Introduction

Design Resource

Making of Tabla - Ahmednagar, Maharashtra

Musical Instrument Making

Prof. Bibhudutta Baral and Srikanth Bellamkonda

Introduction

The word ‘Tabla’ is derived from the Arabic word ‘drum’ and the Indian version of it is made up of a pair of drums, one tuned to a bivalent bell-like tone and the other to a low bass tone. Tracing back to history, the human discovery of musical instruments started with rattles, scrapers, and bone flutes, followed by slit drums, shell trumpets, and musical bows in the neolithic period. While the paleolithic period came up with yield basket rattles, xylophones, friction sticks, and an early form of the present-day flute. But as these materials were perishable by nature, the evidence of their existence was studied mainly through depictions in sculptures, paintings, and manuscripts. The seals found from the sites of Indus valley civilization bear depictions of people playing long Tabla as drums hung around their necks which resembles modern Khol of Assam and Dhole of Andhra Pradesh. Legends have noted that Tabla is inspired by the Mridanga instrument, and it is an Indo Persian musician named Amir Khusraw who in an attempt to fuse Persian art with Indian music in the early 13th century divided Mridangam into two halves for sharper and sweeter sound quality, thus inventing Tabla. Slowly, it was accepted by musicians to be later highly regarded in North India especially in Delhi Gharanas. Scriptures like Nardiya Shiksha and Natyasastra have also contributed largely to the prevailing knowledge on instrument makings and playing bestowed with a scientific approach. Om Nadbrahma Tabla makers based in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, is one known musical instrument manufacturers in the country. The proprietor Mr. Dinesh Balaji Shirsagar is a third-generation artisan at the center who has been running the business for more than 20 years. Now let us see how a tabla is being made.

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Making of Tabla - Ahmednagar, Maharashtra