Best Way to Tune your Bayan - TABLA EXPLORER Kuljit Bhamra

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Tuning your tabla Bayan to a complimentary pitch will make your tablas sound even more beautiful. In this video Kuljit Bhamra demonstrates how the sounds of the Bayan and Dayan can clash if tuned without awareness of pitch.
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[@HarishKottayam]

As a beginner in tabla, this solved one of my most significant doubts. Thank you so much.

[@kedamusicltd4365]

Great! Thanks for commenting!

[@csarquiweb]

I've been looking for a complete answer to this topic for a loooooooong time. Thank you!

[@kedamusicltd4365]

Glad that you found it useful!

[@harpreetsinghnirdosh4734]

Thanks sir

[@jehnsusmusic]

Great explanation

[@kedamusicltd4365]

We're glad that you found it useful!

[@olizen8102]

Great explanation. Never really found good coverage on this topic. In the video you had both the first Dayan and Bayan tuned to F, how many octaves down was the Bayan from the Dayan?

[@kuljitbhamra9807]

The two drums are an octave apart. Many bayans are usually around F or G. However, the copper one in this video can go down to a C. It is not essential that the two drums are the same pitch as other - they could be tuned to a fifth or third apart and still sound complimentary. I think it's beneficial to view the bayan as a sort of bassline - especially when used in cross cultural music, but I would argue that it should be so in whatever genre the table is being played in - even Indian classical. When I perform alongside bassists in a jazz band for example, I do my best not to conflict with the counterpoint or harmony - which is very possible given that the two instruments operate in the same frequency range, . Thanks for commenting. Regards. Kuljit

[@rajuavaad1816]

Sir beautiful videos all tablas🌹 🙏🙏

[@kedamusicltd4365]

Thank you.

[@this1self]

Thank you for your videos. There’s a small typo at 2:35 - “Ma” is actually the “4th” and not “3rd”.

[@kedamusicltd4365]

Thank you for spotting this. I meant to say Ga!

[@gurjeetsing4160]

The way you teach makes learning easily understandable, My humble regards to you sir🙏❤️

[@kedamusicltd4365]

Thank you. My mission us to democratise drumming so that everyone can have an opportunity to try and play. The current practice and methodology is exclusive.

[@darkdominance911]

Nice...

[@kedamusicltd4365]

Thanks

[@DavinderSingh-fd5rj]

Thnx u sir

[@haroosudra4081]

Thanks

[@haroosudra4081]

Very interesting, I never knew

[@thetrvlrofficial]

sounds like a C to me, not an F :) I baught a tabla in India and the Baya had a very low, bass sound. This one sounds rather high pitched, just like the one I ordered online in Germany. How can I get the pitch down by an octave? 🙏

[@SnDy2004]

My bayan which i recently bought sounds so bassy and heavy extremely low and seems tight like not much reverberance and resonance

[@SnDy2004]

What's the solution to this cuz it really sounds bad imo

[@kedamusicltd4365]

Have you tried inserting wooden pegs under the straps to increase tension? 4 pegs positioned equaly shoud do it. Otherwise, you could pull the strap tighter to increase the overall tension. Start with the strap knotted at the beginning and themn work your way around. Hope that helps.

[@shamanicvisions7724]

Thank you for your videos. Talcum powder is very hard to find in the US now. Most products are made of cornstarch instead. Do you know any alternatives to talc that are dafe for tabla heads?? Thanks🙏🏼

[@Taaiger]

Wonderful content and important information being shared, pranaam sir and stay safe🙏🫡

[@kedamusicltd4365]

Thank you.

[@Taaiger]

@@kedamusicltd4365 🙏

[@lalitbharangaofficial]

Sir tabla is d# and wich scale in baya

[@kedamusicltd4365]

You can also tune bayan to D#. Otherwise try tuning to Ga (Gandhar) - F# or G depending on the scale of the composition.

[@roniabagimayordomo4786]

Thank you so much,may I ask you if it's possible to tune a bajan one higer note?

[@kedamusicltd4365]

Thank you for your question. The purpose of this video is to highlight the fact that your bayan can actually be tuned to a note of your choice. Many players that I have met over the years have not seen the value in doing this. In my experience of playing with double bassists and cellists, the issue of tuning the bayan becomes very clear as the frequencies can clash with each other.

[@jimflys2]

Kuljit, can a tabla be tuned to different pitches like a C and a D or do you need to get a separate dayan for playing in different keys? Pop music applications. Thanks!

[@kedamusicltd4365]

In my experience, most Daya can be tightened to a tone higher than the 'factory preset' (unless they're already at the top of their range - E/F). Many tabla makers play safe by allowing some headroom. Lowering the pitch is usually not a problem, although more than two notes might change the tonal quality. Good questions to ask: What is the current tuning of my drum? How many straps are lifted onto the tuning chocks (4 max)? Does the head feel like it's tightened to it's limit, or is there some 'play' when pushing down on it?

[@parimalzaveri9244]

Interesting … but then the obvious question. Do you carry several bainya’s for a concert that requires multiple dainya’s at diff notes?

[@kuljitbhamra9807]

It's interesting isn't it? Carrying more than one dayan is acceptable, but more than one bayan seems ridiculous! Anyway, given that most classical recitals are in one key, a single 'correctly-tuned' bayan would be enough. Personally, I sometimes carry two with me for performances where I think it would be noticeable. Thanks for your comment and consideration.

[@bathtub_marmot]

Is there a video where he goes through the process of tuning one? I just bought a set, and I’m kind of an idiot, so I’m stuck on “How do I put the wooden pegs under the straps of the big drum?” When I tune toms/snares/etc I check for resonance on opposing sides and adjust the screws. Do I do something like that with tablas, but with the hammer and pegs/corks?

[@kedamusicltd4365]

Hello. I use a similar method. Pegs are only required on the big drum when it has been plkayed for a while and lost its original tension. Strike the drum head around the circumference and add pegs where necessary to balance the pitch. A hammer can aslo be used to tap the platted rim for fine tuning. Kuljit

[@bathtub_marmot]

@@kedamusicltd4365 Thank you! I’ve been taking lessons for 6 months, so much better at it now 👍

[@josesebastian5120]

Hai sir

[@brahmeshvaram2862]

Thanks Kuljit. A significant consideration: Western instruments and playing were debased away from Nature's pitch and Natural Law when 440 Hz was adapted gradually in stages, starting in 1832, and finalized by the Int'l Standards Organization (ISO). Many scientists hold that 440 Hz is harmful, and not usually found in nature, and studies have been done showing this. One of the advantages of most Indian musical instruments is that they can be tuned to any sound or note, unlike many Western instruments such as the piano, Western flute, etc. A suggestion to mention this in your video, as it is widely known in alternative culture, there are hundreds of videos on YT with 432 and/or 528 Hz, the pitches most often recommended and advocated by musicians and other experts who know about this, although there are other pitches that are also natural, such as all the pitches of the Schumann Frequency

[@kedamusicltd4365]

Thank you. That's very useful to know.

[@thesultanmerchant]

both has to be on same scale?

[@kedamusicltd4365]

same scale or pancham (5th) or madyam (3rd) if these occur in the raga you are playing. Your choice.

[@marineforces3214]

I do not think there is a disharmony with or in between different tones (notes) : disharmony appears only if one tone (note) is not tuned properly , play an instrument like guitar or sitar - than eventually u will notice ❤️👀 + hear what I mean

[@kedamusicltd4365]

Thank you for your comment. Would you say that a C played at the same time as C# is harmonious or disharmonious?

[@marineforces3214]

@@kedamusicltd4365 it is literally disharmonious , but it may depend on ur cultural background , like in ragas where u may play sometimes for example upscale a c# + downscale a c , even in classical music it happens that u have a clear scale with strange nots in em

[@Komodo-si7kq]

@@marineforces3214 I didn't think the example of high E and low F was jarringly discordant either. Maybe that's because one of the drums (or both) isn't producing a pure note but there's a harmonic which the ear picks up and imagines a minor chord. Or have I gone mad?