orig. India The tabla is a pair of small drums. The treble drum
is called the tabla or dahina ("right" in Hindi) and sits on the
floor in front of the player. The bass kettledrum is called the
bayan ("left" in Hindi). It is made of clay or copper and sits
to the left of the dahina. The player hits the center of the
skin on the top of each drum with his fingers while pressing
down to alter the pitch of the sound. A virtuoso player may
produce so many different sounds and inflections that the
instrument seems to speak. In India, the process of learning to
play the tabla begins when a master adopts a six or seven-year-
old child as his student. The student will study with the master
every day for a decade or longer. The pairing of drums called
the tabla was first used in India in the 1700s. Today it is used
in all varieties of North Indian instrumental music and is the
primary accompanying instrument for the kathak dance style.