Tabla - Dayan, the Small Drum

July 3, 2008 9:13 pm admin Arts

The smaller drum is played with the dominant hand and is sometimes called dayan (which literally means "right") but is correctly called the "tabla." It is made from a conical piece of mostly teak and rose wood hollowed out approximately half of its total depth. The best type of wood for this use is videsal wood (which is also being used for the manufacture of sarangi). However, due to its contemporary scarcity, other materials may frequently be used in its stead. One of the primary tones on the tabla can be tuned to a specific note and this contributes to and complements any melody. The tuning range it allows is limited although different d?y?ñs are produced in different sizes-each  with a different range of tones. For a given d?y?ñ, to achieve harmony with the soloist, it will usually be necessary to tune it to either the tonic, dominant or subdominant of the soloist’s key.