The Buyer’s Guide to a Dholak

Trump’s visit to India is making both US and Indian headlines today, with the entire world’s eyes on the rally did you notice where the folk music was coming from?

Dholak, the smaller version of Dhol, is a traditional folk drum of north India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. A simple barrel-shaped hand drum made from the Sheesham wood with skins on both sides, Dholak is a popular instrument used in many cultures.

Both sides are of a different diameter, with the smaller one creating high tones with a single membrane and the larger one filled with tar, clay, and sand, commonly known as “Dholak masala”. This is used to
produce a well-defined tone and to lower the pitch.

Many musicians prefer to make the Dholak themselves from commonly available materials to get the exact tune that they have in mind. The traditional Dholak is often covered with ropes and lace to tune it further by tightening the rope, a purpose served in modern Dholaks by metal
turnbuckles. The craftsmanship involved and the quality of material used determine its quality. Its shape and the surface smoothness of the interior decides the quality of sound produced.

As the instrument is about rhythm, sound, the sound quality and the pitch it provides, special care is to be taken in making and maintaining it. The Dholak can be played by two techniques- the open hand and the cross fingered method. The open hand is used for loud playing while the cross fingered method requires the player to sit cross-legged on the floor with the dholak either on his lap or the floor positioned according to his comfort.

The bass head or the smaller head is kept on the right side with the treble head or the larger head on the left. It can also be played by two musicians by striking the membranes with their hands.

It is widely used in cultural as well as non-musical styles such as bhajan or Hindu devotional songs, filmi sangeet or Indian film music, folk music, light songs or geet, Islamic devotional songs or qawwali, dhun or Hindu chanting and shabad or Sikh devotional music.

The buyer’s guide to a Dholak
First, you need to establish if you are a beginner or a professional player. Beginners typically use a less expensive Dholak and they eventually upgrade it to the one of a higher quality as they start playing professionally.

The type of wood and the quality of accessories used to make it typically influences its price range. The main points to look for are the type of wood, quality of parts, type of rope, the desired size and the quality of skins used.

Below are some key points to make a note of while selecting your Dholak:

Types of Wood:
Most of the Dholaks are made from Sheesham or the Indian rosewood known for its beautiful natural grains, strength, and color.

Some other types of wood are:

Mango Wood or Amb – This is considered to be a very good wood although Dholaks made from this are inferior in sound than the other. This wood is much less dense as compared to Sheesham. These Dholaks are very light but also weak. Most musicians paint them to prevent their degradation.

Kacchi Pakki Tahli / Raw/Ripe Sheesham – This wood is not completely ripe and hence has a red and yellowish gradient which gives them an aesthetic appeal. These Dholaks sound very powerful and dense as compared to the ones made from the mango wood but also are slightly heavier.

Pakki Tahli (Kalli Thlli) / Ripe Sheesham – The wood for this Dholak is aged and is very dense giving the Dholak a very bold sound. These are durable and its weight depends on the thickness of the drum and the drying of the wood. This wood is rare, expensive and these Dholaks are only used by professionals.

Confused about which Dholak is right for you? Just visit the Heritage Musical Centre at Musical Instruments Online Store – Heritage Musical Centre They provide you with expert care and opinion to help you find the Dholak that is just right for you. They also provide dholak repairs and services to ensure that you take good care of your Dholak and your Dholak takes good care of all your musical endeavors. It is your one-stop to get the instrument of your dreams.