RBSE SS Tabla cheat sheet

The tabla is a pair of drums-daya (right, treble) and bayan (left, bass)-that emerged as a distinct instrument in the Delhi region around the 18th century, not in the Vedic period.

Its ancestry is traced to the pakhawaj/mridang barrel drum; the split-drum account and the Amir Khusrau attribution are popular traditions rather than documented history.

Sidhar Khan Dhadi of Delhi is conventionally credited with shaping the early tabla baaj and founding the Delhi gharana; his lineage includes later Delhi masters.

From the late Mughal court to Lucknow, Banaras and Punjab, tabla moved from accompaniment and ritual use into the concert hall during the 19th century.

The 20th century brought All India Radio, gramophone recording, public solo concerts and institutional teaching, which standardized repertoire and notation.

Pakhawaj-derived bols such as dha, dhin, tirakita and paran remain in tabla repertoire, but tabla-specific kaida, rela and gat developed with the smaller, higher-pitched drum.

Modern tabla history includes global touring and fusion from the 1960s onward, with players such as Alla Rakha and Zakir Hussain raising the instrument's international profile.

Daya: single-headed treble drum, usually sheesham or mango wood; its head has syahi (black centre), maidan (clear annular area), kinar (rim) and gajra (edge).

Bayan: kettledrum of copper, brass or clay; its head carries an offset syahi that allows a glissando when the heel of the hand presses.

Both heads are laced with tasma (leather thongs) over a gudri (padding); gatta (small tension blocks) are tapped to tune the daya.

The daya is tuned to the tonic or upper tonic of the performance; the bayan is tuned lower, often to the lower Sa or Pa, and its pitch is bent in play.

Syahi is a paste of iron oxide, rice husk and ink applied in layers and dried; worn syahi changes tone and must be repaired by a qualified maker.

Maintenance rule: keep the instrument dry, cover the heads, avoid direct sun and moisture, and loosen lacing only when changing a head or travelling.

A cracked head, torn kinar or loose tasma is replaced rather than patched; tuning with gatta should be gradual and even to avoid warping.

Bayan syahi is placed off-centre; rotating the bayan can change its relationship to the hand and should be avoided once tuned.

Delhi: refined, controlled baaj; intricate kaida with clear bols, emphasis on dayan, elegant tihai and minimal theatricality.

Ajrada: powerful, bayan-heavy style; open resonant bols such as ghe and ghena, strong kaida and rela, and forceful tihai.

Lucknow: lyrical, courtly style influenced by pakhawaj and Kathak; gat, paran and tukda, softer dynamics and graceful phrasing.

Farrukhabad: composed, systematic style; extensive kaida and rela, wide laya range, use of tirakita and dramatic tihai and tukda.

Banaras: pakhawaj-derived, robust style; heavy dha, strong bayan, paran, chautaal and dhamar repertoire, and Kathak accompaniment.

Punjab: energetic, open style; rela, strong driving laya, tirakita patterns and influence from Punjabi folk rhythms.

Gharana identity is carried by baaj (playing style), repertoire, bol vocabulary and pedagogy, not by instrument construction.

Modern players often blend gharanas; exam answers should name the gharana's characteristic baaj and one signature composition type.

Matra = beat; vibhag = bar or division; tali = clap (marked x, 2, 3...); khali = wave (0); sam = first matra and point of resolution.

Avartan = one full cycle; jati = classification by matra count: tisra (3), chatusra (4), khanda (5), misra (7), sankirna (9).

Teentaal: 16 matras, vibhag 4+4+4+4; tali on 1, 5 and 13; khali on 9.

Jhaptaal: 10 matras, 2+3+2+3; tali on 1, 3 and 8; khali on 6.

Rupak: 7 matras, 3+2+2; khali on 1 (sam is khali), tali on 4 and 6.

Ektaal: 12 matras, 2+2+2+2+2+2; tali on 1, 5, 9 and 11; khali on 3 and 7.

Dhamar: 14 matras, 5+2+3+4; tali on 1, 6 and 11; khali on 8.

Laya: vilambit, madhya, drut; laykari: barabar, dugun, tigun, chaugun, aad (3/2), kuwaad (5/4), biyad (7/4).

Sam-handling rule: a tihai must be calculated so its final stroke lands on sam; count the phrase length and start at sam minus (3 times phrase length).

Notation: matra numbers above the line, vibhag bars, sam marked x, khali 0, tali numbered; bols written in Devanagari or Roman transliteration.

Kaida: a short theme in a taal, followed by systematic paltas and a tihai; it develops a single bol pattern.

Palta: a variation of the kaida theme that keeps the taal cycle and usually returns to the original before the next variation.

Tihai: a phrase repeated three times; damdar tihai has a pause after each repetition, bedam is continuous; it ends on sam.

Rela: fast, continuous, usually chatusra bol pattern with a rolling feel; Gat: fixed composition, often in madhya or drut laya.

Chakradar: a tihai repeated three times, producing three cadences; Tukda: short fixed composition; Paran: pakhawaj-derived composition, often in chautaal or dhamar.

Uthan: opening composition that establishes the taal and laya; peshkar: opening development piece in vilambit, less rigid than kaida.

Notation rule: write khali bols with 0 and avoid confusing them with tali; every composition must show its starting matra and sam arrival.

Solo format in Teentaal: uthan or paran, peshkar, kaida with paltas, rela, gat or tukda, tihai, chakradar and closing tihai on sam.

Teentaal solo: 16 matras; sam on 1, khali on 9; phrase lengths must divide or cadence into the 4+4+4+4 framework.

Jhaptaal solo: 10 matras (2+3+2+3); khali on 6; paltas must respect the unequal vibhag.

Rupak solo: 7 matras (3+2+2); sam is khali on 1; the solo must establish the khali sam clearly.

Tihai calculation: for a phrase of n matras repeated three times, start on matra (sam minus 3n plus 1) in the cycle so the last matra is sam.

Laykari in solo: barabar, dugun, tigun and chaugun; aad, kuwaad and biyad are used for cross-rhythmic tension before returning to sam.

Practical rule: keep the bayan's pitch and the daya's tuning stable; do not let tempo drift when moving from kaida to rela.

A solo should show contrast: vilambit kaida for clarity, madhya rela for flow, drut gat or tukda for brilliance, then a calculated tihai.

Vocal sangat: follow the singer's laya and sam; theka is kept steady, with occasional mohra or filler at section ends, not constant solo elaboration.

Instrumental sangat: match the instrument's phrase rhythm; in jhala or fast gat, use rela-like support and clear sam arrivals.

Kathak sangat: theka supports tatkar; play tukda, paran, chakradar and tihai for nritta segments and follow the dancer's footwork.

Sam handling: prepare the cadence so the main artist lands on sam; avoid covering the singer's or dancer's own tihai.

Laya rule: when the soloist changes laya, adjust immediately but keep the taal cycle; do not force a fixed theka pattern.

In vilambit khayal, sparse, spacious theka with controlled bayan is preferred; in drut, crisp, lively theka with clear tali and khali.

Sawal-jawab with instrumentalists or dancers requires exact repetition of phrase length and sam placement.

Accompaniment rule: the tabla should support, not dominate; volume and density are reduced under the main artist's melodic or footwork passages.

Varna: literally 'letter or colour'; in tabla pedagogy it denotes a bol syllable such as dha, dhin, ta or tin, while in melodic theory it denotes aroha, avaroha, sthayi and sanchari-state the context.

Kriya: hand action or stroke technique that produces a bol; kriya determines tone, for example open dha versus closed tin.

Jati: classification by matra count-tisra 3, chatusra 4, khanda 5, misra 7, sankirna 9; also used for vibhag grouping.

Upaj: extempore improvisation; in tabla solo it is spontaneous elaboration within the taal, distinct from fixed compositions.

Peshkar: opening solo composition, usually vilambit, with gradual development; mohra: short cadential phrase used to reach sam, especially in accompaniment.

Ahmed Jan Thirakwa (c.1882–1976): Farrukhabad-trained master, renowned for powerful bayan, wide repertoire and solo elaboration.

Alla Rakha (1919–2000): Punjab gharana, famed for rela, dynamic solo work and international collaborations; father of Zakir Hussain.

Kishan Maharaj (1923–2008): Banaras gharana, master of pakhawaj-derived baaj, paran and Kathak accompaniment.

Samta Prasad (1920–1994): Banaras gharana, lyrical solo style and a major concert and film career.