Best Tabla Drum & Best Tabla Drum Brands
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Tabla drums can be considered as a unique musical instrument, which belongs to the South Asian classical music industry. It is possible for you to see Tablas being used by people who live in Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India.
A table is made out of two different hand drums. They function in a similar way to the bongos. In other words, a Tabla drum has the ability to give life to a variety of timbers and sounds. If you are interested in giving life to appealing drum beats, you need to be careful to purchase the best Tabla available out there in the market for you. This guide would walk you through the steps that you should follow in order to purchase a Tabla.
What are the Best Table Drums to Buy?
2) MAHARAJA Tabla Drum Set
- Affordable
- High Quality
- Reputable Brand
- Popular
1) MAHARAJA Concert Designer Tabla
- Professional
- Highly Rated
- Reputable Brand
- Quality Wood
3) Meinl Percussion Tabla
- Rosewood Shells
- Leather Strings
- Comfortable playing
Understand the Tabla Drum
As the first step of selecting a Tabla, you should determine the Dagga. As mentioned earlier, a Tabla set comes along with two drums. Out of these two drums, the drum that sits on the left-hand side of the player is called dagga. It is possible for you to find daggas in different sizes and price ranges. They come along with a copper, brass or clay made base.
It would not be an easy task for you to purchase a dagga that has a base made out of clay. Even if you find a one, you will need to be careful to protect it. If you accidentally hit the base of your dagga, it would instantly be shattered. Therefore, you should keep this fact in your mind when shopping for a dagga.
Secondly, you need to take a look at the overall weight of the dagga. Daggas are relatively heavy. The thick base has contributed a lot towards the overall weight of the dagga. The thickness of the base can create an impact on the overall sound quality produced as well.
For example, if you go for a dagga with a relatively thick base, you will be able to experience a low pitch. However, it is also possible for you to get hold of the classic resonance of a dagga, while making sure that it has a lightweight. In order to do that, you should search for daggas that come along with a lead layer.
After finalizing the dagga, you need to go ahead and select your tabla. Tabla is usually set on the right-hand side of the player. A variety of wood types are being used in order to manufacture the tablas. Type of wood used in the tabla can alter its sound.
If you want to experience a vibrant and a crisp sound out of your tabla, you must go for mango wood. Tablas made out of sheesham wood are considered as the best. If you are concerned about the sound quality of the tabla you purchase, you should go for it.
As a general rule, you should look for surface cracks when you are planning to purchase a tabla. If the tabla has any visible surface cracks, you are strongly encouraged to search for another product. Wood drying is responsible for the appearance of these cracks. They can spread along with time and create an impact on the overall sound produced by your musical instrument. Hence, you should avoid tablas that have visible cracks on wood.
When purchasing a tabla, you should also take a look at the drumhead, which is called as Pudi. By purchasing a high-quality pudi, you will be able to experience a healthy resonance and a strong ringing sound. The best quality drumheads are made out of goat and deerskin.
If you are concerned about the appearance as well as quality, you should go ahead with pudis made out of deerskin. However, you need to provide extra effort in order to maintain pudis that are made out of deerskin because they can easily rip. When you take a look at goat skin pudis, you would see that they have discoloration patches and blemishes throughout. This can create a negative impact on the overall look and feel. However, they are also in a position to deliver a resilient and a strong sound output to you.
10 Best Table Drums and the Best Tabla Drum Brands
With above understanding, you can take a look at these tablas and go for the best option available in the market.
1) MAHARAJA Concert Designer Tabla
Maharaja cencert designer table has been designed for the professional players. It is also a handcrafted product by people who live in India. This concert quality tabla has the ability to produce amazing sounds.
In order to enhance the overall sound quality, a copper bayan weighing 4.5kg has been introduced. Sheesham wood, which is considered as the best quality wood for manufacturing tablas are also being used. In fact, sheesham wood is tuned to C#. Along with MAHARAJA Concert Designer Tabla, it would be possible for you to receive braided pudis, which are made by hand.
One of the most notable features that you can see in MAHARAJA Concert Designer Tabla is that it has a wide diameter when compared to other tablas available in the market. Therefore, you will find it as an easy task to play this tabla.
It is provided along with a carrying case as well. Even though this is a heavy tabla, you don’t need to put any extra effort to carry it when you are traveling from one place to another. That’s because MAHARAJA Concert Designer Tabla comes along with an ergonomically designed carrying bag.
2) MAHARAJA Tabla Drum Set
If you are looking forward to purchase a Maharaja tabla at a relatively affordable price tag, this would be the best option available to move forward. This most notable feature that you can see in MAHARAJA Tabla Drum Set is its bigger drum. A brass bayan weight 3kg has also been introduced to the tabla.
The black colored design looks elegant and it can easily be recognized from distance. Therefore, MAHARAJA Tabla Drum Set can be considered as an ideal option available for the individuals who are looking forward to get their hands on visually appealing options.
Even though this tabla is made out of a relatively lower price tag, it is made out of genuine sheesham wood. Therefore, it would become a perfect choice available for the individuals who prefer to get a high-quality tabla made out of sheesham wood at a lower price tag.
Dayan of this tabla is tuned to either C# or D#. In addition, MAHARAJA Tabla Drum Set can give life to a medium pitch. The accessories that you will be able to receive along with MAHARAJA Tabla Drum Set include a maharaja branded bag. It is an ideal option available for students as well because a table book is provided to get hold of the first few lessons.
3) Meinl Percussion tabla
If you are looking forward to purchase a high-quality tabla, Meinl Percussion would be one of the best options available in the market to consider. This tabla comes along with authentic tabla heads, which are paired along with shells made out of rosewood.
It is possible for you to find a traditional tuning system in this tabla. It is paired along with leather strings. A tuning hammer is also provided in order to assist the players to tune their tablas perfectly well.
Goatskin has been used for the construction of the tabla. In fact, goat skin has been chrome plated so that the overall look and feel is enhanced. Value for money can be considered as the highlight of this tabla. It would not be possible for a person to purchase a quality tabla like Meinl Percussion at such a lower price tag.
It is recommended mainly for the use of students, but you should keep in mind that professional players can also think about using this tabla for their work.
4) Mukta Das Tabla Set
Mukta Das brand has been able to maintain a solid reputation throughout the past. In fact, these tabla makers have catered the needs of 11 consecutive generations. The brand is based in Kolkata and musicians from every corner of the world endorse the tablas manufactured by them.
Therefore, you can think about spending your money to purchase the Mukta Das tabla set without keeping any doubts in your mind. Some of the tabla masters in India have also used this tabla. However, this tabla set is not just limited to the professional players.
People who are looking to learn the basics of tabla can also think about purchasing it. This tabla comes along with a high-quality Dayan made out of mahogany wood. On the other hand, it has a copper and brass combined bayan, which weighs 4kg.
The playing area of the Mukta Das tabla measures 5.5 inches. It can easily be tuned to different notes, including C, C# and D. The overall dimensions of this tabla are compact and user friendly as well.
5) Mukta Das Tabla Set
This is a professional level tabla set available for the people to purchase. It comes along with a brass bayan base, which has a total weight of 2.5kg. This can also be considered as a handcrafted product.
As a result, the quality of the tabla is guaranteed. Even though this tabla has been designed for professional players to perform at concerts, students can also think about spending their money to purchase the set. Tabla is made out of maha agni wood. It is tuned to C# in order to deliver a perfect sound output to the players.
The tabla comes along with a tabla book and a tuning hammer as well. This tabla book is ideal for students, who are looking to get their first few lessons on how to play this musical instrument.
Since this is a professional level tabla, students will not have to think about purchasing another tabla, once they are familiar with the basics. They can simply keep on using the Mukta Das Tabla Set.
A carrying case and quality cushion covers are also being provided along with this tabla to assist the users to keep a peace of mind while transporting it from one place to another.
6) Mukta Das Tabla Set
Professional level tabla players are always concerned about the quality of sound that their musical instruments are capable of producing. From the recent studies, it has been identified that most of the professional players tend to go ahead and purchase Mukta Das Tabla Set.
The unique ability of this tabla to produce the best quality authentic sound has contributed a lot towards its popularity. This is a genuine tabla, which is made by Mukta Music based in Kolkata. As a result, the overall quality of the tabla is guaranteed.
Mukta is one of the highly reputed musical instrument manufacturers within the country and their quality of work can be found in Mukta Das Tabla Set as well. This is a handcrafted product. After manufacturing the tabla, it has been tested at a professional level. Therefore, you can go ahead and purchase the tabla while keeping a peace of mind.
Another notable feature that can be found in Mukta Das Tabla Set is that it comes along with a copper bayan weighing 4kg. This tabla is also made out of the best quality sheesham wood.
7) Tabla Drum Set by Queen Brass
Tabla players know that sheesham wood is being used to manufacture the best quality tablas. However, most of them don’t tend to purchase the sheesham wood tablas because of their expensive price tag. That’s where the Tabla Drum Set by Queen Brass would come into play.
Hence, it has become a popular option among students. This is a handmade tabla and it is tested at the professional level before releasing to the market. Even though Tabla Drum Set by Queen Brass is promoted as a beginner’s level tabla, it has the ability to give life to professional quality sounds.
Therefore, you would not get the need to spend any additional money unnecessarily to get the same output, unless you are concerned about the exact brand of the tabla that you purchase.
This tabla is not a heavyweight one. That’s because it has not been provided with a heavy base. Due to this reason, you will find it as a much easier task to carry the tabla from one place to another. In order to help you with that, Tabla Drum Set by Queen Brass also comes along with a safety carrying bag.
8) Meinl Percussion pro tabla
This can be considered as the pro version of Meinl Percussion tabla. It comes with few enhanced features when compared to the first generation tabla. Mahogany and copper have been combined in order to manufacture this tabla.
In addition, it is provided with a goatskin head. In this tabla, you will be able to see the traditional tuning system. If you are a person who has the interest to explore and get more information about the traditional tuning methodology, this would be a great option available to consider.
The traditional tuning system is paired along with rawhide thongs in order to make the life comfortable for all players. All people who spend their money to purchase Meinl Percussion Pro tabla would be provided with tuning dowels made out of wood as well.
In addition, tuning hammers would also be provided. As added items, protective head covers and rings pads come along. Therefore, people who purchase Meinl Percussion Pro tabla will not have to think about spending extra money to purchase the other accessories that are needed to start playing the tabla. Even though Meinl Percussion Pro is marked at a higher price tag, it can be justified with all the features and accessories provided.
9) Tabla Std Set
Students are looking forward to purchase standard tablas, which don’t come along with any fancy features. This Tabla Std Set would be a perfect option available for them to consider. Even though this is an entry level tabla set, it offers all the basic instruments that are needed for a player to learn how to play the tabla.
Therefore, spending time along with Tabla Std Set would never be a frustrating experience. This tabla is made out of standard rosewood. An aluminum bayan is paired along with the dayan of this tabla. It is important to keep in mind that this is a strap tuned tabla.
Hence, you will be able to access basic tuning capabilities offered by the tabla. The tabla comes along with a variety of useful accessories as well. They include the tuning hammer, covers, cushions, and the soft case.
It is possible for the players to purchase the patterns and colors of the cushion as per their personal preferences. In other words, players can deliver a personalized touch to the tabla and get an enhanced experience.
10) CasaPercussion Tabla Set
This can be considered as another great option available for the individuals who are looking for the first lessons in learning how to play the tabla. This is a relatively inexpensive model, which comes along with basic features.
As a result, CasaPercussion Tabla Set cannot be recommended for the professional tabla players. This is also a handmade table. Therefore, quality and durability of the product is guaranteed. There’s nothing to complain about the overall sound quality produced by this tabla as well.
People who purchase CasaPercussion Tabla Set are provided with the ability to tune it professionally. That’s because adjustable rods are provided along with the musical instruments. The dagga size of this table measures 10 inches x 10 inches.
On the other hand, the dimensions of the tabla measure 6 inches x 8 inches. Due to these compact dimensions, it can easily be transported as well. The accessories that come along with CasaPercussion Tabla Set include a tuning wrench and a case.
However, rings will not be provided along with CasaPercussion Tabla Set and people will have to purchase them separately. This is a tabla that offers value for the amount you spend.
Choosing the Best Tabla Drum from the Best Tabla Drum Brands
As you can see, a variety of tablas are available in the market for you to consider buying. The features of these tablas vary from one another. Therefore, you need to be careful to purchase a tabla that matches with your preferences.
If you are a tabla player with experience, it would not be a wise idea for you to move ahead with a tabla that is designed for the beginners. However, students can think twice before they purchase a tabla that is designed for the professional players. That’s because students can use the professional level tablas to learn the basics and then become concert players in future.
2) MAHARAJA Tabla Drum Set
- Affordable
- High Quality
- Reputable Brand
- Popular
1) MAHARAJA Concert Designer Tabla
- Professional
- Highly Rated
- Reputable Brand
- Quality Wood
3) Meinl Percussion Tabla
- Rosewood Shells
- Leather Strings
- Comfortable playing
During this transformation, they will not have to think about switching their tablas. In addition, you need to take a look at the budget as well. You will be able to save a couple of hundred dollars by purchasing a tabla that is designed for beginners.
When you are purchasing a tabla, you need to consider about the safety and durability of it in the long run as well. You are spending a considerable amount of money to purchase the tabla. Hence, you expect it to last for a long period of time. If you want to make your tabla last longer, you need to purchase a tabla that comes along with an appropriate carrying case. Then you can carry your tabla wherever you go with peace of mind.
Last but not least, you should take a look at the drum accessories because they can help you to enhance the lifespan of your tabla. If you can get a tabla set that comes with drumhead covers, you will be able to provide enhanced protection to your musical instrument from daily damage. You will be able to get these accessories with some of the tabla sets.