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What materials are the tabla and baya made of?

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Q: What materials are the tabla and baya made of?


A: Tablas are made from wood (although we have on occasion seen some clay and even cast glass tablas). Most tablas are made of shishum wood. Shishum is a member of the rosewood family, and usually considered "light rosewood". Some tablas are made of dark rosewood. This is a dense, resonant wood used for all kinds of musical instruments. Unfortunately this wood is getting harder and harder to get. Some tablas are made of lighter wood, like neem or even balsa.

Bayas are mostly made of metal – although we have seen wooden, clay and even glass bayas. Standard bayas are cast from brass. More expensive bayas are copper. Both of these metals are usually coated with chrome, although one occasionally sees an uncoated copper baya. Knowledgeable people say that copper gives a warmer sound than brass.


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