Tabla
The tabla is a pair of drums which consists of the dayan (the small right hand drum) and a larger one called bayan. It is believed that the tabla evolved from the barrel shaped pakhavaj about 300 years ago. The dayan is almost always made of wood, while the bayan can be made of iron, steel, aluminum, copper, or clay, but is most often made from brass with a nickel or chrome plate. The most striking characteristic of the tabla is the large black spot, a mixture of gum, soot, and iron filling, on each of the playing surfaces. Their function is to create the bell like timbre that is unique to the instrument.