Hi, I'm new to tablas and dont really know a whole lot about them. The only pair I can seem to find locally sound horribly out of tuned and I've read about what a hassle tuning can be for a newcomer. This brings me to my question: Are the Casablanca brand tablas good for a bare bones beginner?
Heres the link to them: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=020518222433066156067023634965/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/448821/
thanks a lot! this is a great page, I've learned a lot from the articles already.
To be honest, (not that I'v ever tried them), I don't think they are good, from what I can tell from the picture,(and at least the hammer is horrid), But I havent ried them so I might be wrong, ask someone who knows about Tabla in your area to test drive them for you.
If your mail ordering tabla from musicians friend, those too would likely be horribly out of tune. And I would be pretty worried about any tabla that came with a hammer that looked like that. No offense to the hammer itself, its just a really funny hammer, not a tabla hammer. But I have never played that brand of tabla. Id order some from Peter, hell send you some good tabla.
I havent tried the casablanca, but i do have a recommendation for a beginner. i got my set of wrench tuned tabla from interstate music. they are the "world beat" brand from latin percussion and made in india. a lot of people might not like the idea of wrench tuning though so if you are definitely more interested in traditional tabla these arent for you. but ive found the tuning to be easy, the hooks dont bother your hands, and living in seattle where the climate is constantly changing, easily tunable is important with a non synthetic head.
Thanks replies guys, and thanks for the link 563. I've thought about bolt tuned tablas for a while, and it's certainly something to consider but I think right now I'd rather go with the traditional style. About the bolt tuned drums though, do they get the same sound? Also, Does anyone know where I could get a decent beginer set for under 200 online? Thanks again.
I went to an indian market today and found some tablas that were sealed in plastic, coming I'm guessing from india. What do you guys think about that, would they be likely to be properly tuned? sorry for all the questions, but I'm having a hell of a time finding a teacher in my area. The internet is all I have right now.
They wont let you open the plastic to see if they are in tune? They may have been in tune when they left india, but the trouble is if they sit around to long or go through radical humidity changes or get bumped around in shipping they may be out of tune.
Do bolt tuned drums get the same sound? as far as i can tell yes. the strap and hooks on tabla dont effect the sound as much as the other parts of the head. because the the hooks only contact it tangently. now if you had a tabla head with a metal hoop and conga style rims, thatd make a big difference !
