SOUTH JORDAN, Utah — The Patel Auditorium at the India Cultural Center of Utah was filled with the sounds of traditional India music Saturday afternoon as students with the Utah Trinity Music School gathered for a Vaadya Vaadan, roughly translated as "music recital" from Sanskrit.
The first half of the term, "vaadya," specifically refers to traditional instrumental music, one of the three main components of "sangita," or traditional Indian musical performance arts.
Like any musical tradition, the instruments played feature their own unique timbre and methods of performance. One such instrument is the tabla, a pair of hand drums made using goat or cow skin.
"One of the most unique feature of it as a percussion instrument.... it has its own notes... it has its own language," says Debanjan Bhattacharjee, an independent tabla instructor and Utah Valley University professor who was invited to the event as a guest panelist. "If I recite the tabla notes exactly the same, I can play."
The tabla is made up of two drums with slightly different sizes and shapes. The baya is the larger of the two, played using the left hand, and acts as the instrument's bass. The smaller drum, usually called the tabla, is played with the right hand and produces a higher tone.
While that explanation may make the instrument seem simple, learning to play it properly requires dedication, especially when you consider the fact the traditions date back as far as the 5th Century C.E.
"It takes a long time to just get the most basic sound with your finger," says Bhattacharjee. "There is a lot to learn, and the more you learn... you want to learn more. It just sucks you in."
Check out the video above to hear the tabla in action, performed by student Sohum Vepachedu.
