Krsna Kirtana Songs est. 2001 www.kksongs.org
Dholak
The dholak is a two headed drum commonly used in
folk, popular music, bhajans, and qawwalis, with limited classical capabilities
in serving as a nagara replacement for shehnai performances. It is wooden drum
having two heads made of leather. Traditionally, it is fastened with rope tying
both heads together, in addition to another external rope which allows one to
wear the drum while standing. Now, nut and bolt version is not uncommon. Unlike
pakhawaj and tabla heads that are multilayered and contain syahis (black center
layers of iron for sound control), the dayan (smaller head, shown in the left)
contain no syahi, while the baya (bigger head shown in the right) contains a
thick layer of tar and clay on the internal surface.
AUDIO CLIP:
Songs Featuring Dholak on KKSongs: