The tabla set consists of a wooden hollow drum on which is mounted the drum skin. The instrument gets its unique sound from the ink that is placed at the centre of the drum skin. The tabla's strict rhythmic patterns are formed by producing a combination of sounds (bol) by playing against various parts of the tabla, thereby producing periodic beats.

A beat is a cyclical time-bound repetition of a combination of individual sound strokes. Sound is produced as a direct result of the impact of the hand and fingers against the various sub-divisional components of the tabla set. This is an essential accompanying instrument in Hindustani and Carnatic classical and semi-classical music. Its siblings in the Hindustani or Carnatic percussion family are the mridangam, ghatam, dholak and pakhawaj.The instrument can also be played solo. Playing it solo is an achievement and requires tremendous skill and dexterity. The tabla is popular in the western world as well, and many East-West fusion pieces have tabla-based beats. Individual bols (sounds) are constituents of matra or count. When played in succession, cyclically, they produce rhythm and are responsible for setting the tempo.

The cyclical reproduction of these bols forms a taal. A taal is made up of a fixed number of matras and is repetitive. Varied bols can be made to fit into these taals, and they are called tukda, kaida, etc.

The tempo can be generally classified into three layas (speed):

1. Vilambit: A slow tempo, usually played at the beginning of the musical piece

2. Madhyam: A medium tempo, played as the piece gets under way, and

3. Drut: A fast tempo occurring at the climax of the musical piece.

Construction
The tabla consists of two drum-sets. The first is the tabla (or dayan), which is responsible for the treble audio-component, and the other is the dagga (bayan), which produces bass.

1. Main Body (kath)

The main body of the tabla is called the kath and is made of sheesham wood (rosewood), tun wood, or mango wood, babool or khair. A log of wood is selected and cut and made hollow from inside so that it is about half an inch thick. The diameter of the drum gradually decreases from the base to the top.

The base of the tabla is solid. The body of the dagga (bayan) may be made up of brass, alloy metal or sometimes even clay. The tabla stands approximately 10-12 inches high. It ranges from 4.5 inches to 6 inches in diameter (the diameter of the tabla is inversely proportional to the pitch), depending on what harmonic one wants to have. The dagga is more or less of the same height as the tabla, but is much wider. The diameter of the dagga may be between 9-9.5 inches. The pudi that is comprised of the maidan, syahi and gajra, is the most important part of the drum, from which the percussive sound is produced. The pudi is usually made from goatskin or deerskin.

2. Gajra

Around the perimeter of the pudi is the gajra, which appears woven. The gajra holds the pudi over the main body of the tabla.

3. Kinar or Chati

The circular piece around the gajra is called the kinar and chati, and this is where one produces bols like taa and naa. The gajra is usually about 2 cm wide.

4. Syahi or Gab (Ink)

In the centre is a circular black ink piece, which rises a little bit from the pudi. This is called the syahi or gab. This is usually made of minute iron filings, ink and coal pieces. The syahi is placed on the pudi by making many layers, one atop the other in a semi-concentric from. The syahi is important as it gives the tabla multi-harmonic properties.

The syahi on the tabla is perfectly centred. However, the syahi on the dagga is off-centre, giving space for the palm to rest on the dagga. It is on the tabla syahi that one produces bols such as ti, ra, ta, etc.

5. Maidan

The maidan is the remaining circular portion of the pudi. It is useful when playing open sounds like tun and helps the tabla make a reverberating sound.

6. Vadi (Stretch Chords)

The vadi is made up of extremely tough cow or buffalo hide and it helps the pudi remain taut over the body. The vadi is about 1 cm wide and the length may be between 35 and 40 feet.

7. Guli or Gatte (Pegs)

These are cylindrical sliders that are used for raising or lowering the pitch of the tabla. The pitch of the tabla can be raised or lowered by pushing the pegs downwards or upwards, respectively. There are usually eight pegs on the tabla. The dagga (bayan) may or may not have pegs.

8. Birha

This is the support on which the tabla and dagga rest.

The paraphernalia consists of the tuning hammer, tabla base-cushions and tabla covers.

Tuning up
Tabla tuning, maintenance and repair is extremely essential for maintaining the instrument in proper shape and producing good sound. Tuning involves matching the pitch of the tabla with that of the accompanying instrument (or secondary background instrument in case of solo tabla playing). The maintenance and repair involves taking care of the pudi, stretching it or changing it.

The tabla must be tuned by setting the pitch of the tabla to match the pitch of the accompanied (or accompanying) instrument. This is done by adjusting the tension on the pudi. Loosening the tension on the pudi causes the pitch of the tabla to reduce, whereas tightening it increases the pitch of the tabla.

Step 1: To tune the tabla, one must strike the kinar or chati with the index finger (as in producing the na or taa bol) and see whether the pitch is higher or lower than it should be.

If the pitch is lower than what it should be, the pegs are driven downward by hammering them down. (This causes the tension on the pudi to increase, increasing the pitch also.)If the pitch is higher than what it should be, the pegs are driven upward by hammering them up. (This causes the tension on the pudi to decrease, thereby decreasing the tabla pitch.) If the pitch is to be adjusted only slightly, then instead of striking the pegs, the gajra is struck downward or upward to increase or decrease the pitch.

Step 2: Adjust the spot diametrically opposite to the spot you just tuned. This happens to be the ninth knot from the originally tuned spot.

Step 3: After this, tune the spot that is the fifth knot from the original spot (between the two ends of the diameter).

Step 4: Finally, tune the spot that is the thirteenth knot from the original spot. Now, fine-tune the rest of the spots by adjusting the tension on the gajra. Bayan (dagga) must be tuned so that it sounds deeply resonant. It is usually tuned to a fourth or fifth below the tabla pitch.

Maintenance
The tabla is a delicate instrument and must be handled with care. Humidity and dampness is the main enemy of the tabla and dagga. It is extremely important that the tabla-dagga be covered by some kind of padding or cloth when not in use. This prevents moisture and dust from collecting on them.

Also, in this manner, weathering effects on the syahi (ink) can be minimised.Avoid banging too hard on the tabla. This may cause the syahi (ink) to come off or fragment.Many tabla players prefer to use powder when playing. This helps avoid the sweat on the palms from affecting the tabla.When tuning the tabla, avoid hitting too hard on the gajra (outer perimeter) because this may cause irreversible damage. Avoid extreme temperatures to minimise weathering effect.

Repairs
After a period of time, when the pudi (tabla skin) has become too old or has worn out, you may want to replace it. This is not a simple task and it is recommended that unless you are an expert at mending tablas, you should take it to a repair shop. Other repairs like tightening the vadi (gut strings) can be attempted provided you have a fair knowledge of tabla repair.

(Courtesy Ashutosh and Krithika Ketkar at tabla.homepage.com)