Special Classes on Basics of Tabla for Children & Girls with Pandita Anuradha Pal

This immersive and interactive long-term course, led by the world-renowned tabla virtuoso Pandita Anuradha Pal, is designed to introduce children and young girls to the enchanting world of Indian percussion through the tabla. The course will guide students step-by-step, starting with a comprehensive understanding of the tabla's components, including the Bayan (the bass drum) and the tabla (the treble drum). You'll learn the essential parts of the instrument like the Chaati, Syahi, Maidan, etc. setting a solid foundation for your journey.

We’ll begin with proper posture and sitting techniques, ensuring that you’re comfortably positioned in front of the tabla to play with precision. From there, you'll be taught the correct way to place your hands and fingers on the instrument, allowing you to produce clear, accurate sounds. This will lead you into mastering the basic Bols (syllables) and their distinct tones, which are essential to playing the tabla. You’ll learn how to strike the drums with specific fingers in precise locations to create the various sounds that make up the tabla language.

Throughout the course, students will gain proficiency in playing both the tabla and the Bayan, understanding how to produce different sounds from each. The course will also introduce you to the concept of Taal (rhythm) and the natural rhythms that exist in the world around us. Through this, students will develop an intuitive sense of rhythm, learning how it manifests in nature and how it translates onto the tabla.

Under Pandita Anuradha Pal’s expert guidance, you will practice these patterns and expand your knowledge of rhythm. To ensure comfort and stamina while playing, the course will also include a series of finger and wrist exercises, designed to prevent fatigue and enhance your playing technique.

Additionally, the course will explore the concept of rhythm and how it appears in nature and sounds around us, helping you connect the rhythmic patterns on the tabla with the world’s natural rhythms.

By the end of this enriching course, you will have a thorough understanding of the tabla, its components, rhythm, and the foundational techniques needed to play with confidence. With ongoing support from Pandita Anuradha Pal, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a proficient tabla player.

About the Teacher

Anuradha Pal has been widely hailed for her 'profound creativity, tremendous clarity and a fine tonal quality', which coupled with her musical spontaneity, distinguishes her as 'one of the world's leading, most innovative and celebrated percussionists and composers' (Bangkok Post 2006). 

Through her many vibrant rhythmic innovations (like her interactive Anuradha's Tablas Sing Stories), unique bands like Anuradha Pal's Stree Shakti and cross-cultural collaborations(Jazz, African, Latin, Flamenco, Western Classical, Choral music). She has captivated International audiences by performing over 5000 concerts across 30 countries and is a President awardee of the First Ladies National Award (among 108 awards and citations) for being the first and youngest female Indian musician to perform at Woodstock and WOMAD festivals for 400,000 & 150,000 fans respectively.

A Masters in Music – University topper, Anuradha Pal is globally recognised among the most astute and articulate torchbearers and ambassadors of Indian music. She has also been involved in research on ‘Relationship between Music, Language and the Brain’ and various therapeutic benefits of Indian Classical music at Harvard Science Centre and Neurosciences University in the USA.

She was invited as an Artist-in-Residence by the New England Conservatory, USA and has taught and conducted workshops at Harvard University, Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Berkeley School of Music, Cornell University, John Hopkins Institute, UCLA, Mills College, University of Pennsylvania (in USA), Melba Conservatory of Music, Monash University (Australia); at the Festival Musicale del Mediterraneo (Italy), WOMAD (UK), Woodstock Festival (Poland) & with the Vienna Boys’ Choir (Austria).

Immerse yourself in the magical world of Rhythm with the truly unique pedagogical approach and training module specially designed by Tabla Maestro Anuradha Pal.