Customer Reviews

Fundamentals of Tabla, Vol. 1

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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! kongm@loxinfo.co.th

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.

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.

Beautiful book. Bulk of the material is laid out in Appendices - making for easy reference. Examples and illustrations are plenty and the author's approach is very objective. There is a section that contains the actual examination papers for years 1 through 4 of a certificate program in Tabla at a University in India - what a brilliant idea ! Whether you are a beginner or a "tablachi extra ordinaire" - the book has enough material to make you come back to it time and again.

I have had 1 year of 1 day a week tabla lessons.
I found the book excellent. Lots of material to practice . I would recommend it to anyone. One exception, The correct drum strokes cannot be correctly learnt from a book, a beginner who did not have acess to a teacher would have to get a video so they could see and hear it i.e Ashwin Batish Tabla Bols Video very good or perhaps David Courtneys Video, although I haven't seen that. Buy it and drive your neighbours mad.

This is an ideal book for beginners. It has excellent reference points and is really in depth with the history and evolution of the tabla. This is a must have for anyone who plays or is very interested in listening to the tabla. For instance my uncle is obsessed with the tabla and he found this book fascinating in teaching him new tips and methods. For the beginner this is the real look into Indian folk music. I strongly recommend that you read this book if you appreciate indian folk music

Excellent book for the beginers. Simple and well organized. It comes with a CD for practice. I recommemnd it very highly.

I have used the 1st edition and now the expanded 2nd edition in detail. The book is neatly arranged into separate chapters dealing with different aspects of tabla and an introduction to Indian classical music also. This book has everything a beginer would ever want to know about tabla and much much more. It has an extensive glossory of tabla terms and cross referenced in the text itself for quick review of the strokes. Pictorial depiction of the individual strokes is very unique, and serves as an invaluable source for quick review of the technique for the stroke execution. Second edition also has a chapter on pakawaj strokes making it more comprehensive. This helps in understanding some of the pakawaj strokes used in playing the tabla. The book becomes more useful if a tabla teacher is also available for consultation. References to other authors' works is very useful in aquiring further knowledge and other view points on this exciting art.

Beginners and amateurs in the tabla playing art will be pleased to have this imprescindible reference at their hands.

It is useful to complete a successful initial instruction, and it also is a never ending source of talas (both classical and obscure ones), prakars, bol techniques...

Everything flavoured with a trully indian ambient, like the bols writed in indian languages (very useful for an accurate learning), description of several indian instruments and advices and recommendations in the learning and basic care of tabla.

This book always "travels" in may tabla bag, anywhere i am going to practice or even perform.

I was not happy with product and returned the book. My edition was poorly printed and pages were out of order.
It covered the basics and then quickly became very complicated. Music books can help a student but best used if one has an instructor.
The intricacies of playing the tabla cannot be understood just with a book. I would suggest a book with a CD or DVD.
David Courtney's other basic book is much better for the beginner.