Bringing on the sexiest musical Instrument alive...
the TABLA

Anyone who has heard the fluid and oh-so-smooth beats that the tabla produces, you know what i mean... ~wink~ If you haven't.. you're missing out man! You just have ta check this amazing instrument out...

Interesting Fact:
The tabla is the most popular percussion instrument used in North Indian Classical music. The tabla describes the pair of drums used in some varieties of Indian music, and for the melodic drum component of that pair.

Tabla consists of a small wooden drum called sidda (tabla, dayan, or dahina) and a larger metal one called dagga (banya). The sidda is played with the fingers and palm of the right hand, while the dagga is played with fingers, palm and wrist of the left hand. The pair of tabla is positioned on two toroidal bundles called chutta, consisting of plant fiber wrapped in cloth.

Both drums of the tabla have a inner circle on the head composed of sandalwood or a tar-like substance called 'tuning paste' (Shai or Shahi, literally ink) which creates a different sound and decay then the other areas of the drum, allowing even more tone versatility.

The drum played with the dominant hand is made of wood and is tuned to a specific note, thus contributing to and complementing the melody.

The other drum of the tabla is larger and made of metal. It has a much deeper and sustained bass tone. In addition to the normal strike with the finger tips, the heel of the hand is used to apply pressure, or in a sliding motion so that the pitch is changed during the sounds decay. This creates an unusual and highly characteristic effect.