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.
