Krsna Kirtana Songs est.
2001 www.kksongs.org
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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.
UPDATED: March 12, 2012