௫ TABLA

The Tabla (Hindi: तबला, Bangla: তবলা, Nepali: तबला, is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in the classical, popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent and in Hindustani classical music. 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."

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 the pitch is changed during the sound's decay.

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" representing the 'yin' (female) energy. It is made from a conical piece of mostly teak and rosewood hollowed out to approximately half of its total depth.

The larger drum, played with the other hand, is called bāyāñ (lit. "left"; a.k.a. dagga, duggī, dhāmā) representing the 'yang' (male) energy. The bāyāñ has a much deeper bass tone, much like its distant cousin, the kettle drum. [wikipedia]

She plays tabla with a lightning speed and full of zest.