Tabla News: March 2011

Monday, March 21, 2011

Tabla Loops 31 (Tabla Radio) - Teentaal, 16 Beats

Playing technique

The tabla (or tabl, tabla) (Hindi: तबला, Marathi: तबला, Kannada: ತಬಲ, Telugu: తబల, Tamil:தபேலா, Malayalam: തബല, Bengali: তবলা, Nepali: तबला, Urdu: طبلہ, Arabic: طبل، طبلة‎) is a popular Indian percussion instrument (of the membranophone family) 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.”^[1]

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 thepitch is changed during the sound’s decay.

Nomenclature and construction

The smaller drum, played with the dominant hand, is sometimes called dayan (lit. “right”; a.k.a. dāhina, siddha, chattū) but is correctly called the “tabla.” It is made from a conical piece of mostly teak and rosewood hollowed out to approximately half of its total depth. The drum is tuned to a specific note, usually either the tonic, dominant or sub-dominant of the soloist’s key and thus complements the melody. The tuning range is limited although different dāyāñ-s are produced in different sizes, each with a different range. Cylindrical wood blocks, known as ghatta, are inserted between the strap and the shell allowing tension to be adjusted by their vertical positioning. Fine tuning is achieved while striking vertically on the braided portion of the head using a small hammer.

The larger drum, played with the other hand, is called bāyāñ (lit. “left”; a.k.a. dagga, duggī, dhāmā). The bāyāñ has a much deeper bass tone, much like its distant cousin, the kettle drum. The bāyāñ may be made of any of a number of materials. Brass is the most common,copper is more expensive, but generally held to be the best, while aluminum and steel are often found in inexpensive models. One sometimes finds that wood is used, especially in old bāyāñs from the Punjab. Clay is also used, although not favored for durability; these are generally found in the North-East region of Bengal.

Both drum shells are covered with a head (or puri) constructed from goat or cow skin. An outer ring of skin (keenar) is overlaid on the main skin and serves to suppress some of the natural overtones. These two skins are bound together with a complex woven braid that gives the assembly enough strength to be tensioned on the shell. The head is affixed to the drum shell with a single cow or camel hide strap laced between the braid of the head assembly and another ring (made from the same strap material) placed on the bottom of the drum.

The head of each drum has a central area called the Syahi (lit. “ink”; a.k.a. shāī or gāb). This is constructed using multiple layers of a paste made from starch (rice or wheat) mixed with a black powder of various origins. The precise construction and shaping of this area is responsible for modification of the drum’s natural overtones, resulting in the clarity of pitch and variety of tonal possibilities unique to this instrument. The skill required for the proper construction of this area is highly refined and is the main differentiating factor in the quality of a particular instrument. For stability while playing, each drum is positioned on a toroidal bundle called chutta or guddi, consisting of plant fiber or another malleable material wrapped in cloth.

Gharānā — tabla tradition

The term gharānā is used to specify a lineage of teaching and repertoire in Indian classical music. Most performers and scholars recognize two styles of tabla gharana: Dilli Baj and Purbi Baj. Dilli (or Delhi) baj comes from the style that developed in Delhi, and Purbi (meaning eastern) baj developed in the area east of Delhi. Delhi Baj is also known as Chati baj (Chati is a part of Tabla from where special tone can be produced).

Musicians then recognize six gharānās – schools or traditions – of tabla. These traditions appeared or evolved in presumably^{[citation needed]}the following order:

Other tabla performers have identified further derivations of the above traditions, but these are subjective claims not universally recognized.^{[citation needed]} Some traditions indeed have sub-lineages and sub-styles that meet the criteria to warrant a separate gharānā name, but such socio-musical identities have not taken hold in the public discourse of Hindustani art music, such as the Qasur lineage of tabla players of the Punjab region.

Each gharānā is traditionally set apart from the others by unique aspects of the compositional and playing styles of its exponents. For instance, some gharānās have different tabla positioning and bol techniques. In the days of court patronage the preservation of these distinctions was important in order to maintain the prestige of the sponsoring court. Gharānā secrets were closely guarded and often only passed along family lines. Being born into or marrying into a lineage holding family was often the only way to gain access to this knowledge.

Today many of these gharānā distinctions have been blurred as information has been more freely shared and newer generations of players have learned and combined aspects from multiple gharānās to form their own styles. There is much debate as to whether the concept of gharānā even still applies to modern players. Some think the era of gharānā has effectively come to an end as the unique aspects of each gharānā have been mostly lost through the mixing of styles and the socio-economic difficulties of maintaining lineage purity through rigorous training.

Nonetheless the greatness of each gharānā can still be observed through study of its traditional material and, when accessible, recordings of its great players. The current generation of traditionally trained masters still hold vast amounts of traditional compositional knowledge and expertise.

This body of compositional knowledge and the intricate theoretical basis which informs it is still actively being transmitted from teacher to student all over the world. In addition to the instrument itself, the term tablais often used in reference to this knowledge and the process of its transmission.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Latin American and Spanish Music Concerts

Date: 13th March
Venue: Korean Presbyterian Church of Tucson, 2801 E. 17th St
Artists:
Former Tucson Symphony Cellist Tom Clowes and pianist Ji-Young Kim
Manuel De Falla, Astor Piazzolla, Alberto Ginastera, and Heitor Villa-Lobos
Styles: Spanish songs, Argentine tango, Argentine cowboy music, and Brazilian-classical fusion

Free Music Programming at Toronto’s Metro Square

Date: From June 10 to 19
Venue: Toronto’s Metro Square
Featuring:

Montreal’s Beast and Nova Scotia’s The Joel Plaskett Emergency
Kronos Quartet will be performing with Alim Qasimov Ensemble on June 10 and with Homayun Sakhi on June 11
Dominic Mancuso, Marco Calliari and Bandabardo with Peppe Voltarelli take the stage on June 11
Gavin Creel
Malkit Singh
k.d. lang

Gypsy Music - The Karavan International Gypsy Music Festival Melbourne

Event: The Karavan International Gypsy Music Festival
Date: Saturday, 26th Feb 2011
Styles: Russian criminal songs, flamenco ensemble Arte Kanela, Balkan influenced Lolo Lovina from Sydney, and Middle East/Balkan fusion
Bands: GIPSY.CZ from Prague, Vulgargrad from Melbourne, Babaganoush from Melbourne.
Links to Gypsy Music:

Tabla News

Pages

Monday, March 21, 2011

Tabla Loops 31 (Tabla Radio) - Teentaal, 16 Beats

Playing technique

Nomenclature and construction

Gharānā — tabla tradition

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Latin American and Spanish Music Concerts

Free Music Programming at Toronto’s Metro Square

Gypsy Music - The Karavan International Gypsy Music Festival Melbourne

Percussion Sample (Belly Dance Rhythm Tracks - MP3 Download)

Swapan Chaudhari at LACM of Art

Oriental Dancer for Belly Dance or Arabian Origin - Aisha, Arabian Tabla Solo - March 2011

Tabla Loops for Music Production