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A semicircle of scale-tuned tabla dayan (‘waves of tabla’), calling for athletic upper-body rotations from the performer

–Raga instruments (full list)–

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—Kamalesh Maitra (Deen Todi)—

“The tabla tarang (‘wave of tabla’) may look excessive, but it is not – Indian music is economical and precise, and the tarang wastes nothing. Unnecessary movement must be minimised, with performers rotating vast distances to catch each interval, mimicking the dexterity of many-armed gods. Still, the layout of the instrument lends itself towards sparsity, in contrast to ‘standard’ tabla’s dense patter. Melodies are muted, with rounded edges…austere even in aggression, providing a relief from the bright shimmer and glide of most other classical instruments (it’s almost like hearing Hindustani music in black-and-white…). The tabla tarang is less a rare instrument, more a rare arrangement of a common instrument. But while tabla are found in households across India, the tarang requires a precise grouping of them. Mastery takes years, and opportunities are limited. Kamalesh Maitra, the tarang’s last great master, passed away in 2005, and few focus on the instrument today. Hindustani music is weaker for it…” (from my tabla tarang overview for Darbar)

—More Info—

• Notable performers: Sandip Burman (1969-), Kamalesh Maitra (1928-2005)
• Sa pitch: Given the instrument’s arbitrary selection possibilities, any Sa position is possible (especially if an artist had a set of dayans tuned to all 12 specific swaras) – but my informal survey suggests that solo renditions are often rooted at C or a few semitones higher [see my Survey of Sa Tunings for more].

[COMING SOON: click here to hasten the project’s expansion, so all articles & pages can eventually look more like these]

• Hindustani Instruments: Anandi | Bansuri | Bass-Veena | Bazantar | Bulbul Tarang | Cello | Chaturangi | Dilruba | Electric Guitar | Esraj | Fretless Guitar | Harmonium | Jal Tarang | Jori | Mandolin | Mohan Veena | Nal Tarang | Pakhawaj | Piano | Rabab | Rudra Veena | Sagar Veena | Santoor | Sarangi | Sarod | Saxophone | Shehnai | Sitar | Surbahar | Sursagar | Sursingar | Swarmandal | Tabla | Tabla Tarang | Tanpura | Tar Shehnai | Taus | Vichtra Veena | Violin

–Survey of Sa tunings–

—Hindustani Raga Index—

An open-ended project seeking to bring North Indian raga closer to all who approach with open ears. Combines direct input from dozens of leading Hindustani artists with in-depth insights from music history, global theory, performance practice, cognitive science, and much more besides!

–Megalist (365+ ragas)–

• Search: Find your new favourite •
• Tags: Classifying the ragascape •
• Glossary: Raga jargon demystified •
• Murchanas: Swara-set rotations •
• Thaat: Bhatkhande’s base scales •
• Ragatable: Analytical connections •
• Tanpuras: Divine overtonal drones •
• Quotes: Musings from raga artists •
• Talas: Hindustani rhythm cycles •
• Instruments: Singing sculptures •
• Masterlist: 1000+ ragas profiled •

Sa | Re | Ga | Ma | Pa | Dha | Ni

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George Howlett is a London-based musician, writer, and teacher (guitars, sitar, tabla, & santoor). Above all I seek to enthuse fellow sonic searchers, interconnecting fresh vibrations with the voices, cultures, and passions behind them. See Homepage for more, and hit me up for Lessons!

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