Tabla Making

(Refer to the diagram below)

The tabla is made of two different drums. The higher pitched drum is the dahina while the baya produces a more deeper sound. Technically, the dahina should be played with the right hand as it's translation in hindi is "right", while the baya translates to "left". However, not all people are right handed so the dahina should be played with the hand the person writes with. Any good tabla that's worth its salt is made of a dry piece of wood. Since it's been chiselled out in the inside by hand and is round, the dahina produces a resonating sound. The "puri" is the head of the drum where the actual playing occurs. Since the tabla has to survive for quite a bit, the drum head is made of goatskin that is quite thick and is made without flaws. In the middle of the drum, there is a black spot ("syahi"), which is about 1 millimetre thick. The syahi is a semi permanent paste made of finely crack coal dust and iron filings. It can easily get damaged if liquid is spilt on it or if sharp objects hit it. The leather strap ("baddhi") keeps the puri from moving. Tightening the baddhi results in the tabla having a higher pitch, while loosening the baddhi lowers the pitch of the tabla. To increase the range of the pitch, the tabla has thirty-two baddhis for a standard tabla. The wooden pegs ("gitaks") are quite dense. Each gitak is placed for every four baddhis there are. Since a tabla can only go to a certain range by tightening or loosening one baddhi, others have to be added or removed to allow the tabla's pitch to have a greater range. The other hand plays the baya. The range of the baya's tune is anywhere from a fourth to and octave under the dahina's pitch. A good baya is heavy and is usually made of metal. The metal causes the baya to gain a more deeper sound. Occasionally clay is used to give it a more melodic and musical sound. Clay bayas are usually the more traditional tablas that were used in the 1700's. The body of the baya is fastened to the head with a strong rope ("dori") or by using baddhis. If the dori is used, there are metal rings right underneath the tabla which are spread equally around the tabla. This makes sure that the sound remains consistent in different spots of the drum. As with the dahina, the head of the baya is made of goatskin as well. However, the syahi is slightly above the centre of the baya and is approximately twice as thick as the dahina's syahi. temperature consistently. If the atmosphere is too dry, the goatskin becomes tight and if it's damp, the skin becomes loose. If you want the dahina to produce the resonating sound, you have to apply talcum powder before you touch the tabla. This prevents perspiration and body oils from damaging the tabla.