The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums.The right hand drum is called a tabla and the left hand drum is called a dagga or baya . Playing technique involves extensive use of the fingers and palms in various configurations to create a wide variety of different sounds and rhythms.Tabla is tuned manually by hitting hammer on the rim.
Tabla is the only percussion instrument in the world which has a spectrum consisting of five harmonics with four overtones. The unique feature of the ‘syahi ‘ or the black spot in the middle of the dayan and in the side of bayan is responsible for the wide variety of syllables .In 1920 the great scientists C.V. Raman and S. Kumar called it ‘Psycho acoustics’
Common strokes such as “Ta”, “Tin”, and “Na” are strongly pitched resonant strokes ( Tuned manually by Tabla Player) whereas “Tun” is one note higher than pitched note.
Tun is a resonant stroke of the right hand. The head is not muted at all but allowed to resonate freely. The head is struck in the center of the syahi with the index finger of the right hand.The Tabla-dayan is not the only drum with a pitch: the bayan also has a pitch. Tabla Player apply pressure on the left drum Membrane to Produce different -different slides and pitches whereas Right Drum produce resonant and non-resonant strokes. So basic Sounds can be produced from left drum , right drum and combo drums.
About Jagannath Singh (Tabla Player).
Jagannath Singh is Playing Tabla from more than 35 years and is well trained under “Banaras Gharana*”. He is known for producing very dominating sound using both the drums extensively and yet maintaining fine balance of overall sound of Tabla. He has won many national awards from “Ministry of Cultures” for his playing style and Currently working as full time artist under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting .
*Gharana indicates a comprehensive musicological ideology.This ideology sometimes changes substantially from one gharana to another.Some of the gharanas well known for tabla are : Delhi, Ajara, Lucknow , Banaras , Farukhabad and Punjab.
About the “Loops Library”
Whole concept of library was to record the “articulations in action” instead of recording fixed rhythm patterns, which is more expressive and inspiring than the same rhythms played at different speeds. This Library includes more than 1100 Performance samples ranging from “very short phrases” to “very long phrases” upto 37 sec long.
“Jagannath Singh” can hit 100′s of strokes within few seconds and to push the capability of performance we marked each transient stroke so that we can speed up the samples with more control.
*Library is recorded in 70 BPM , 80 BPM , 90 BPM , 100 BPM , 110 BPM , 120 BPM , 128 BPM , 130 BPM and 140 BPM. On top of this sync features in “Kontakt Patches” and “Rex Loops” make this library special.
*Special Kontakt effects – Transient, Heat, and Doubler are available on Kontakt UI Panel.
*Microtuning is available for each sample.
*7 impulse response reverbs are made for the library
Library includes Kontakt Instruments , Rex Loops and Wave Loops. We have given Speed and Tuning control to the Kontakt patches.
In Last we really hope you will take full advantage of these natural phrases.You can use these phrases for Sound Design , Chop the articulations and arrange them with other elements and may be use them for learning the style of articulations.
