Yeah, eagerly waiting for at least a precise bol dictionary. For example, I don't know what dhu ma ki ta is. Or how strong (resonant) ta is exactly played. Or how they build up their skills, what are the first compositions they practice. It does make part of the table culture so please share . .
David,maybe a good tip for your next book! What astonishes me is that it is so difficult to find any decent information about this wonderful instrument. I never saw a good explanation of how to play pakhawaj bols.
Jake (Feb 20, 2003 11:28 a.m.):
Digitala has book on pakhawaj and its tradition. It is 350 pages or something. I don't have it, at least yet :-)
That would be Dr. Alban Mistry's book "Pakhawaj and Tabla, History, Schools, and Traditions". A must have if you're to speak with any authority about the history of tabla, it's origins, gharanas, and lineage. (The book's a little pricey here, much cheaper if you know someone in India who'll get you a copy there.) If you're looking for compositions there are other, much better sources. Rebecca Stewart's 1972 doctoral thesis "The Tabla In Perspective" has a wealth of compositions for pakhawaj, tabla, and other related percussion that she compares with the purpose of discovering their source through a common ground. But wading through her notations is like reading Chinese. .that's if you can find a copy, or if you're a speed reader and your university library can get it for you on inter-library loan.
Correction: that's Dr. 'ABAN' Mistry's book "Pakhawaj and Tabla, History, Schools, and Traditions".
You won't find Rebecca Stewart's 1974 " The Tabla in Perspective" for sale anywhere - it's an unpublished doctoral thesis from the University of Califirnia, Los Angeles. Another little known but highly informative doctoral thesis from Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1972 (I think) is Frances Shepherd 's "Tabla and the Benares Gharana".
Both of these titles are in David's bibliography.
If you don't have a University library who will find these for you with Inter-Library loan, maybe David can direct you to another source.
Not everything is for sale over the internet. You might have to do some actual research in a library. Amazing what you might find there!
Bill
You actually CAN buy all of these PhD dissertations! Go to www.umi.com . . they sell printed copies of dissertations for 30-50$. It's really a great resource.
Getting an inter-university loan is another good idea, though.
Frances Shepherd's dissertation is really great. It's got tons of information on the Benares gharana. . some very interesting stories, compositions, etc. .!
THANKS Shawn,
Great tip! FYI I did a quick search on www.umi.com and found both titles. $34. unbound. The number following the author's name is the UMI order number.
THE TABLA IN PERSPECTIVE. .
by STEWART, REBECCA MARIE. 7412474
TABLA AND THE BENARES GHARANA. .
by SHEPHERD, FRANCES ANN. 7623706
Maybe you'd like to post this information again on a seperate thread.
aanaddha
Shawn (Feb 22, 2003 06:19 p.m.):
Hi,
You actually CAN buy all of these PhD dissertations! Go to www.umi.com . . they sell printed copies of dissertations for 30-50$. It's really a great resource.
Getting an inter-university loan is another good idea, though.
Frances Shepherd's dissertation is really great. It's got tons of information on the Benares gharana. . some very interesting stories, compositions, etc. .!
