Comprehensive course on the art of playing Tabla B1

Name: Comprehensive course on the art of playing Tabla B1
Rating: 4.8 (13 reviews)

B1 Module of the Beginner's course

Created byMuthu Kumar Varadarajan

Last updated 8/2023

English

What you'll learn

This course will help a beginner understand the overview of the Tabla learning process
It will guide the student to understand the basics like, the hand placement and the sitting position and the parts of the tabla
The students will be able to play two full Kayda compositions.
The lesson on techniques will help the student understand and enjoy his/her tabla playing

Course content

1 section • 15 lectures • 43m total length

Introduction to the B1 module of the Comprehensive Tabla course2:21
An overview of the course.
Introduction to the Tablas1:21
Sitting posture and Tabla Placement1:49
sit cross-legged in sukhasana with a straight back and relaxed shoulders, place the tablas on rings at a forward tilt, dagga off-centre, smallest part facing the tabla, drums touching legs.
Parts of the Tabla1:44
Hand placement and Finger positions1:45
Learn proper tabla hand placement with relaxed elbows and wrists, ring and little fingers on the Shyahi, index on the Kinaar, and cupped U-shaped fingers for the Dagga.
Sounds of the Tabla9:24
Learn to play the tabla by mastering open and closed sounds and practicing single and combined strokes like Na, Tha, Ti, Thun, Ge, and Dha.
Taal2:38
Explore taal as a rhythm cycle, from Dadra to Teen taal. Learn the beats, vibhaag sections, sum and khali, and how these concepts anchor tabla compositions and solos.
Introduction to Kayda1:49
Explore kayda, a rule-based tabla composition with mukada (theme), paltas (variations), and tehai ending; ensure variations use only theme words and endings stay the same to master techniques and vocabulary.
Kayda 1 - Part 13:13
Kayda 1 - Part 23:11
Explore kayda 1 part 2, detailing tehai variations 5 through 8 and the 64-beat structure divided into three 20-beat sections, with Ge Ge Tita and Dha patterns.
Preliminary to Kayda 21:41
Introduce phrases for Kayda 2, such as dha dha tita with two fingers, dha dha thin na, and dha dha dhin na, clarifying thina versus ke on tabla and dagga.
Kayda 2 Part 13:48
Explore the 2nd kayda's combined syllables in sum and khali, eight beats per half in four-beat phrases, with 6+6+4 variations using dha, tita, ta ta, thin na, dhin na.
Kayda 2 Part 24:09
Learn kayda 2 part 2 by infusing rests into phrasing, using dha and tita notation, and performing a 64-beat tehai split into three 20-beat phrases with two 2-beat gaps.
Technique exercises3:40
Master tabla fingering techniques through four phrase exercises, practicing ne ne, dha ti ge na, and ke with one finger, then speed up for a faster, fluid sequence.
Conclusion and summary of the B1 module - Beginner's course1:25

Requirements

There are only two requirements to take this course. A tabla drum set and a passion for drumming.

Description

Comprehensive guide to playing the Tabla

Over view

With over 30 years of experience of teaching Tabla to hundreds of students, many of whom have taken tabla as a profession, Muthu kumar have organised a systematic, step by step approach to learning the tablas.

The approach is to learn tabla like a language - learn the alphabets or the sounds and form words and rhythmic sentences.

The goa is to be able to play a tabla solo or accompany other musicians

The whole course is taught in three levels - Beginner, Intermediate and advanced.

The Beginner courses B1, B2 and B3 will help an absolute beginner to understand the correct sitting position, hand placement, fingering techniques, strokes and sound productions. The student will also learn the one handed and the combined strokes. and learn to play some simple compositions. In this course, the student will learn all the basic concepts relating to Taal and compositions like Kayda and tukdas.

In the Intermediate course, More vocabulary is learnt by studying more complex kaydas and Gath compositions. Popular Taal like Teen taal , Ek taal, Rupak taal and Jhap taal will be studied.

In the advanced level, an outline of a tabla solo is prepared for the student to work on. Compositions in other taals or rhythm cycles are also learnt. Fast compositions like Relas are also learned.

Among the various compositions taught in this course will be many Kaydas, Gaths, Tukdas, Chakradaar, relas, and various taals.

Who this course is for:

The B1 Beginner's Tabla course is the first of the 9 part course that forms the Comprehensive tabla playing course. This course is perfect to help aspiring tabla players and rhythm enthusiasts get a head start into the world of Indian rhythm and Tabla.