11th to 14th July 2019
Andy Poonian
Multi-instrumentalist, Andy Poonian, will give an in-depth talk and workshop with Indian Tabla drums this year. Part demonstration, part introduction, these workshops will be very informative for all those interested in the complexities of these classical percussion instruments.
The tabla is a membranophone percussion instrument originating from the Indian subcontinent, consisting of a pair of drums, used in traditional, classical, popular and folk music. It has been a particularly important instrument in Hindustani classical music since the 18th century, and remains in use in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The name tabla likely comes from tabl, the Persian and Arabic word for drum. However, the ultimate origin of the musical instrument is contested by scholars, some tracing it to West Asia, others tracing it to the evolution of indigenous musical instruments of the Indian subcontinent. Some famous Tablists include Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ustad Allah Rakha Qureshi, Pandit Yogesh Samsi, Pandit Swapan Chaudhary, Pandit Suresh Talwalkar and Pandit Anindo Chatterjee.
The playing technique is complex and involves extensive use of the fingers and palms in various configurations to create a wide variety of different sounds and rhythms, reflected in mnemonic syllables (bol). In the Hindustani style tabla is played in two ways: band bol and khula bol. In the sense of classical music it is termed "tali" and "khali". It is one of the main qawali instrument used by Sufi musicians of Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. The tabla is also an important instrument in the bhakti devotional traditions of Hinduism and Sikhism, such as during bhajan and kirtan singing.