The Complete Handbook of Tablas

Chapter 1: Understanding Tablas

Tablas are not a single drum. They are a pair of hand drums, played together, that serve as the primary rhythm instrument in North Indian classical music. The smaller drum, played with the dominant hand, is called the dayan (sometimes spelled tabla or tablaa). The larger drum, played with the other hand, is called the bayan. They look like two unrelated instruments that happen to be sold as a set. That is because they are built differently, have different tonal ranges, and produce different kinds of sound. But they are inseparable in practice.

The dayan is a tall, narrow drum, usually made from a single block of seasoned wood. It produces a bright, high-pitched tone with a surprising amount of resonance. The bayan is shorter and wider, traditionally made from clay, brass, or copper, though modern versions also use fiberglass or steel. It produces a deep, resonant bass that can be bent and shaped by sliding the palm across the skin. Played together, they cover a range of roughly four and a half octaves. That is a wider range than most single instruments, and it is why a single pair of tablas can seem to do the work of several drums.

The sound of a tabla comes from the head, not the shell. The dayan head is made up of three distinct layers. First, there is the main skin, usually goat hide. On top of that, a second layer of skin is applied near the edge