustani classical music, providing the rhythmic framework within which all improvisation unfolds. As a solo instrument, it is capable of sustained, complex musical expression that rivals any melodic instrument in the tradition.
The tabla consists of two drums: the dahina (right drum), a small cylindrical drum typically made of rosewood or sheesham, with a goatskin head; and the bayan (left drum), a larger hemispherical drum made of copper, brass, or clay, with a buffalo or cow skin head. Both drumheads are treated with a paste called siyahi (a mixture of iron oxide and starch) that is applied in concentric circles. This siyahi is what enables the tabla to produce its characteristic pitched, harmonic tones rather than the unpitched sound of most drums.
The tabla is played with both hands, using fingers, palms, and heels in various combinations. The right hand plays the dahina (tuned to the pitch of the lead instrument) while the left hand plays the bayan. The enormous variety of strokes — each with a specific syllable (bol) in the oral tradition — allows the tabla to produce dozens of distinct sounds. The performer must master hundreds of fixed compositions (kayda, paran, tukra, chakradar) as well as improvised sequences that respond to the melodic instrument.
The tabla's origins are debated — some musicologists trace it to the pakhawaj (the older barrel drum) being split into two, while others see Persian and Central Asian influence in its paired-drum form. The earliest clear references to the tabla appear in the seventeenth century, and it became the dominant percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music by the eighteenth century. The major tabla gharanas — Delhi, Ajrada, Lucknow, Benaras, Punjab, and Farrukhabad — each developed distinct styles that are still maintained today.
The tabla transformed Indian classical music by enabling an intimate, conversational relationship between percussion and melody. Where the pakhawaj supported music from beneath, the tabla converses with it. The development of the solo tabla concert — in which a percussionist performs as a complete soloist — is one of the twentieth century's major contributions to classical music worldwide.