Tabla Compositions
In February-March 2009, the absence of Tabla notes / compositions on the web motivated me to publish whatever little I know. My teacher was Pt Kameshwar Mishra from Delhi — he taught me for two years: 1989-1990.
Part 1 covers the Peshkar ( पेशकार ) that is played at the beginning of a tabla recital. Part 2 — Part 3 — Part 4 — Part 5 — Part 6 — Part 7 — Part 8 — Part 9 — Part 10 — Part 11 — Part 12 — Part 13 have many Kayda – Palta ( कायदा – पलटा ) compositions in which a base composition is developed during a performance with small variations to the base, ending in a तिहाइ. Part 14 — Part 15 — Part 16 — Part 17 — Part 18 contain various specialized pieces — big and small. In Tabla terminology, these are called Tukda ( टुकङा ), Gat ( गत ), Uthaan ( उठान ), Paran ( परन ), Chakradaar Paran ( चक्रदार परन ), Rela ( रेला ) and so on.
Tabla Prodigies
Tabla Players from Punjab Gharana — 10 March 2009.
Tabla Prodigy Rimpa Siva — 23 October 2008.
Tabla Prodigy: Rohan Singh Bhogal — 15 October 2008 — Rohan is an 18-year old disciple of Ustad Zakir Hussain with impeccable technique and stage performance!
YouTube Collections — Hindi Movies & Indian Classical
Romantic Duets from 1970s Hindi Movies — 23 October 2008 — Falling in love is a beatific experience — a gift from God — to be cherished forever. A small collection of soothing romantic duets from 1970s Hindi movies.
Anwesha Dutta Gupta at Chhote Ustad 2008 — 12 September 2008 — Anwesha is a 14-year old singer who mesmerized everybody with her flawless renditions of a wide variety of difficult songs in Chhote Ustaad 2008. She is superb!
Classical Songs from Old Hindi Movies — 26 August 2008 — A collection of 30+ Indian classical songs on YouTube from old Hindi movies.
Old Hindi Songs on Separation — 10 August 2008 — A collection of touching songs on YouTube from old Hindi movies. “Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.” — Kahlil Gibran.
Lullabies and Soothing Songs from Hindi Movies — 1 July 2008 — Lullabies are rare in Hindi movies. A collection of soothing lullabies that shall surely put you to sleep.
Old Hindi Songs — Romantic — 14 June 2008 — A small collection of romantic songs from the golden era of Hindi movies. Delightful and playful!
Old Hindi Songs — Myriad Shades of Love — 11 April 2008 — One of my first blog entries where I listed some memorable songs. Each song has something distinctive about it.
Musarrat Abbas in SaReGaMaPa 2007 — 6 March 2008 — Musarrat Abbas was one of the top-3 singers in SaReGaMaPa who sings like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan! Watch his videos, especially “Sanwre” that made him famous.
YouTube Collections — Punjabi & Western
Cool Punjabi Videos on YouTube — 3 August 2008 — Funny Punjabi videos, including “Ba Ba Black Sheep” in South Indian classical style sung by a Punjabi!
Dazzling Britain’s Got Talent Performances — 31 May 2008 — A “Michael Jackson performance by Suleiman Mirza and Madhu Singh in Britain’s Got Talent was stunning! And so were the Escala Quartet on electronic violins.
Sorrow and Malencholy — Violin and Piano Pieces — 6 March 2008 — Chanced upon some soulful compositions, soon after I signed an agreement with my wife that she and our daughter would be moving 2000+ miles away.
Dave Thomas plays Yann Tiersen — 10 February 2008 — Dave Thomas plays Yann Tiersen’s compositions very well on the accordion and the piano. Colorful yet soothing. I luckily chanced upon Yann Tiersen after 28 December 2007. Five months later, a friend pointed to me that Yann and I share the same birthday!
Miscellany
Sarod by Sabyasachi Bhattacharya — 23 October 2008.
Prem Jogan Ban Ke by Bade Ghulam Ali Khan — 7 March 2008 — A small anecdote in my life: I noted that an “extra note”, out of the Raga, was used towards the end by Bade Ghulam Ali Khan in this famous song in Mughal-e-Azam.
