The entry of the tabla in an instrumental recital begins when the soloist establishes the composition after a long or short aalaap in the raag chosen for delineation. The first few phrases of the composition usually suggest the taal that is desired by the soloist, although there are occasions when some unconventional compositions may inadvertently or consciously take the tabla player on a different path. More about the latter on another occasion. For now, we could perhaps focus our attention on the point of entry and what ensues thereafter.
But what occurs before the entry of the tabla is equally important to get a holistic perspective of a concert. While the tabla player does not have to play during the aalaap section, and this may be over a few minutes or even close to half an hour in case of an extended aalaap, concert decorum and musical etiquette would require the tabla player to be attentive and responsive to the free-flowing exploration of the melody during the aalaap section.
In other words, a sensitive tabla player will not tune off while the aalaap progresses but will in fact engage with it to understand and feel the spirit of the moment that the soloist is attempting to establish. The entry of the tabla that is referred to earlier in many ways determines the kind the of listener the tabla player has been when the aalaap was being played.
It stands to reason, therefore, that there is no such thing as a predetermined response. In fact, that would be a contradiction in terms. The nature of the response would necessarily have to be spontaneous even if the chosen vocabulary for the rhythmic material may be predetermined. Having said that, it is not always that the tabla player responds in a spontaneous manner. In fact, there are times when tabla players fall back on composed material in its entirety.
Notably, some tabla players have set trends even in the manner that they choose to enter the musical conversation with the soloist. Whether it is to do with the choice of vocabulary, or the different speeds that they traverse, or even the volume and tonal quality that they explore, these elements often create a style that others continue to follow.
We end today’s instalment with a recording featuring an extended exposition of the raag Bihag by sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan. He is accompanied on the tabla by the incomparable Kishan Maharaj, doyen of the Banaras gharana of tabla playing.
Listeners will note that the entry of the tabla at approximately 52” into the track begins with quieter strokes in the first two cycles of the 16-matra Teentaal, but this changes over the next few cycles as the vocabulary focuses on bols or strokes that are influenced by the vocabulary of the pakhawaj and are therefore bolder and louder. This entry of the tabla in the instrumental composition is completed with a tihai that extends over the entire cycle.
One of India’s leading tabla players, Aneesh Pradhan is a widely recognised performer, teacher, composer and scholar of Hindustani music. Visit his website here.
This article is based on Pradhan’s book Tabla: A Performer’s Perspective
