I've only recently come into possesion of an original Indian tabla, and I have a few questions - I've noticed that in time sound becomes more and more sussurant, but after I put some oil on the rubber part, it become OK. Does anyone know if it's OK to use oil, and what kind should I use if it's OK?
Another question, are there any on-line instructions for tabla players (i.e. excercices of some sort), and where can I find them?
I'm not sure about the oil, i yhink you should avoid it, water and humidity in general causes bad effects on the skin. You should use a spontex (sponge) to remove the fat from the skin and then use some talc powder.
For the instructions on tabla look all this website, there is a lot of thing to learn (bols, taals. .) but i think you should start with a teacher.
