Fundamentals of Tabla, Vol. 1 [Spiral-bound]

David Courtney (Author), David R. Courtney (Author)

Book Description

Series: The complete reference for tabla | Publication Date: April 1, 1998

This is the first volume of the series, "The Complete Reference for Tabla". It covers basic technique, exercises, and notation. There is a special emphasis on the compositional forms known as Theka and Prakar.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Courtney has been performing on the tabla since 1972.  He first studied pakhawaj (an ancient barrel shaped drum) under the famous Zakir Hussain at the Ali Akbar College of Music.  He then moved to India and spent a number of years learning tabla under the late Ustad Shaik Dawood Khan of Hyderabad.  He has performed extensively on stage, TV, disk, and radio, in India, Europe and the United States.  Along with his wife, he composed the theme music for Houston's Indian TV program called "ASIANA" and recorded the theme music for the radio program "INDIA FILE" which aired in the Austin area.  He has accompanied many great musicians including Ashish Khan, Lakshmi Shankar, and Pandit Jasraj He is well versed in the academic side of music.  During the 80s he received great acclaim in academic circles for his pioneering work in the application of computers to Indian music.  This work is found in his doctoral dissertation "A Low Cost System for the Computerization of North Indian Classical Music".  He is the author of numerous books and articles on the subject of Indian music including, Introduction to Tabla, Elementary North Indian Vocal, Learning the Tabla, Fundamentals of Tabla, Advanced Theory of Tabla, Manufacture and Repair of Tabla and Focus on the Kaidas of Tabla.  His articles have appeared in "Modern Drummer" and "Percussive Notes".  He is presently on the Board of Directors of the Texas Institute for Indian Studies.  Recently along with his wife Chandra, he was given an award of recognition for outstanding contributions to the arts by the American Telugu Association. He is very active today in musical activities.  He is an artist with Young Audiences.  He is also the percussionist in the fusion group Vani, and has several CDs to his credit.  Recently he composed and performed some music for the film "Dancing in Twilight", a film staring Erick Avari, Louise Fletcher, Mimi Rogers, Kal Penn, Sheetal Shet.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 294 pages
• Publisher: Sur Sangeet Services; Enlarged 3rd edition (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963444786
• ISBN-13: 978-0963444783
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,229,050 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Encyclopedia for all serious Shishya (Students), January 10, 2000

By 

KONG MANGKORNKARN (Thailand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fundamentals of Tabla, Vol. 1 (Spiral-bound)

Classical Tabla is difficult and not just for fun which every student should keep in mind. This book is served as enclyclopedia for Tabla which describes everything in great details to build a good basic foundation for all the students for classical music. However, If one has a teacher, one can make use this book much more efficient. This is the best talba book I have ever seen. I await next volumes to come! [e-mail]

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, well written, easy to read book., October 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fundamentals of Tabla, Vol. 1 (Spiral-bound)

I had to wait a couple of months for it to arrive but when it turned up it was more than worth the wait. I'm a beginner who spent some time with a teacher but hasn't been for a lesson in quite a while now and I found it very easy to read. Having done a quick read through it once I found that I've picked up a lot of information and got a structure to build on. David Courtney's explainations for the inconsistancies of Bols for example suddenly made sense of whole areas that I hadn't previously managed to get my head around.

On a first read through I found this book excellent and I look forward to using it both as a source of information and reference and a place to go for excerises to improve my playing.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for a beginner - use with a qualified teacher, June 21, 1999

By 

Parag A. Gupte Ph.D. ([e-mail]) (Houston, TX, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fundamentals of Tabla, Vol. 1 (Spiral-bound)

This book is an excellent source of tabla information by a scholar on tabla. I agree with most of the comments of the first reviewer. However, I want to caution the beginner who expects to learn tabla solely from this book without the guidance of a good teacher. Tabla is an art best taught under the teacher/pupil relationship (guru-shishya parampara). The trouble with a how-to book on tabla is that it creates the illusion that one can learn tabla on one's own, much like one learns Visual Basic from a book entitled "VB in 24 hours". The temptations (and pitfalls) are to try more advanced material when one is not ready. To make matters worse, the author does not always indicate what is advanced material. For example, in a chapter on Purbi Baj, the author lists a few simple mukhadas in teental. Some of these should not be essayed by a student with less than two years experience with the instrument.

Aside from the above caveats, the author must be commended for his efforts. I eagerly await his forthcoming works.