Tabla is the most attractive, sophisticated, and popular instrument among all other skin covered instruments of India. Apart from its instrumental value for the traditional system of playing solo, the Tabla plays a very important role in accompanying any kind of dance, vocal and instrumental music.

Vocal and instrumental music in India are related and often dependent on each other. Sometimes Sitar, Sarod, Sarangi, etc. accompanied the Vocalist as well as the Tabla playing solo. The Tabla is most suitable for the accompaniment of all kinds of music and dance and in this way changing roles between soloing and accompanying.

As the Tabla can produce a remarkable variety of sounds and also can be tuned to different pitches, it has become an easy instrument to play with any kind of music without disturbing the melody, and thus it has become very popular among musicians and music lovers.

Some people call the Tabla “a pair of drums” but, though they look like drums from the shape they are not really a pair of drums only! Many notes can be obtained through playing techniques which can not be compared to conventional drum playing. The Tabla is not for drumming but for playing, it is a self-supported instrument and can be played solo like any other instrument.   More...