What do you guys think about using nylon straps instead of rawhide? There's a site, www.tabla-vermont.com that offers reheading with nylon. They claim that it is stronger, does not develop weaknesses, and keeps more even tension than rawhide.
I tried these, and yes they are very solid and don't seem to stretch very much. However, because they don't stretch, I was somehow never able to get enough tension into the straps. Because there is some give with rawhide straps, I find that they're easier on the hands. So, I still prefer the traditional tensioning method.
Maybe if you use a metal hook to pull the straps, then this isn't an issue. Maybe Gabe can tell you how he does it. .
I just recieved my tabla from Gabe today as a matter of fact, and I gotta tell you, he reheaded my tabla and used the nylon strap, and It blew my mind away. It is the richest sounding tabla Ive ever heard, and the strap is solid, and looks good. I recommend him to everyone.
I am Shri, based in Thailand and my Guru Pandit Suresh Talwalkar introduced the nylon straps to me and my guru bhais. I think they are the best alternatives now. Firstly because they are very inexpensive, bringing costs by 50% and other is that it is easy to handle them. Only in the initial stages, you have to tighten them 4-5 times and then you can forget about them for a long time. I am not sure if you can get them in India, i mean the same qualities, but in Thailand, we get them and they cost not more than 8 rupees per meter. . .I think that they are the future. . .
Well I'm glad to here a good review about Gabe, itis great to find someone that can fix tabla at a resonable price and we should support him because he will just continue to improve.
I myself continue to use leather but I have tried some nylon on a Bayan, like Shawn said it's a little tough to get it tight but finally after a few times tightening the whole thing it's not to bad . Leather has it's pros and cons also.And then we get into how it looks, not quite traditional but I guess ok .
Shri (Apr 01, 2003 03:50 a.m.):
Hi,
I am Shri, based in Thailand and my Guru Pandit Suresh Talwalkar introduced the nylon straps to me and my guru bhais. I think they are the best alternatives now. Firstly because they are very inexpensive, bringing costs by 50% and other is that it is easy to handle them. Only in the initial stages, you have to tighten them 4-5 times and then you can forget about them for a long time. I am not sure if you can get them in India, i mean the same qualities, but in Thailand, we get them and they cost not more than 8 rupees per meter. . .I think that they are the future. . .
. .and tightness is so important, as I learned from Orlando Fiol last summer. I spent a week with him, and man can he (and his assistant) tighten a drum! My 5.75" was at a nice B (thick syahi) on ONE STRAP from the end of August, until January. Now, that's tight :-)
He's got great pudis and straps by the way, and he can tune the syahi as well. Though, I'm not sure if his shop is up and running right now. . if anyone wants his services, better to e-mail him first.
Hey Shawn , How do you tune the syhia, with a polish stone ?
Shawn (Apr 07, 2003 09:47 a.m.):
. .and tightness is so important, as I learned from Orlando Fiol last summer. I spent a week with him, and man can he (and his assistant) tighten a drum! My 5.75" was at a nice B (thick syahi) on ONE STRAP from the end of August, until January. Now, that's tight :-)
He's got great pudis and straps by the way, and he can tune the syahi as well. Though, I'm not sure if his shop is up and running right now. . if anyone wants his services, better to e-mail him first.
Orlando studied pudi making in India for a year. It's a simple process, but you really have to know what you're doing.
You take syahi masala (black powder) and mix in some water and glue (or it might be rice paste), and apply it in rings . . just like making a new syahi, but in this case, you're adding on top of what's already on there. You add small circles in the center, or large circles, depending on if you want to raise or lower the pitch of the lao or the chanti. After each layer, you rub with the stone for 10-15 minutes.
It's a long process, and it takes time to know where to put that extra syahi. I think we added a good 10-20 layers on each of my drums. Having a nice thick syahi really increased the fullness/richness of the sound. I was really impressed.
From my experience with Orlando, it seems to me that most pudis on the market only have 50-75% of the syahi that they should really have! And that most tablas aren't as tight as they should really be.
"From my experience with Orlando, it seems to me that most pudis on the market only have 50-75% of the syahi that they should really have! And that most tablas aren't as tight as they should really be. "
Shawn
http://www.percussionist.net
That's because tablas tablas destined for retail market sale and export are never 'finished' as they would be if you to purchase one directly from the tablawala where your instrument would be refined for you before the sale. This practice is customary in India among all good instrument makers.
Lucky (Apr 08, 2003 02:59 p.m.):
Where can I get a polish stone from? I hear that helps to open up the sound of the dayan.
I wouldn't recommend polishing your puddi with a stone. The sahayi and the chat can be easily scratched or damaged using this method of breaking in a puddi especially by someone who doesn't know what they're doing. The idea is to 'open up' the sahayi by creating more cracks in the gob. A better method of breaking in a tabla is to massage the head occasionally with the heel of your hand and a little talcum powder and more importantly to play the instrument a lot and keep it well-tuned.
aanaddha (Apr 09, 2003 12:24 a.m.):
That's because tablas tablas destined for retail market sale and export are never 'finished' as they would be if you to purchase one directly from the tablawala where your instrument would be refined for you before the sale. This practice is customary in India among all good instrument makers.
aanaddha
Right, but when we buy pudis outside of India, this causes a serious problem: the syahi is not finished and is therefore not properly in tune. So, we almost always end up with an inferior sounding tabla.
To my knowledge, Orlando is the only person in North America who is offering this syahi tuning service. Are there others?
Shawn (Apr 09, 2003 11:17 a.m.):
To my knowledge, Orlando is the only person in North America who is offering this syahi tuning service. Are there others?
Shawn,
As far as I know Orlando's wife Rachel is the only person in N. America who knows how properly make a sahayi. I'm not sure if she is still able to do this as she has recently been in the hospital. Orlando is blind from birth and does the pulling and fine tuning. Last I heard they were in need of assistant. Surila.com's webpage has been down and I wonder if they are still in business?
Yes, I met Orlando last summer, and worked with Rachel, Orlando, and their assistant William. But I think that William is now away on a trip of some sort.
The only way to know for sure about the status of Surila would be to e-mail Orlando. .
