North India
Tablas

Pronounced ("tah-blaws"), are the two-piece drums of the North Indian Hindustani music tradition and are played with the hands and fingers. The right-hand drum (the "tabla") is tuned to the tonic, dominant or sub-dominant pitches of the piece. The left-hand drum ("bayan" or "dugga"), acts as the bass drum, and is capable of many tones which can be varied by degrees of pressure from the base of the left palm. The talas are the rhythmic cycles of a raga. There is a unique intricacy and rhythmic sophistication in North Indian classical music. Syllables are recited and each note sung has a related and exact position on the drum, hence, what you say is what you play! There are talas ranging from three-beat cycles to 108 beat cycles! The divisions in a tala and the stress on the first beat, called sum, are some of the most important features.

The WORLD BEATS video features live, costumed performances of ancient, ethnic, percussive traditions. Aaron Plunkett puts it all together in this fascinating 33 minute program. SEE MORE...