British producer Kuljit Bhamra MBE has created the world’s first electronic tabla, called Tabla Touch. The instrument is designed to make Indian drumming more accessible by offering built-in sounds from various traditional Indian instruments and boasting instant tuning capability. It can also be connected to a MIDI or computer to create a tabla score in Steinberg’s notation software, Dorico.
The Tabla Touch comes in three versions: Studio, Pro and Solo, each differing in functionality and sound options. The most basic version is Studio, offering three premium sound banks, while Pro features a wooden base and 18 sound banks from four tabla sets, Dholak, Mridangam, Pakhawaj, Shree Kol and metal percussions such as Jhanj and Manjira. Lastly, the Solo version is a single Dyan designed for acoustic performances, and comes with a built-in speaker.
Keda Music Limited, Bhamra’s startup, was founded five years ago to make Indian drumming more accessible to everyone. They developed a universal Indian drum notation system alongside an electronic version supported by Steinberg music software. The company hosted a launch event for the instrument in Mumbai, where Bhamra said “the electronic tabla is a way of celebrating the traditional tabla; it’s not a replacement, it is an option.”
Bhamra is known as one of the pioneers of the British Bhangra sound and has performed in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Bombay Dreams’ and the 2002 film ‘Bend It Like Beckham’. He is also a professor at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London, teaching Tabla, Indian Rhythms and Improvisation. Tabla Touch is currently priced at £1,458
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