Tabla Badhri

The Tabla

The Tabla is a pair of twin hand drums which since 18th century has been the principal percussion instrument in the Indian subcontinent for classical music through to Bollywood and Pop music. An important instrument in the religious prayer/bhakti traditions of Hinduism and Sikhism, the bhajan and kirtan sing and put the teaching of the Bhagavati Gita and the Guru Granth Saab to music.

It is one of the main Qawali instruments used by Sufi musicians and plays a very important accompaniment in dance performances In Kathak, it is not just used for musical background but as a partner to the intricate steps of this beautiful dance.

The Tabla is the pulse from which compositions flow… the purity of these drums bring order. Called twins but so different, the path they strike is no mirror image. They are incomplete on their own and made powerful by the sheer resonance of being played side by side.

We are awed when we listen to their beat and as for the player this is truly an experience where the left and right side of the mind, body and spirit combine to manifest oneness. When we are lost in the story telling of the drums of the Tabla we see our human duality played in music mastery.