One of the most popular percussion instruments in the rich musical culture of South Asia is the tabla drums. It originated as far as 300 years ago. Its name came from the Arabic word tabla meaning drum. It is said to be a mixture of characteristics of pre-existing drums such as dholak, naqqara, and pakhawa but its exact history is still unclear. This instrument is commonly used in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The modern version of the instrument is composed of a pair of drums. The dayan, which means right in India, is the smaller, wooden drum played with the right hand while the bayan, which is translated as left, is the larger drum with a metal body and played with the left hand.

One of the main differences of both drums is the size but their parts are mostly the same. The head of the drums, called the puri, is made up of goat hide. An extra ring of hide is laid over the head as well as on the bottom of the drums. These rings hold the lacings, or tasma, on the side of the drums, which in turn control the tension and pitch of the drums through a number of wooden cylindrical blocks called ghatta. These are placed between the body and the lacings. There is a black circle in the middle of the drum heads called syahi made up of gum, soot and iron fillings. The syahi is located in the center of the head, but in bayan, it is a little bit off to the side.

The defining sound of the tabla is its bell-like timbre made possible by the syahi. The dayan is tuned to the tonic note of the vocalist or the instruments accompanying it. It has the higher pitch between the two. The low end of the instrument is produced by the larger bayan. It is interesting to note that the tune of the bass is not confined to a single note but can cover a whole scale based on the position and pressure of the left wrist on the syahi. One can also do sliding notes on the bass because of the ease in controlling the tune.

Learning how to play the tabla can be challenging to some since the principles are a little different from the Western styles of music. The beats are conceptualized through mnemonic syllables called bol. To be able to play well, one has to understand how the basic Indian rhythm is conceptualized.

Tabla drums can cover both melodic and rhythmic concepts in the Indian system. However, as in most percussion instruments, it is in the rhythm that it is mostly focused on. Just as the Western style has the beat, measure and cycle, so does the Indian style. The only main difference is that the latter focuses more on the cycle unlike the former which focuses on the measure and the beat. Timekeeping when playing the tabla is based on claps and waves. These claps and waves basically describe the measure of Indian music. It is important in the conceptualization and execution of the whole song as the other instruments also follow this rhythm as a guide. Thus the player can play in different syllables as long as the cycle remains constant.

The sound and feel of the tabla is rich and exotic. As an instrument, it can stand on its own when played just right but will also do very well when combined with vocals and other instruments. It may not be easy to learn but with time and dedication plus a good understanding of Indian musical concepts, one is bound to produce beautiful music through this instrument.