Product Description

Alla Rakha was the tabla virtuoso best known for his many concert tours and recordings with Ravi Shankar. This book and videotape is Alla Rakha’s step-by-step introduction to a single tabla solo in the Punjab style, with its characteristic compositions and manner of striking the drum.

Alla Rakha selected the compositions to be included in the book; the finger placement photographs are of Alla Rakha’s hands, and the videotape is a recording of Alla Rakha playing, reciting and teaching the compositions.

The text features an in-depth analysis of the structure of each composition, with special emphasis on the logic of development in the theme and variation forms.

A Special Note about the videotape...
Fourteen years after the original publication of the book LEARNING TABLA WITH ALLA RAKHA, the accompanying videotape has finally been released. Harihar Rao narrates as Alla Rakha carefully demonstrates each stroke, phrase and theme from the accompanying book.

Next, while Alla Rakha recites each composition to melodic accompaniment, a computer- generated “karaoke” style animation shows the unfolding structure of the composition and the beat of the rhythmic cycle.

Finally, with the camera tight on his hands, Alla Rakha plays each composition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1433820 in Books
• Published on: 1998-04-01
• Binding: Plastic Comb
• 102 pages

Review
"...one of the most articulate and practical texts to deal with Indian rhythm." -- John Bergamo, Chairman, Percussion Department, California Institute of the Arts

'...a wealth of knowledge into the basics and intricacies of tabla... an inspiration to all those who examine this study.” -- Emil Richards, percussionist

“Many jazz musicians, including myself, have benefitted greatly through knowledge of the structure of Indian music. -- Paul Horn, flutist

About the Author
jeffrey M. Feldman, Ph.D. plays the tabla and pakhawaj. He studied with Alla Rakha and with Taranath Rao, and has written a book with each of his teachers. He is a former Senior Fellow of the American Institute of Indian Studies.

Customer Reviews

poor physical quality
Nothing negative to say about the content of this learning tool...it was recorded before the advent of digital media. It's wonderful to have a recording of Ustadji teaching step by step. However, it does not do justice to the great Ustad Alla Rakha to have this product not updated so that the media is converted to VCD and the book reproduced with some quality. My copy of the book arrived stamped improperly so that pages were falling out. I asked for and got a replacement but that one was also defective. It's not worth holding onto in this condition. They both went back for a refund.

A Rare Glimpse of the Master of Tabla
"Learning Tabla with Alla Rakha" (book and audio cassette) is an archival document as well as a valuble teaching tool for those who wish to play tabla in the style of the Punjab Gharana as taught by Ustad Alla Rakha, one of the very top tier of Indian classical musicians and certainly the worldwide shining star of tabla in the mid through latter part of the 20th century. Many hundreds of students of tabla have sat before Ustad Alla Rakha for lessons and learning through watching and listening. For those who did not have that chance, there is very little in the way of archival material to view. Although the video and book were made on a tight budget, and the video is in black and white with obvious signs of age, the sound is clear and the picture good enough to get the essence of the great Ustad in his early 50's, when he was still a powerhouse of tabla and a mystical magician of rhythm. You will hear the master play compositions accompanied by sarod lehara, the melodic anchor of the rhythm cycle in the traditional manner, while the "bols" are written on the bottom of the screen. A "bouncing ball" is synched to the exact timing of the compositions as Ustad Alla Rakha plays, making it easy for the intermediate student to follow. The other side of the cassette has the sarod lehara playing solo, where the student can then practise the compositions to the lehara as the Ustad has done on the "A" side of the cassette and video. All compositions and variations are written down in the book. The practitioner must keep in mind that the video was made in the early seventies, and was lost for many years. For the serious student or musicologist, this is a unique and well conceived package to help to understand and learn tabla. In my opinion, those who criticize the production of the video and book are missing the point. There is currently nothing available similar to this for purchase. The information has been carefully collated and presented in a logical mannner according to the wishes of Ustad Alla Rakha. The author, Jeff Feldman was a student of Ustadji's and made sure that Ustad Alla Rakha approved of the contents of the video and book before publication. Ustadji personally expressed to me his satisfaction with the entire production.

Good companion book for beginners
I recently purchased Abbaji's (Alla Rakha Khan Sahib) book and accompanying video tape. I have been playing tabla for 2 decades now and had the privilege during my college years of attending two summer sessions with Ustad Zakir Hussain, who is Ustad Alla Rakha's son.

My primary reason for purchasing the book and tape was to see if it would be appropriate as teaching materials. I now teach tabla to beginner and intermediate students. I found the book to have a lot of information and material that examined the theory behind tabla compositions and phrases (bols). However, I am not going to use it as a teaching tool for young kids.

I will however recommend this book and videotape to those that are starting off and want to have a sense of what the basic strokes and patterns are on this incredible drum. The videotape is quite good. The quality is fair, in that it is not a professional recording. However there is a lot of footage of Ustad Alla Rakha.

In my opinion, the two scenarios where this book and videotape will benefit you the most are:
- If you are an adult learning tabla with a teacher. This book will complement what you are learning and will give you theory and background in the Punjab style.
- If you do not have access to any teachers for face to face lessons, are a drummer, have some percussion background, and want to attempt playing tabla.

Best of luck and keep playing!

Branavan