BOOK REVIEW
All about Tabla
by Abdush Shakoor
On getting a new book, I first flip through it to have the initial feel. My first impression about the present book was a little surprising. Its organization and approach together with its drawings and photos resemble nothing on the subject I have in my collection like 'Sachitra Tabla Shikhsha' by Rabindrakumar Basu (Tablatatta Bisharad), 'Rhythm / Basic Guide' by Ustad Sabbir Mokammel, 'The Tabla of Lucknow' by James Kippen, etc.
Incidentally I would like to advise the writers on Tabla in English language about a preliminary preparation, that is, reading some Western ethnomusicologists who have written books, articles, minutes or mimeographs on Tabla which are available in English. This will provide them with standard terminologies and conventionally accepted transliterations (such as bol and not bole as the present writer has written throughout his book). They may look up, for example 1) 'The Dialectical Approach : A Methodology for the Analysis of Tabla Music' by James Kippen 2) 'Krishna Govinda's Rudiments of Tabla Playing' by John Baily 3) 'Musical Notations of the Orient' by Walter Kaufmann 4) 'The Major Traditions of North Indian Tabla Drumming' by Robert S. Gottlieb 5) 'Linguistic Study of Rhythm : Computer Models of Tabla Language' by James Kippen and etc.
Such books are available in plenty because of the worldwide interest in Indian Classical Music, particularly in its captivating Rhythmscape, greatly popularised by the phenomenal maestros like charismatic Ustad Allarakhkha and his mesmerising son Zakir Hossain, Shankar Ghosh, Kumar Basu and the like, to mention but a few. The Tabla is the most commonly played drum set in Indian music. It is the percussion instrument most commonly used to accompany vocal, insrumental and dance musics, where its primary function is to maintain the metric cycles in which compositions are set. Moreover the Tabla players are also extremely engaging soloists in their own right and many have vast repertoires of elaborate compositions some of which have been handed down orally from father to son over seven to eight generations and jealously guarded to their familymen. Until recently, tabla-knowledge was the intellectual property of the respective ghavanas. Six of them are widely recognised : those of Delhi, Lucknow, Ajrara, Farrukhabad, Punjab and Benares. Increasingly, non-hereditary tabalchis are being recruited as tabla-playing is more and more widely disseminated, helped in part by music schools, colleges and universities both at home and abroad.
Rajib has done a good work by organizing the theories of the number one rhythm instrument of our music that is the Tabla. In some cases he himself has theorized as we see in the descriptions of feelings of different 'boles'. In a time frame (Taal), 'Kaida', 'Rela', 'Peshkar', 'Gat' etc are played in various tempos each of which has its own characteristics in constructions and appearances in playing. Gharana is not that significant nowadays when we agree upon the importance of innovations and improvisations of a composition rather than the conservativeness exemplified by rigidity and pedantry in age old styles of rhythm and music. Instead of squabbling about the purities and intricacies of a gharana we should freely enjoy the music it creates on the spur of the moment. That is how sitar player Vilayet Khan singled himself out of his grandfather's Imdadkhani gharana. Rajib has analyzed similar 'boles' from different gharanas and then extracted the feelings and expressed in words.
In my opinion, the historic evolution of the Tabla dealt with in the first chapter is much too sketchy. The writer may consider giving a fuller account of it in the next edition of the book. I guess all the rhythm instruments in our music are not included in the list of those that enrich the book with nice pictures and brief descriptions. In fact, each of the rhythm instruments is used in support of the whole music and they are very many. The Tabla and the Pakhwaz are the two leading time-keepers in the subcontinental music as these are used in classical compositions and solo presentations of the virtuoso with unending phrases of bol-vani and their innovative formulations.
Rajib has presented three examples of 'Laharas' in three different Taals with different beat counts: Teentaal, Jhanptaal and Teorataal. These are written in different Layas (speeds) but well maintained with Maatras and counts. We have discussions on different Taals in one chapter. It has three groups: 1. the traditional Taals, 2. Taals made or modified by Rabindranath Tagore and 3. Taals made or proposed by Kazi Nazrul Islam. How to write 'boles' in English is explained in an appendix. The toughness and tediousness of the job of writing the logic part and the three Laharas are indeed awesome. It is expected that through publication and distribution of such books in English on outlandish subjects like this a standard of writing style and convention will be established overtime.
Symbolic Tabla staff notation system may well be developed irrespective of language, Bangla or English. Rajib has made an appreciable presentation of his staff notation system for Tabla that has an apparent similarity to the western musical staff notation. The writing of Tabla 'boles' with symbols in staffs is a significant endeavour. The appearance of staff lines and symbols for different sounds i.e. notes are justified mathematically. Tabla sounds are produced by different fingers or palms of right or left or both hands. Thus, each note has distinct sound effect. All common notes in Tabla are discussed in details in a chapter with a lot of photographs that will be immensely helpful to beginners.
Everything we find in this book is well organized but not corresponding to the kind of seriousness the subject demands. At least in three different places of the book the writer says that he is going to discuss the topic in more details in another book. We look forward to his promised book which should follow without inordinate delay.
Such books are necessary for lovers of our music who cannot follow Bangla texts. Specially the foreigners interested in what is generally known as Hindustani music who are rechable in English will surely benefit from this publication. By itself it can add to the endeavour of presenting our culture and heritage to the outside world.
The production of the book is quite attractive in all its departments. Special appreciations are due to the ever innovative cover designer Dhruva Esh who gave the book a good look with an academic touch. I extend my personal thanks to Moinul Ahsan Saber, the renouned prose fictionist of the country, for having ventured into publication of a noncommercial book, on just one of the many drums of the subcontinental music, under the label of his prestigious publishing house Dibyaprokash. But then the book will definitely engage the enthusiasts about the most interesting of the three components of universal music, namely, the rhythm (other two being melody and harmony).
An Introduction to Tabla
Theory and Practice
by Rajib L. Das
Cover: Dhruva Esh
Drawing and Photography:
Aminul Islam Soyel
Dibyaprokash, Banglabazar, Dhaka
Ekushay Book Fair, February 2006
Pages - 112, Price - BDT 200
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