I received a pair of (cheap) tablas for Christmas, but they don't seem to play in the right way.
The Dayan, as I tuned it in C, plays a clear 7th harmonic instead of a 5th (as I heard in many samples). The Bayan sounds too tight, playing a Bb (NI in raga bhairavi - ?) instead of a D (RE in that raga).
Another thing: in many LP's I heard the dayan tuned in D, and the bayan in E, although a page of CHANDRAKANTHA site shows a tuning at 261 Hz (a straight C). How is it?
Is there something I can do before I put them on the highest shelf of my collection of instruments?
oldfield
oldfield (Jan 06, 2004 10:16 a.m.):
I received a pair of (cheap) tablas for Christmas, but they don't seem to play in the right way.
The Dayan, as I tuned it in C, plays a clear 7th harmonic instead of a 5th (as I heard in many samples). The Bayan sounds too tight, playing a Bb (NI in raga bhairavi - ?) instead of a D (RE in that raga).
Another thing: in many LP's I heard the dayan tuned in D, and the bayan in E, although a page of CHANDRAKANTHA site shows a tuning at 261 Hz (a straight C). How is it?
Is there something I can do before I put them on the highest shelf of my collection of instruments?
It's probably not a good idea to fine tune a new set to any particular note. Unless the drum sounds flat and needs to be pulled (which it shouldn't) get the blocks under two straps or three if necessary to get a good clean balanced na' stroke all the way around with something close to pa as your primary harmonic (dayan).
If it's a 5 and a quarter inch head size then you could be anywhere from G sharp upwards to D sharp depending on the size and thickness of the gob and the construction of the shell. Actually, the SHAPE of the gob will determine the correct harmonic, but generally you can expect a 5 1/4" head to be tuned to a C# , give or take few steps either way.
New Bayas always take a lot of work to break in. If it feels tight then you need to play it a lot until generates the prefered amount of resonance. Tuning a baya is a matter of taste and feel, there is no correct relationship between dayan and bayan that I'm aware of.
Have fun with your drums. Be patient and try to get a feel for them first before you either shelve them or beat then to death with a tuning hammer.
Aanaddha
ps. DO NOT rub the head with anything except the palm of your hand and DO NOT hit the straps with your tuning hammer!
