tabla progress
Feb. 7th, 2009 06:11 pmI had a good play on top of the tabla today.
*Once I'm up there I can really do anything you can normally do on the spot. N and my co-workers seem scared and think it seems so precarious but I feel quite comfortable up there. I guess being small and bottom heavy helps, I think you'd have more trouble if you were tall and apple shaped!
*I'm glad I got a normal smallish tabla as itis a bit too big as it is - you can't jsut stand on the skin, you need to have your feet on the edge and the diameter is a few inches bigger than the length of my foot, so its impossible to get one foot central enough to mount/dismout safely. I can do it, but there is a difference between being relaxed in my living room and performing! I think I may have to develop a theatrical technique where I use my hands and mount in a crouched position and pretend to wobble as I get on so people even seem amazed when I stand up. Even a glamerous assistant wouldn't help unless they just held the drum down, which would just look crap. I'm going to a workshop about this in April, but I can't really see any other solutions unless the skin really is strong enough to hold me, but that's not something I really want to test!!!!
*My feet get really tired and achey!! I think they are gripping on more than I realise
*Once I'm up there I can really do anything you can normally do on the spot. N and my co-workers seem scared and think it seems so precarious but I feel quite comfortable up there. I guess being small and bottom heavy helps, I think you'd have more trouble if you were tall and apple shaped!
*I'm glad I got a normal smallish tabla as itis a bit too big as it is - you can't jsut stand on the skin, you need to have your feet on the edge and the diameter is a few inches bigger than the length of my foot, so its impossible to get one foot central enough to mount/dismout safely. I can do it, but there is a difference between being relaxed in my living room and performing! I think I may have to develop a theatrical technique where I use my hands and mount in a crouched position and pretend to wobble as I get on so people even seem amazed when I stand up. Even a glamerous assistant wouldn't help unless they just held the drum down, which would just look crap. I'm going to a workshop about this in April, but I can't really see any other solutions unless the skin really is strong enough to hold me, but that's not something I really want to test!!!!
*My feet get really tired and achey!! I think they are gripping on more than I realise