Tabla is the name for the pair of drums used primarily in Hindustani (North Indian) classical music. They are also found in Pakistani and South Indian music. The right hand drum, also known as tabla (or "dayan", meaning "right") is a tunable drum with a range of about an octave, usually tuned around C#. The body is usually carved from a block of wood. The most unusual feature of the drum is the three-piece design of the head. The main surface of the head ("sur") is held on by a collar ("kinar") of goatskin. The edge of the kinar is woven into a braid ("gajra") which is held onto the body with straps.
The black disc, known as the "syahi" or "gab", is made from a heavy black paste (ingredients vary but may include iron filings and rice gluten), applied to the head in layers and rubbed smooth. Attaching this weight to the drum head emphasizes some vibrational modes over others, giving indian drums their unique sound.The left hand drum, or "bayan" (literally "left") is a larger drum, usually with a metal body. The head of the bayan also has a syahi, though it is placed off-center. When played, the palm of the left hand is placed near the center of the bayan, and by changing the pressure on the head the tabla player can change the pitch of the drum ("meend") Here's a picture of the Tabla and bayan, showing where the strokes are made. Note that this is very oversimplified! The sound produced depends on many details, for example "na" is played with the ring finger damping the center of the head to eliminate the harmonic you can hear in "tun". Also these are only a sample of the strokes in use: there are a variety of other sounds available, and the syllable representing a particular composition varies from style to style and composition to composition.