What kind of tabla should a beginner buy?

David Courtney, author of Manufacture and Repair of Tabla, advises a beginner to buy a medium-priced tabla pair and avoid a cheap one, because a poor instrument makes learning hard.

KalaSudha's tabla suits the beginner and the professional accompanist alike, and the tabla page gives the price of each grade. Entry sets pair a sheesham (Indian rosewood) dayan (the right-hand drum) with a brass bayan (the bass drum); mid-range sets have a copper bayan and better skins. When the heads wear, KalaSudha re-faces them and renews the syahi, the black paste on each head.

For lessons, KalaSudha's online academy teaches every discipline of Indian classical music, tabla included.