General:
Skinned drums have been popular in India from ancient times. Some of these are played with sticks and other are played with hand. It is said that god Shiva dug a pit in the ground and skinned it with the devil’s skin and played it. That was world’s first skinned drum. This of course could be a myth, but the point is that these drums are older than to find their true origin.
Some old paintings have been found of a drum which sort of looks like a Baya (left) side of a Tabla, but the modern Tabla is not that old. Most scholars and researchers now agree that a Sufi poet and musician Amir Khusro made Tabla in the time of Emperor Alaudin Khilji (1296 – 1316 AD). He cut the Murdung (or Pukhavaj, an ancient rhythmic instrument, still popular in the southern music) in the middle and put the two pieces side by side. Later developments were made from that design. Some people say that word Tabla, evolved from Middle Eastern word ‘Tubbel’ drum. This much is sure that today Tabla is the most famous Indian drum in and out side of India.

Main Parts:
Tabla has two parts, which are simply known as the left and the right drum. The names are only correct if you are right handed. If you are left-handed, then you will be playing left side with your right hand. the good thing about Tabla is that no adjustment is necessary to change hands, just switch the drums around.
Both the left and the right parts have many other names too. You can pick any pair you would like to or you can mix and match.
1. Dayan (right) and Bayan (left)
2. Tabla and Dugga
3. Tabla and Duggi
4. Puda and Dhama
5. Jodi (the pair)

First two names are very famous everywhere. Some popular music players (non-classical) use the word Duggi for the Bayan (left). Some Quwali style players and villagers in Punjab, call them ‘Puda’ and ‘Dhama’. And religious Sikh singers mostly use the name ‘Jodi’. Generally speaking, if you say that I play Tabla, then this automatically means the both parts. But when we discuss the sounds of Tabla, then Tabla means the right side (Dayan or the higher, treble drum). To make things a little less confusing let’s settle on the names for this blog:

Tabla means both sides (the left and the right)
Dayan (right) means the right side or the smaller treble drum
Bayan (left) means the left side or the bigger bass drum

Dayan (the right side, treble drum):
The right side is the sharper side of Tabla. It is made of wood that gives it a distinguished sound. It is available in many sizes, depending on where you want to tune it. The Tabla heads are made from goatskin. A prepared skin is called ‘Pudi’. That is why sometimes ‘Dayan’ is also known as ‘Puda’. A Pudi’s edge has a crown which has 16 holes. A rawhide belt goes through these holes and 8 wooden blocks are inserted under the belt. Dayan is tuned by these wooden pieces.

It is always tuned before playing. Most players tune it to the keynote (especially classical and semi classical players), although in folk and pop music if the Key is too high or low for the available Dayan (the right side), then it is often tuned on the fifth or the fourth. It is very rare to tune it to the third and it is not recommended, unless you have no other option. The term ‘tuning Tabla’ mostly means tuning the right side’s (Dayan’s) edge (chanti), that sound is called ‘Na’ or ‘Ta’. So if you have a Tabla, don’t tune it until you really know how to create this ‘Na’ sound. The open sounds of Dayan (tu or din), are mostly semitone to a tone higher than the ‘Na’ sound.

Dayan’s top is divided in three parts:
1. The out side circle is called ‘Chanti’
2. The first circle inside it is called ‘Luv’ and
3.. the black part in the middle is called ‘Siaahi’ (ink)

Please pay attention to the picture and see where these parts are. All the sounds are made by hitting the different parts of Tabla with different kind of strokes. If a Tabla is recklessly hit or tuned, it may take hours to fix it back. It is a very delicate instrument. Although it is moderately loud instrument, but it is the technique not the force, that makes a Tabla sound good.

Bayan (Left side):
Left side is the bass side. It used to be made of clay, but now most of them are made of copper. In Punjab (Northern State of India (The Punjab School of tabla has produced most world renowned tabla players), some of them are also made of wood. A heavy brass Bayan (left) also sounds good, I have a very good sounding 5lb. brass Bayan. Normally the Bayan is not tuned to any specific note. But some very advance players, who have really good control over their palm-pressure, tune it too a certain note. If tuned, then it is generally tuned to the bass keynote. Many notes can be played by altering the pressure of palm on it. It also has the same three sections (chanti, luv, siaahi). Bayan’s Siaahi (ink) is on to a side. Most Bayans (left side) are 10″ in size. Bayan’s ‘Pudi’ (skin) has a crown too. Difference here is that the Bayan does not have wooden pieces under the hide belt (unless it is meant to be tuned).

Related Posts: 1. Tuning Tabla, 2. Tabla Sounds,

Also see more on the Rhythm Practice page.

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