The Scientifics behind Tabla | All Levels

Students in this course for all levels of Tabla, move on from practicing bols or syllable phrases to practicing and playing compositions. The teacher will begin teaching compositions with shurwaat or the beginning in solo tabla playing. Each composition has its own distinct characteristics. Students are taught to observe and adhere to these characteristics when playing the instrument. Kaida which is the next composition after shurwaat, adheres to a strict composition structure. Students get to play and learn each bol and the finger technique to render the bol on the tabla. They learn the application of each bol and its improvisation in kaida. Moving ahead, students get to practice rela, here in, students learn to play, repeating bols at increased speed.

The next composition structure students are taught is the tukra, which predominantly is played at the culmination of a solo performance. It too like rela is characterized by bols played at speed. Further on in the course students get to practice chakradar with a distinct characteristic that adheres to a cyclical form of rendering bols or syllable on the tabla, played or repeated thrice or in three cycles. Progressing further students are introduced to gat compositions; this composition provides students plenty of room for interpretation and improvisations. The various compositions taught in this course are all played as per a rhythmic cycle of beats. Students playing the different compositions follow fixed patterns of rhythm which is either a 16 beat rhythm as in the case of teen taal, a ten beat rhythm pattern termed jhaptaal, or a seven beat cycle known as rupak. By the culmination of this course, students are well versed with the basics of tabla playing, elementary compositions, and playing these compositions as per rhythm cycles or taals.

About the instructor: Your instructor for this course is Abhishek Chatterjee. Abhishek Chatterjee was born in the year 1980 in a family of music lovers. He stepped into the world of music as a disciple of his father Sri Arun Chatterjee. At first, he started learning vocal music. But his love for tabla persuaded him under the guidance of Sri Satyabrata Chattopadhyay, an `A` grade tabla artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan. Later he came under the tutelage of tabla maestro Pandit Kumar Bose of Benaras Gharana and for the last 19+ years he is a disciple of Pandit Kumar Bose under the Guru-Shishya parampara.

Abhishek Chatterjee is not only a good musician, but he has always performed well as an academician also. A Science graduate from Calcutta University and 1st class 1st rank holder (gold medalist) from Rabindra Bharati University, in instrument and percussion, has achieved several awards and scholarships. Later on, he became an examiner of Rabindra Bharati University also. He has performed as a successful accompanist and a solo player in West Bengal and outside. Abroad with the same efficiency. He is a regular artist of All India Radio Doordarshan. Already he accompanied with great Maestros in our countries like Pt.A.Kanan, Bidushi Malabika- Kanan, Pt.Samresh Chowdhury, Bidushi Arti Ankelekar Tikekar, Pt.Kaivalya- Kumar Gurav, Bidushi Purnima Chowdhury, Pt.Suraranjan Mukherjee, Pt.Harashankar Bhattcharya , Sri Sandipan Samajpati, Sri Arnab Chatterjee others.