The Art of Tabla Rhythm

by Sudhir Kumar Saxena

This authoritative work deals comprehensively with tabla rhythm, focusing on the performed art with an eye to its history and aesthetics. It is aimed at the tabla student, the tabla performer, as well as the inquiring listener of Hindustani music, for whom it encapsulates a tabla practitioner's knowledge in these matters acquired over a lifetime of learning and teach.

Beginning with the evolution of the tabla, the book explains the technique of producing the basic bols. It further describes the way to do reyaz on the tabla, to maintain the instrument through changing seasons, and to raise and moderate its pitch, besides other practical directions. The author explains the principal compositions that make up a standard tabla recital, and how they may be played in solo and sangat contexts. The major gharanas of tabla are discussed critically, and their notated compositions are provided in both Roman and Devanagari scripts. The CD accompanying the book carries samples of the tabla of these gharanas recorded under the author's direction, as well as demonstrations of compositions used as illustrations in the book.

Grounded in traditional learning in tabla rhythm, the book is written with a rational, empirical mind, and in a lucid manner all along which makes it accessible to a wide range of musicians and listeners.