14 tips to become better accompanying Tabla Artist - Vishwamohini Editor

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14 tips to become better accompanying Tabla Artist

By Shivraj Sawant 2,602 views Tags: Accompaniment

Vishwamohini Script

Playing tabla solo & accompanying tabla are totally different skills.
Many trained tabla solo players fail to build reputation as a good accompanying tabla artist.

Here are some tips which will help you to become better accompanying Tabla artist

1. Be clam & enjoy alaap : Main artist starts the performance with alaap, this starting alaap ends about 30 to 45 mins. I have seen some tabla players find it difficult to sit calmly when alaap is going on. Some also check the sound of tabla in between alaap.
Checking sound or tuning of tabla during alaap is not a good protocol, it disturbs main artists as well as listeners.
It is also indication of lack of interest in appreciating, enjoying & understanding music of your co artist.
Just be clam & enjoy alaap, that is the way to create your first impression as a mature accompanying tabla artist.
 
2. Donâ€™t give background music for alaap : Some tabla players give background music to alaap & they feel very excited thinking they are adding some value in the performance. But alaap is all about raga & its swaras. We need to respect & provide conducive environment to main artist so that he can concentrate on establishing atmosphere of raga.
 
3. Sober start : Alaap is finished & gat(composition) has started, now itâ€™s time for your entry, start sober, aggressive start is not recommended when gat is in vilambit laya. 
DO main artist directly start playing Taans when Gat starts ? No, he/she will play some Aalaap in the starting so it is good practice to play Peshkar like improvisation in the starting.
 
You can think of aggressive start when gat is directly starting in drut laya.

4. Play plain theka with less fillers : Go for plain theka when main artist is improvising. Do not improvise with main artist.
Just imagine what will you feel when you are playing Tabla solo & harmonium player start improvising when you start playing your Kayda or compositions. . . auh :-)
 
5. Play small Mukhada / Tukda : It is good to add small tukada/mukhada immediately after some improvisations of main artist, because that is the time where main artist will repeat the gat or take small pause before starting next improvisation.
 
6. Hold laya firmly  : Hold the laya of theka firmly, especially when main artist is playing Layakari or Tihais. It is challenge to play Layakari and  if your laya is not constant then it may discourage main artist to continue Layakari.
 
7. Play correct Matras of Taal : In vilambit laya some Tabla players add or decease numbers of Matras of taal, it happens especially in the Vilambit Teetaal and Vilambit Ekataal as rhythmic cycle is very long. Ensure you are not donor or consumer of extra Matras. :-).

If you add/delete some Matras then Tihai of main artist will not come on intended beat of taal.
 
8. Improvise rhythmic pattern of main artist : When you get chance to improvise, it is good idea to improvise the same rhythmic pattern which main artist has just played.

For example,  if main artists has demonstrated Mishra/Khand layakari then when you get chance you should demonstrate the same. It shows you are understanding what main artist is playing & you are competent to play same.
 
9. Ensure your Tihai is perfect : Ensure your Tihai finishes on the Matra where it is intended to be, because if you make mistake during playing Rela / Kaida it is ignorable, because listeners can feel you are playing some kind of Laykari. :-), but if your Tihai goes wrong, then anybody can understand you went wrong.
 
10. Improvise incrementally : Do not directly jump to fast improvisation, start your improvisation with some chalan & slowly go to double, tisra & further fast laya.
 
11. Appreciate main artist : Whenever possible appreciate main artist. But at the same time it is important to understand when to appreciate else be calm. :-)
 
12. Follow laya of main artist : Main artists has some plans to play different tanas/compositions in specific laya, so follow laya of main artist, increase the laya only when main artist wants to increase it.
 
13. You made a mistake, donâ€™t worry, its normal : You made a mistake, donâ€™t worry, I have heard recordings where maestros have made mistakes.
So if mistake happens just repeat the composition correctly if you are confident about where it was went wrong.
 
Normally mistake happens when you try to play something spontaneously with instant calculations. In such cases we do not have time on stage to analyze what went wrong. If you are not figured out why you are going wrong then just forget it & continue your show.
 
14. Be normal even if you made mistake : In the audience there are very few who can really understand if you have done mistake or not, but everybody can understand if you indicate it with your body language like facial expressions. So just be normal when you make mistake. :-)

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