Tabla Banya - India

Purchased in Bombay, India, 1963

From Graciela's Notes

     Tabla are the principal drums used in the classical music of North India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is a set of two drums which go to make up the tabla and are called Tabla and Baya. They are used to accompany vocal and instrumental music as well as dance music. Performers choose drums according to the size of their hands and also the pitch required. The Tabla is a tuned cylindrical drum made of wood. The leather straps hold the wooden tuning blocks. These raise the pitch of the drums when hammered downward. The Baya is a hemispherical bowl or kettledrum made of copper with chrome on the outside. It also has wooden tuning blocks to tune it. Both drums rest on cloth rings. They are played as a pair. During our stay in Bombay we saw several presentations of folk dances where I had a chance to see the various types of folk instruments.  I purchased the Tabla in Bombay during my Christmas trip in 1963.

View of drum head	View of two drum heads

For more information email: fabrm@lake.ollusa.edu