I know that you are working hard these days, sitting on the chair for long hours and the body part that you sit on must feel numb and stiff but I was just wondering if you can enlighten us lil bit about the Tabla progression that’s been going on in your life lately since I don’t know much about Tablas and want to learn a thing or two (about Tablas) before I try to impress an Indian chick.
You effort would be much appreciated and the extra numbness it may cause will be well (and I mean really well) acknowledged.
Ustad Rom. Tabla is considered to be one of the most challenging percussion instruments to learn. It takes years of practice and dedication before even begin to play simple beats. What makes it harder for folks like us (who are overtly dependent on written instructions) is that percussion notes are not written and it is all in the head. Even tuning the motherphucker is a task a la mont. I have been playing it for some while now but I only know the basic Ta Tin Tin Ta routines. I go to an instructor once in a while who lives almost 2 hours from where I am and I don’t feel motivated to travel that far only to get 30 minutes of instructions. The other challenge is practicing at home, for which I rarely get a chance. What I have been doing lately however is taking some violin lessons. My older son, as you know, goes for saxophone lessons and there is violinist in the academy who is helping me. I will suggest that if you can take some string or keyboard lessons that might be more doable for you than to learn to play Tabla. There are all kinds of places you can train in.
Music playing is basically the same, whether Tabla or Brass or String.
If you are really really interested in Tabla and are willing to travel far to get instructions, let me know. A decent pair costs about $200 here, (about $30 in Lahore) and instructions run from $40/hr and upwards. There are some places that send videotape instructions, but they are useless.
Good luck with impressing Indian chicks. I don’t think they get impressed that easily. You need to learn more than just banging (on the drums that is) to impress chicks.
i had given an attempt to tabla when i was a kid and failed in tabla exam and gave up. but it helps listening and appreciation even if u dont really learn instrument. later i learnt that one of my great-gradpas were in some darbar playing tabla in official capacity but were thrown out of darbar due to some offense in royal protocol. so it is not my fault. runs in blood. my nephew is trying hand on tabla these days.
p.s. another culture question. why in heer-ranza, laila-majnu, sohni-mahiwal, radha-krishna, seeta-ram, and other asian pairs, female name is first while in romeo-juliet, male name is first? Damn.. finally i fired a question to NYA that waqas99 did not think of!
[This message has been edited by ZZ (edited April 11, 2001).]
I once attended a live concert back in Lahore where Ustad Shaukat Hussain played Tabla. It was mostly a ghazal night and he did a pretty good job.
My liking of Tabla started from listening to Mehdi Hassan's ghazals. I don't know anything hard core about the Tabla but then again, you don't have to to enjoy good piece of music. I think Tabla is one of the foremost instruments that combines high energy with harmony. Sittar or Harmonium etc have their own place in good music but personally I like Tabla better.
The other music insturment I like is piano. There are some great piano tunes in some of the Indian movie songs that I enjoying listening to sometimes.
I'd to actually learn something to play, I'd either prefer piano or violin.