Trying the Tabla

I recently bought a drum. I've wanted one for a while, but the reason I finally bought one, was that I wanted to learn to stand on top of it ala Tito.

But now that I have it, I've found it's really hard to stand on top of it – especially without getting any help to get up there. I am afraid it will fall over at the point where I only have one leg up and need to pull up the other.

So, instead I've been learning to play it. It's actually quite fun! I had some trouble at first with some of the sounds, particularly the "ka" with the left hand. Also I have trouble distinguishing my sak from my dum. But it's coming along with practice, which I've been doing every day. I got both Rhythms of the Arab World from Karim Nagi, and Doumbek Rhythms and Technique from World Dance New York. Karim's video is as engaging as the man itself, and has a helpful closeup of his hands. However, it moves quite fast and a beginner like me would probably be best served by repeating the early drills over and over again. The latter video moves slower, with many more drills, and adds another sound technique called a "pop". Amir also describes the different types of tablas, which was interesting. I think the World Dance New York DVD is very detailed as they tend to be, and is great for a beginner like me. That's exactly what most of the Amazon reviews said! I think it's always good to get instruction from two perspectives, as one might hit on something the other doesn't – or sometimes someone's explanation makes more sense to an individual than another.

Anyway, as if I needed a new hobby that takes away from my existing limited time where I need to work out and dance and prepare for the upcoming Raks Nativity show I am producing – here I have a new hobby. At least it is something I can do while I watch my son play – it doesn't require a lot of room and while it takes concentration, I can keep my eyes on him. In fact, this morning he was taking to swinging my cane around (it's way too long so it's very funny – about twice his height) – as I was playing. It's like a belly dancer's dream to be sharing Arabic music and dance with your child!