Description of the Tabla:
"The Tabla is regarded as the queen of drums and percussion instruments", quotes the Tanarang School of Music. Consisting of two drums, the Bayan or the Dhaga (the bigger bass drum) and the Dayan or the Tabla(smaller drum). The open top of both drums is mostly covered with goat leather skin. The playing technique requires a differentiated fingering to create modulations, variations, and other sounds while playing on the different layers of the tabla's surface.
Technique:
The Bayan is played with the index finger and the middle finger of the left hand either separately or with both fingers together. During this, the ball of the thumb would be resting on the edge of the skin and is used for modulating the pitch. Tuning is done by using a hammer to beat the woven ring around the skin of the two drums. The Dayan is made of different types of wood including Shisham, Neem, Mahogany, and Babla wood.
