Tabla Riyaaz: A Beginner’s Guide

Riyaz (also Riyaaz) is an Urdu language term used for music practice, for honing of Hindustani classical music vocal as well as instrument skills. Riyaaz is a key requirement for every musical art form in Indian music. It is the first step to become proficient at something. For Tabla, Riyaaz is the act of vigorous and strenuous practice with the sole aim of achieving finesse, clarity and speed in one’s performance. Although there are several ways to Riyaaz, there are two underlying themes common amongst all of them – hard work, and patience. There are no shortcuts involved in this process; riyaaz is your blood and sweat personified. However, the results are well worth it – not only does one successfully master a certain set of bols/compositions, but through the process also emerges with a sharper focus, greater technical skills, stamina and hordes of willpower.

Here is a beginner’s guide to get started with riyaaz:

1. Keep it Simple:

Start of by deciding a goal. For example, you might want to perfect a certain Qaida/Rela, at a certain speed/laya. Start with intent, and decide how much time you would want to spend per day/week perfecting this. Half an hour of practice everyday is guaranteed to show substantial results in the first few weeks itself. Ustad Akram Khan of the Ajrada Gharana had advised students to be more ambitious and find one hour each day to practice. You can ease into the process by starting with ~20 mins a day, and then gradually increasing this time by 5 minutes every week.

2. Decide on a Technique:

There are several ways at perfecting a composition. You should try experimenting with what style suits you the most. Two methods I tend to use the most are:

1. Practicing the same compositon/ bols over and over:

Many ustaads swear by this method. Pandit Mukesh Jhadhav himself said that to master playing a Qaida, he used to practice the same bols for at least a month. This method takes immense dedication and willpower, since there is a lot of repetition and things might get mundane. However, the results speak for themselves, as your hand will get inherently “familiar” with the bols being played. Upon reaching a certain level of proficiency once can start playing around with bols to create variations on the fly.

2. Practicing similar bols:

This method of riyaaz involves playing compositions/bols similar to the one you want to be proficient at. For example, to master a Qaida that involves the usage of the “Ti Ra Ki Ta” bols, one can practice relas having a similar combination of bols. This will further help replicating the required flow while playing. Another unique example is the relation between “Dhira Dhira” and “Tra Ka” – one can get substantially better at the former by extensively practicing with the latter.

3. Parameters:

There are a few important parameters to keep in mind while playing. These are the key things one should look at improving upon during Riyaaz:

1. Clarity

2. Speed

3. Stamina

4. Rythm

It is always a misnomer that playing compositions and the like at very high speeds/bpm is a good factor to judge performance. It is Clarity that takes up precedence in these factors; Any performance can sound insipid without the required crispness while playing, despite the high speed. Before establishing speed, it is vital for one to achieve this while practicing. One must be patient enough to first start off at lower speeds instead of jumping the gun and trying to play as fast as possible—until actions become second nature, or until there is a general flow to the performance.

Only once the rendering of bols becomes clear should one then focus on speed. Start off with a reasonable pace(bpm) and try to get familiar with the rhythm for a while. Gradually increase the speed every few successive such aavartans/cycles, until it gets physically impossible to go further. Maintain this speed as long as possible; once the arm tires simply go back to a slower pace/bmp and repeat the process. This is one of the most traditional methods of practicing.

The third parameter, Stamina, simply becomes a byproduct of practicing long enough. The more regular and strenuous the practice gets, the more suited one’s hands get to perform for a longer period. While playing a composition really fast sure is impressive, running out of steam before reaching the end of the composition can implode and often downplay the effect of one’s performance.

Last but definitely not the least (in fact this is one of the core requirements of any Tabla performace) – is maintaining rhythm. This may often seem an intimidating task, whether it is accompanying another artist, or using the aid of a lehra to perform solo; However, gaining a good sense of this is merely a matter of practice—rhythm can be learnt. People can be slow or fast learners depending on the subject, and understanding rhythm fits very well into that category. Remember that hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard. Riyaaz while accompanied by a lehra is one of the best ways to hone this skill and gain confidence to perform. There are a few free apps out there that can help, but there is no replacement to the classical ‘lehra machine’ you can find at any Indian Classical Music store.

Although keeping in so many things in mind while practicing can be daunting initially, it is imperative that one continues to do so despite facing obstacles on the way. Disciplining yourself and following a regime is guaranteed to show results. However, discipline doesn’t equate to somberness while playing. Creative endeavors should not be snubbed for the sake of singularly improving one string of bols; Equally important is to remember why you were drawn towards playing the Tabla in the first place—and by keeping that in a relaxed state of mind, you can have a lot of fun along the way! Good luck with Riyaaz, and happy practicing!

Nachiket Shah