When one has learned from Miyan Shaukat Hussain Khan ... fileUstad Abdul Sattar Khan Tari, is one of the topmost tabla players in the world, known for his knowledge of the authentic

"When one has learned from Miyan Shaukat Hussain Khan,

there remains no need to learn from anyone else."

---- Ustad Tari Khan.

Ustad Abdul Sattar Khan Tari, is one of the topmost tabla players in the world, known for his knowledge of the authentic Punjab tradition, his virtuosity, his tremendous contributions to the art of percussion, the un-matched tone of his tabla, and, more than anything else, his ability to produce music from the tabla. In this interview, he talks at length about his tabla, his foray into singing, his teachers, his ideas and much else besides.

Ally Adnan: What are the qualities that make a good tabla player?

Ustad Tari Khan: In my opinion, a truly gifted artist is made by God in the

heavens. Once in this world, the artist is educated by his Ustad

- and this is necessary - but the real talent that an artist has is

inborn.

A good tabla player is one who is taught by a good Ustad. The

Ustad builds the foundation upon which a tabla player builds

his skills. It is not possible to become a good tabla player

unless one has a good Ustad.

In terms of qualities, a good tabla player understands tempo

well and has perfect command over time keeping. He has

comprehensive knowledge of tabla and an extensive

repertoire. He needs to be able to play tabla with vocalists as

well as with instrumentalists; and he needs to understand the

specific requirements of the artist who he is accompanying.

The tabla player should also know how to perform solo. The

art of solo tabla playing is not easy. One needs to have

thorough knowledge, tremendous discipline, good memory

and the ability to gradually and systematically build his

performance. The presentation of the peshkara, the

introduction of a qaida, the imaginative but principled

development of the qaida, the systematic introduction of

relas, gats and parans, all done in a disciplined manner make a

good solo. Solos of good tabla players have themes which form

the basis of the qaidas, gats and parans that are played during

the performance. In addition to accompaniment and solo

playing, a good tabla player is also able to play tabla with

dance. This requires perfect time keeping and a very good

memory. More importantly, a good tabla players has a sureela

hand. His tabla is pleasing to the ears, his dayan and bayan are

well balanced, and he plays bols with love, finesse and

sensitivity. The bols need to be clear, crisp and clean and

sound the same at all tempos. These are the things that make

a good tabla player.

Ally Adnan: You have about about the importance of having a "good

Ustad." What is a "good Ustad?"

Ustad Tari Khan: First and foremost, a good Ustad is knowledgeable. The

knowledge needs to encompass both ancient and modern

tabla playing. The art of playing tabla has evolved over the

years. The tabla that was played a hundred years ago, albeit

good and important, is different form that which is played

today and that which will be played in the future. Let me give

you an example from the aviation industry. The Ryan

monoplane of the 1920 was a great plane at the time, a marvel

of engineering, and the one first used for a transatlantic

journey. Today we have hundreds of transatlantic flights daily

using airplanes as sophisticated as the A380s and the 777s.

These planes are built on the same aviation principles as the

Ryan monoplane but are far more sophisticated than that

aircraft. Coming back to tabla, a good Ustad knows ancient

tabla but has kept up with the times and is able to play modern

tabla well. He can also foresee the tabla that will be played in

the future. The good Ustad will teach all tabla - ancient,

modern and future - to his students.

A good Ustad does not exploit his students; rather he treats

them like his sons and teaches them faithfully and accurately.

He is strict, fair, compassionate and a hard task master. He

knows what to teach a particular student at a particular time

and adapts his teaching to match the capabilities and talent of

his students. A good Ustad does not dole out his knowledge

freely; he only teaches those who have earned the right to

learn by sheer hard work, sincerity and honesty, and those that

show promise. Good Ustads do not waste their time and

energy on students who don't show promise.

Ally Adnan: How has tabla evolved over the years?

Ustad Tari Khan: The tabla that was played a hundred years ago was simple in

structure, louder in volume and almost exclusively an

accompanying instrument. Over the years, the great Ustads of

tabla defined the rules and established the principles of

playing tabla. Early on, everyone used to play teentaal.

Performing different taals was added over the years. The great

Ustads expanded the repertoire of the instrument by

continuously composing new qaidas, gats and parans. In the

first half of the twentieth century, tabla players used to sit

behind the artists that they were accompanying. Over the

years they moved closer to the front of the performance stage.

The second half of the century saw a great emphasis on

layakari, the splitting of beats, and the development of

fractional taals. The last fifty (50) years have been the golden

years of tabla as far as evolution and development of the art of

tabla is concerned. In this period, the superstars of tabla were

born who had the same stature as major vocalists and

instrumentalists. Great strides were made in layakari and in

playing with tempo and rhythmic cycles. Tabla players have

built castles on the foundation laid by their Ustads and dada

Ustads. New taals have been invented; complex qaidas and

laris have been written. The advent of the microphone and

advances in audio technology have allowed tabla players to

develop tone, finesses and feeling on their playing since they

no longer have to produce loud sounds in outdoor settings.

The tabla of yesteryears is important and has academic and

nostalgic value; it is, however, simple compared to the tabla

that is played today.

Ally Adnan: There are six (6) major gharanas of tabla playing today. Please

tell us about these.

Ustad Tari Khan: A gharana is a school of tabla playing. The alphabet of tabla

remains the same but each gharana has their own style of

playing the bols. Some gharanas lay claim to creating some

specific bols and focus more on those bols in their

compositions. The founders and elders of the various gharanas

composed some remarkable items for tabla which came to be

associated with those gharanas. The alphabet of tabla belongs

to every gharana but each has bols that it likes. You will hear a

lot of Tit Dhit in Delhi, a lot of Tak Dhin Na Nag in Lucknow.

The Delhi gharana focuses on lighter strokes and fine tone

tending to avoid loud and resonant playing. There is a focus on

the Tit Dhit, Dha Tit, Tir Kit and Ti Na Gin Na bols. The gharana

is known for its vast repertoire of qaidas.

Lucknow stays away from kinar focusing on the sur and siyahi

instead. Players of this gharana stay away from sharp sounds.

The accompaniment of kathak dancers resulted in the

development of intricate tukras, tihaais and chakardars. The

gharana is known for its crisp relas and unique paran-gat.

Ajrara focuses on complex bols like Ge Take, Dhat Trike, Dhin

Na Gin Na Ta Ke. Players from this gharana sometimes deviate

intentionally from the underlying laya and then return to it

with great virtuosity. The gharana is known for some very

special qaidas which span several cycles of a taal and place the

khali in unexpected locations.

Players of the Farrukhabad gharana are fond of using the Dhir

Dhir and Tak Tak bols. There is focus on the sur and the siyahi.

The gharana is known for its cache of gats, chalans and

chakardar tukras. There is lesser focus on peshkara and qaida.

The Benaras gharana is known for its powerful sound and

focus on resonant strokes. The baaj is open and whole hands

are often used instead of just fingers. A lot of pakhawaj bols

like Dhum Kit, Gadi Ginna, Gheghe Naka, Kradhan, Kita Dhan

are used by Benaras players. They are known for the division of

their gats into zanana and mardana.

The Punjab gharana is strongly influenced by Pakhawaj uses a

lot of the bols and techniques of the older instrument. Punjab

players focus on layakari creating extremely intricate

structures. They play in barabar, aar and kuaar. There is great

focus on gat and rela. Peshkaras and qaidas are complex. The

production of a gliding sound on the Bayan is a specialty of the

Punjab gharana.

Ally Adnan: We have been talking about Ustads and gharanas. Today, we

see that a lot of players learn from multiple Ustads. What do

you think of this practice?

Ustad Tari Khan: There is saying in Punajbi: "Bauhte Karaan Da Parauna Pukha

Rehnda Ae" which loosely translates as: "A Guest that Goes to

Many Home Stays Hungry." I do not having multiple Ustads. A

tabla player should have one Ustad, like he has one father. Of

course, death, ailments, migration and other circumstances

may necessitate the need for a second or even a third Ustad,

but ideally one should have one good Ustad. The Ustad Shagird

relationship is not one that can be formed every day. Once the

bind is created, it should last forever.

Ally Adnan: Please tell us about your gharana.

Ustad Tari Khan: I am classified as a player of the Punjab gharana which is a

gharana created by Pakhawaj players. However, the truth is

that the tabla of my Ustad, Miyan Shaukat Hussain Khan, and

consequently mine deviates a little from the Punjab tradition.

Miyan Saab's first Ustad was Pandit Heeralal of the Delhi

gharana. He started his career as a tabla player by focusing on

qaida and became the master of the item. After partition, he

migrated to Pakistan and happened to listen to the tabla of

Miyan Qadir Baksh who was known for his gats and parans.

My Ustad was a humble man and always felt that he needed to

learn more. He became a student of Miyan Qadir Baksh to

learn the tabla of Punjab and to add gat and paran to his

repertoire. The truth is that he played very little Delhi and not

the original form of Punjab. He was a genius and combined his

knowledge of the two schools to create a tabla style so

beautiful, balanced and complete that I, like many aficionados

of classical music, believe that it has become its own gharana.

If I am to speak the truth, I would say that I am a disciple of the

Miyan Shaukat Hussain branch of the Punjab Gharana.

Ally Adnan: You belong to a family of vocalists. How did you become a

student of tabla?

Ustad Tari Khan: My father was a very talented vocalist. After migration, he

moved to Pakistan but felt hurt by the lack of patronage of arts

in the newly formed country. He abandoned singing after

moving to Pakistan and did not want me to enter the music

field. I was always enamored of the tabla and felt that I had

rhythm in my blood. It was hard to convince my father to allow

me to enter not only the music field but as a percussionist. It

was after several years of pleading that he gave me the go

ahead to start learning tabla formally.

Ally Adnan: Please tell us about your Ustad.

Ustad Tari Khan: As you said, I was born into a family of musicians. I was in love

with 'sur' and enjoyed all music that was sureela. As a young

kid, I had the good fortune of listening to a lot of musicians and

tabla players but when I heard Miyan Saab's tabla, it hit me

hard. This was a tabla so sureela, so musical that it captivated

me. I would sit by the Radio and listen to his tabla for hours.

The tone of his tabla, the melodious sound was unique to him.

At that age I did not know a qaida from a gat, but I knew that

his tabla was different from all others and the one that

reached my soul. I first saw him on television. He used to sit

erect, moving just his fingers, with a regal posture and a

dignity that I have not seen since. I felt I was looking at the

emperor of tabla when I saw him. I fell in love both with the

person and the tabla of Miyan Saab. I decided to become his

student not because I wanted to make tabla my profession but

because I wanted an opportunity of being close to him and to

do his seva.

I first saw Miyan Saab in person at the All Pakistan Music

Conference. I was there with a few friends. I was backstage

when I saw that Miyan Saab left to get some tea, leaving his

tablas behind. I could not resist the temptation of playing the

tablas. As I was playing them, Bhai Naseera walked in and

asked me if I was Miyan Saab's son. Someone thinking that I

was Miyan Saab's son was a great compliment for me. I told

him that I was not but the compliment made me very proud.

When I told Bhai Naseera about my real father, he told me that

we were distantly related and encouraged me to continue

playing tabla.

After that I tried to meet with Miyan Saab several times but

was never successful. Then, I was booked to play with Pervez

Mehdi at the Barsi of Ustad Alamgir Khan. As I was tuning the

tabla, Miyan Saab walked on stage and sat on a chair to one

side. This was a lot for me to handle and to this day I cannot

remember what I played and whether I played well or not. I do

remember that he said that I had played well. I gave him all the

money that I had at the time as nazar. Qadir Faridi who was

around told Miyan Saab that I was in love with him and that he

should consider making me his student. I told Shaukat Saab

that I had never had an Ustad and had learnt what little I knew

by listening to him and imitation his style. After Pervez and me,

Miyan Saab played a solo item and then accompanied Ustad

Salamat Ali Khan and Ustad Nazakat Ali Khan. I remember that

I was transfixed by the tabla and moved to tears. Once the

show was over, I offered to carry Miyan Saab's tabla home and

went to drop him off in a taxi. He did not say much during the

ride but as he was getting off, he told me that he knew how

much I loved him and that I should start coming to Lahore

Radio Station to learn from him.

He started teaching me but would not make me a formal

ganda bandh student. I used to ask him to tie the ganda but he

would never agree, always asking me to wait. This used to

cause me distress and it was only years later that I understood

that he wanted to delay my ganda bandhan to a time when I

would be able to play in front of major musicians and create a

stir in the music world. Eight (8) years later, he agreed to make

me his student formally. The event was attended by Inayati

Khan, Baba Tufail Naorwaliya, Ghulam Ali and most major

musicians of the time attended my ganda bandhan. It was

here that Miyan Saab asked me to perform a solo and

presented me to the music world as a proud father.

Ally Adnan: What was your relationship with Miyan Shaukat Hussain Khan

like?

Ustad Tari Khan: It really was not an Ustad Shagird relationship. He had many

students - good ones - before me and after he made me his

student. Yet I was lucky to form a bond with him that no one

else had. It was a spiritual connection. I had not gone to him to

learn tabla. My only desire was to be close to him and have an

opportunity to do his khidmat and seva. Honestly, I did not

care if he taught me tabla or not as long as he allowed me to

be close to him.

He became a friend, a father and an Ustad for me. I did not

need anyone else. Shaukat Saab did not enjoy teaching but

always made time to teach me.

It would be unfair of me to just talk about my Ustad teaching

me tabla. He was my spiritual guide as well. He was a man of

deep thought and a true philosopher. He used to shared his

thoughts with me and taught me about respect, honesty, faith,

sincerity, love, modesty, and values. I have traveled the globe -

many, many times - but have never met a person as

remarkable as my Ustad. He was a humble man, an honest

man, a dignified man. Any and every thing good that I learnt

about life was from him.

Ally Adnan: Please tell us about his art.

Ustad Tari Khan: I have had the good fortune of having listened to all major

Ustads of tabla all over the world. And I have respect for all of

them but the balance in his dayan and bayan is unparalleled.

The tonal quality of his tabla is unmatched. The purity of sound

unequalled. A lot of people focus on the dayan and play it well

but bayan has rarely, if ever, been sureela. Miyan Saab was

able to play meend on the bayan; nobody has been able to

glide over notes on the bayan like he used to. He created and

perfected the technique of changing the frequency of the

bayan using the bottom of his hand and by pulling at the

straps. Tabla players have trouble tuning the bayan - some

leave it very high - but he always played his bayan in the lower

registers - where it should be - raising on lowering the pitch, as

needed, by imperceptible moves of his hand.

I was fortunate to be his student but even if I was not and had

a different Ustad, I would have to admit that he was the

greatest tabla player of all times. Saying otherwise would be a

lying.

Ally Adnan: You are a towering figure in the world of tabla and have had

close associations with a lot of major Ustads of tabla. After

Shaukat Saab passed away, did you ever consider learning

from another Ustad?

Ustad Tari Khan: When one has learned from Miyan Shaukat Hussain Khan,

there remains no need to learn from anyone else.

Ally Adnan: You have talked about Miyan Shaukat Hussain Khan as being

both a great artist and a great person. Do you think that it is

necessary to be a good person to become a good artist?

Ustad Tari Khan: One wishes it was so but unfortunately that is not the reality.

Ally Adnan: What is the tradition of giving Nazar?

Ustad Tari Khan: Nazar is the giving of a monetary gift to one's Ustad as a mark

of respect. Any tabla player who plays in the presence of his

Ustad must first give Nazar to his Ustad and seek his

permission before he starts playing. And students should

always give nazar to their Ustad before the Ustad plays. It

must never be given to the Ustad during or after the

performance because that would signify the student giving

shabash to the Ustad. It is not a student's place to give

shabash to his Ustad. Nazar is not supposed to create an

economic hardship for the student. The amount should be

reasonable and one that the student can comfortably afford to

give.

There is also the tradition of an Ustad giving his student an

inaam when they are pleased with the student. This is typically

done at the end of the student's performance.

Ally Adnan: And the tradition of giving qaidas, gats and parans in dowries?

Ustad Tari Khan: In ancient times, Ustads used to value tabla compositions

more than jewels. They would jealously guard their knowledge

and rarely share it with anyone. Knowledge was valued above

all things material. So the giving of compositions in a dowry

was considered to be the ultimate gift.

Ally Adnan: Today, tabla is played both as a solo and as an accompanying

instrument. Indeed, you play solos as often as you accompany

other artists. Please tell us about the discipline of playing a

tabla solo.

Ustad Tari Khan: Traditionally, a tabla performance begins with an item called

Izin. This is a short composed piece meant to signify the asking

of permission to play. Only the most knowledgeable - and,

frankly, well-mannered - of tabla players today understand and

play Izin.

Izin is followed by Peshkara. The word is derived from the

Urdu word meaning presentation. It is like an alaap for the

tabla. It is usually a spontaneous and improvised piece played

at a leisurely pace. A tabla player has more freedom in the

Peshkara than in a qaida. A lot of different bols can be played

in the Peshkara and there is freedom to practice layakari as

well. A few basic bols are set as the base and other bols are

added to those in a systematic manner. This is a portion where

a tabla player displays both his creativity and virtuosity and

gives a preview of the performance that follows the Peshkara.

After the Peshkara comes the Qaida. This is a structured and

composed piece. Qaidas were originally meant to be exercises

for students of tabla that developed the necessary motor skills,

techniques, tone, speed and clarity. Today a qaida is an

important and integral part of a tabla solo. Each qaida has its

own theme which consists of composed phrases; the tabla

player expands a qaida by adding laris to it while staying within

the rules of the qaida and maintaining its theme. A qaida can

be explored for hours by talented tabla players. It usually ends

with a tihai which is a composed piece in which a phrase -

known as the palla - is played three times successively with the

last one ending on the sum. The culmination of a qaida in a

tihai is a modern development. Tihais are of two types -

damdar which have a pause between each one of the three

pallas and bedam which do not have a pause. The Delhi

gharana is known for its vast repertoire of peshkaras and gats.

Qaidas are followed by various composed pieces. These

include parans, gats, and tipallis, chaupallis. This is an area of

strength for the Punjab gharana. Parans are long composed

pieces that often use Pakhawaj bols and are the most dramatic

part of a solo. Gats are composed pieces that employ difficult

bols in complex rhythmic structure. Gats do not necessarily

conclude with tihais. Tipallis and chaupallis are forms of the

gat. Lucknow is known for its gats.

Relas are played towards the end of a solo in fast tempo and

create a climatic effect. Relas consist of simple bols like dha tit,

ghire nag, tir kit arranged in relatively simple structure. Relas

are usually ended with thunderous tihais.

Ally Adnan: The Punjab gharana is sometimes criticized for having a small

repertoire of qaidas. Is this a fair criticism?

Ustad Tari Khan: The Punjab gharana was founded by Pakhawaj players. Their

focus was on gats, parans and layakari. Traditionally, the

Punjab gharana has had few qaidas of its own but these are

complex and intricate qaidas. Historically this criticism is fair

but today players of the Punjab gharana play qaidas that they

have learnt from other gharanas as well as those that they

have composed themselves.

Miyan Saab was a master of the qaida even before he

migrated to Pakistan and became a student of Punjab. He

spent his life composing highly intricate, very innovative,

acoustically melodious and structurally complex qaidas. His

work was new and unique. I was fortunate to learn these

qaidas from him. I play them all over the world and people ask

me about the structure of these qaidas. The qaidas Miyan

Saab composed were so unique and so modern that people are

not able to fully understand them, let alone play them. Miyan

Saab used to conclude his qaidas with new and distinct tihais

which were based on the qaida that was being concluded and

were composed exclusively for that particular qaida.

Ally Adnan: You are very particular about the lehra player who

accompanies you in solo performance. Why is that?

Ustad Tari Khan: Playing lehra, or naghma is a forbiddingly difficult task. Even

the most talented of sarangi and harmonium players struggle

with lehra. When they fail in keeping laya, the tabla player has

to adjust and can lose his focus. Of course there are lehra

players who are so good that they are capable of even making

up for tempo mistakes made by novice tabla players. I am

picky about my lehra player because my focus is on keeping my

tabla sureela and I need a sureela lehra player to accompany

me. I also need a perfect time keeper so that I can focus on my

performance without worrying about the laya of the lehra

player.

Ally Adnan: Do you have any favorite lehra players?

Ustad Tari Khan: Yes, I do. A lot of good sarangi players have accompanied me

during my career. Today, I enjoy playing with Ramesh Mishra.

He is, in my opinion, the greatest lehra player alive.

Ally Adnan: What are the requirements of tabla accompaniment with

kathak?

Ustad Tari Khan: Tabla players who play with kathak need to have command

over laya and a sound knowledge of taal structure. They need

to memorize the todas, tihais and tukras employed by the

dancer. They need to be able to anticipate the theka variations

that will be used by the dancer. They need to be able to

replicate the sounds created by the feet of the dancers on the

tabla even if they do not know the bols.

I have played with kathak but do so very rarely. A lot of time

needs to be invested in memorizing kathak compositions. The

majority of kathak dancers are female and I have always been

shy around women. Playing with kathak is not something I

enjoy doing.

Ally Adnan: Tabla and kathak bols are different. When a dancer says Ta

Thai Thai Tat, the tabla player plays Na Dhin Dhin Na. Is there a

one to one correspondence between the bols of kathak and

tabla.

Ustad Tari Khan: No, there is not. Some tabla players will play Kir Tik Tin Tin

when the dancers stamps out Kir Tik Thun Thun; others will

play Kir Tik Ti Ti. The requirement is to create the same sound.

There is correspondence between the bols but it is not rigid.

Tabla players have some latitude in using bols when

accompanying dancers.

Ally Adnan: We have talked about playing tabla with dance and as a solo

instrument. Let us talk about the role of a tabla player as an

accompanist.

Ustad Tari Khan: Accompaniment on the tabla is difficult. One has to cater to

the demands of the performing artist. There are musicians like

Ustad Salamat Ali Khan and Ustad Fateh Ali Khan who enjoy a

dialog with the tabla player and want the tabla player to play

with the taal. There are others who want only theka to be

played without any ornamentation. A good accompanist

adjusts his playing to meet the demands of the performing

musician.

Ally Adnan: You are credited with single handedly developing the style of

tabla accompaniment for the ghazal. Please tell us about

ghazal accompaniment.

Ustad Tari Khan: Amongst all forms of vocal music, it is most difficult to play

tabla with ghazal. The tha dunis that I play with ghazals are the

essences of all the knowledge that I have gained in my entire

career. They are complex, they require great command over

laya, the follow are the rules and principles of the underlying

taal, and need to be played at speeds not easily achieved by all

tabla players. When ghazal accompaniment was in its primitive

form, there really were no rules for the tha duni. There are

recordings of ghazals form the last century where you hear tha

dunis in keharwa even though the ghazal is being sung in

roopak. I was the first tabla player who considered ghazal

accompaniment to be a classical art form and, with the

guidance of my Ustad, developed the style, rules and principles

of playing tabla with ghazal.

A ghazal is not just a musical but also a poetic form. One needs

to keep the theme of the poetry - and its mood - in mind while

accompanying the ghazal singer. The same roopak is played in

a playful way if the ghazal has a light mood and in a sober

mood if it has a sad theme. Then the sam, khali and talis need

to be made clearly visible so that the singer does not have to

focus on the theka and always knows where he is in the cycle.

And most importantly, the theka should not be boring. In

ghazal accompaniment, the tabla player needs to use short

ornamental pieces to decorate the basic theka.

I have played a lot with Mehdi Hassan. He would sometimes

sing twenty (20) or thirty (30) ghazals in one evening each with

as many as ten (10) couplets. That required me to play as many

as three hundred distinct tha dunis in one sitting. Playing with

khayal, or any other musical form for that matter, is not that

demanding.

Ally Adnan: You have played with some of the most senior musicians in the

world of Hindustani music - Roshanara Begum, Ustad Salamat

Ali Khan, Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, Pandit Jasraj, Ustad Ghulam

Hussain Shaggan, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ustad Sharif Khan

Poonchwale, and Mehdi Hassan to name a few - but are always

willing to accompany younger and more junior artists. Is it

frustrating to play with junior artists who may not have great

command of laya or who are just starting out their musical

career?

Ustad Tari Khan: No, it is not. Music is all about love and affection. I enjoy

playing with both senior and junior artists. If a junior artist

makes a mistake, it is the tabla players duty to try and adjust

his accompaniment to make up for the mistake. Good tabla

players are patient and loving. They do their best to enhance

the performance of the main artist - junior and senior alike.

Ally Adnan: Who are the musicians that you have enjoyed playing with?

Ustad Tari Khan: I have enjoyed playing with musicians who give me the

freedom to play tabla. I will not name names here but

musicians who have a solid understanding of laya and are

secure in their knowledge are the ones I enjoy accompanying.

They give me the freedom to demonstrate my talent - at the

right times - and engage in colorful dialog. My best

performances have been those where the musicians have

pushed me to play to the limits of my capabilities.

Ally Adnan: How do you prepare for a performance?

Ustad Tari Khan: I do not. Hindustani classical musicians have years of training

before they become performers. That training is all the

preparation that is needed. Often I meet an artist that I am

accompanying on the stage without having had the

opportunity to talk to him, or her, before the concert. It is here

that the riyaz, knowledge and training of a tabla player helps

him. No preparation is needed.

Ally Adnan: How do you feel during a good performance?

Ustad Tari Khan: A good performance is intoxicating. When I feel that I am

playing well, I get high on the music. There is intense focus on

the time cycle and its rules and principles. I forget my

surroundings and get so intensely involved with my music that

feelings become almost surreal. Often, I do not remember

what I played afterwards and need to listen to recordings to

see what I did. Sometimes I am surprised by some of the things

that I accomplished on stage and need to think hard to figure

them out.

Ally Adnan: There is a tradition of playing music at the barsis - death

anniversaries - of major musicians in Pakistan. Music, however,

is usually associated with happiness. Why do we have a

musical celebration at a death anniversary?

Ustad Tari Khan: Great musicians do not die. They leave behind rich musical

legacies that keep them alive even after death. The barsis are a

celebration of their art which does not disappear even with

death.

I earned my name by playing at barsis. It is not easy for an

artist to make a name in Lahore. These events are an

opportunity for artists to make their name in the musical

world, or disappear into oblivion. The major barsis were those

of Miyan Qadir Baksh, Ustad Alamgir Khan, Bhailal Muhammad

and Fateh Ali Khan Qawwal. They were attended by stalwarts

of the music world who performed without any fees or

remuneration. These are best events I have attended in my

life.

Ally Adnan: After making your name in the field of tabla, and many years

after entering the music world, you started singing. Why?

Ustad Tari Khan: My father was a classical vocalist. He was both very sureela

and very knowledgeable. He gave up singing after migrating to

Pakistan from India but used to sing at home from time to

time. I used to enjoy these sessions a lot and would ask him to

teach me every now and then. I had a long association with

Mehdi Hassan as an accompanist and a friend. His music

always touched me the same was Miyan Saab's tabla used to.

Over the years, I developed a desire to become his ganda

bandh student. It is my good fortune that he agreed.

Ally Adnan: What did you like about Mehdi Hassan's singing?

Ustad Tari Khan: I have always been a lover of sur. And no one is more sureela

than Mehdi Hassan. All twelve (12) notes are at his beck and

call; he owns them all. The quality of his voice - its richness,

poignancy, resonance and depth - is unique. He sings with

feeling and with a lot of expression and understanding. His

riyaz gave him a level of tayyari that few singers ever achieve.

Vocalists often use notes in successive order while singing; that

was too easy for him. He created complex note patterns by

using creative and forbiddingly difficult permutations of

musical notes. Singers who try to mimic the patterns that he

established end up singing off key. He was a classically trained

vocalist and had deep knowledge of an immensely large

number of ragas both Hindustani and Carnatic. This allowed

him to sing ghazal in a manner that made it superior to the

khayal of most other singers.

It was very difficult to play tabla with him. It is so easy to get

lost in his music and forget what you are doing. Then he

required - and demanded - perfect tuning of the tabla. One

also needed a lot of stamina to play with him since he would

sing for hours and hours when in the right mood. Playing with

him was an emotional and musical tour de force. Often his

singing brought tears to my music.

Ally Adnan: Whose music do you listen to?

Ustad Tari Khan: I enjoy all good music. I am very fond of the music of the great

Ustads of India and Pakistan. I love Ustad Amir Khan and Bade

Ghulam Ali Khan. Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, Ustad Ghulam Hassan

Shaggan and Ustad Salamat Ali Khan are favorites. I love Noor

Jehan's music. Lata Mangeshkar's songs are very special to me.

And, of course, no one is as sureela as Mehdi Hassan.

Ally Adnan: You have a very large number of students all over the world.

Pakistan, India, England, Canada, America.....there is probably

no country where you do not have students. You are a

performing artist, one who is busy in his own shows; yet you

like to teach and find the time to do so. Why?

Ustad Tari Khan: I do not want my art - my Ustad's art - to disappear with me.

My students will inherit my musical legacy. My students are

like my own children for me. It is true that they have

tremendous love and respect for me but it is also true that I

love them. I have been blessed with great students; I want to

teach them. They learn well and most start performing within

a year.

Ally Adnan: What makes a good student of tabla?

Ustad Tari Khan: A good student understand the meaning of respect. He

respects his Ustad, his parents and other senior musicians. He

is honest and sincere. He has a bright mind and is dedicated to

learning. Patience is necessary. And, of course, a lot of hard

work and riyaz is needed.

Ally Adnan: You are now at a stage in your art that it is impossible to

evaluate you as a tabla player. No one has the knowledge to

fully understand and judge your tabla. So, let me ask what you

think of your own tabla.

Ustad Tari Khan: I have never been satisfied with my tabla. I am always curious

to learn more, to enhance my art and to create new items.

There have been times where my tabla has given me happiness

but I have never been fully satisfied with it. I am still working

on it.