The word is thought to have its origins in the Arabic tabl (which means any kind of drum) but it was, undoubtedly, invented in India although its origins and exact role in the classical music of early years are shrouded in mystery and controversy. North India’s most popular percussion instrument for devotional as well as classical music, the tabla consists of two drums, the smaller one of which is actually called “tabla” but it is more often referred to as dayan (literally “right”) usually played by the right, or dominant hand and a larger one played with the left hand and called bayan (literally “left”) but it is also sometimes called a duggi.

The tabla’s main distinguishing feature is that unlike older “twin” drums, which were always identical and played in pairs, the tabla’s two parts are both single-headed drums – not only of two different sizes but also producing entirely different timbres, (the bayan producing a much deeper, bass tone.)

The shells of both drums are covered in two layers of goat or cow hide, the top layer helping to suppress some of the unwanted overtones. Both drum heads have a central area constructed out of several thin layers of a paste made out of either wheat or rice-starch to which blackening is added. It is the precise construction and shaping of this area which determines the instrument’s final tonal quality. Both drums are steadied for playing by being placed on ring-shaped holders made of natural fibre wrapped in cloth.

The playing technique involves extensive use of fingers as well as the palm to create different syllables known as bol[s] as well as using the heel of the hand to apply pressure in a slide-like motion to change the pitch. The dayan, (or right-hand side treble drum) is always tuned to the tonic in which the instrumentalist or vocalist is going to perform.