I am passionate about music, dance and culture. When my eldest was 3 years old, I bought a miniature set as a gift in the hope that he would learn the beautiful instrument. He did try it when he was 10-11 years old, but it only lasted a couple of semesters and then it was time to try other instruments. It is primarily a "boy's instrument". I have only seen a girl playing the tabla once in my life. It is uncertain when it was first made, but it is said that the roots of a tabla version were found in Cairo, Egypt. In India it was very popular already in the 13th century, while taal is mentioned in ancient Vedic scriptures already several thousand years ago.
It requires many years of dedicated lessons with a good teacher and regular, rigorous practice several hours a day. A demanding instrument to learn, especially because one sits cross-legged on the floor. The word taal, has its origins in taali, which means clapping and is based on light finger or palm taps on both drums. Tabla is the most famous percussion instrument in North India. It is most commonly used in North Indian classical music, but its versatility in all musical styles has caused it to become the most popular percussion instrument in all of India. A tabla has an interesting construction. Dayan is almost always made of wood. The diameter of the membrane can be from just under 12.5 – 15 cm. Bayan can be made of iron, aluminum, copper, steel or clay; yet brass with a nickel or chrome plate is the most common material. Both drums have a black rubber circle in the center of the drum. The black part is a mixture of rubber, soot, and iron filings. Each drum has two layers of goatskin stretched across the top as the playing surface. The top layer is cut in a circle around the edge, and the bottom layer extends across the entire drum. The most special thing about the tabla construction is the use of soot, an iron mixture, and rice paste placed in a circle on top. This black mixture is called shahi, and when dried, it gives a unique sound that is very characteristic and not found on any other drum in the world.
Source and image: Google
Jai Shankar, an acquaintance of ours, is a really good tabla player. He plays in the video below if you're wondering what it sounds like :)