--- url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-jp/instrument/tavil' title: Tavil author: name: rajeevk url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-jp/user/4add8741a490747f' date: '2026-06-22T13:55:21+00:00' updated: '2026-11-06T00:32:52+00:00' type: product summary: 'The tavil is the South Indian barrel drum of the periya melam, played beside the nadaswaram at temples and weddings: double-headed, with finger strokes on one…' tags: - Membranophones - Tavil image: 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/mcp-imported/tavil-380.jpg?VersionId=4_zf58621fa0f456059ae110919_f107e8cbf43f28e36_d20261105_m220811_c003_v0312038_t0014_u01793916491537&h=00546c34&itok=4e-4nB0h' published: true og: site_name: KalaSudha 'image:url': 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/mcp-imported/tavil-380.jpg?VersionId=4_zf58621fa0f456059ae110919_f107e8cbf43f28e36_d20261105_m220811_c003_v0312038_t0014_u01793916491537&h=00546c34&itok=4e-4nB0h' 'image:secure_url': 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/mcp-imported/tavil-380.jpg?VersionId=4_zf58621fa0f456059ae110919_f107e8cbf43f28e36_d20261105_m220811_c003_v0312038_t0014_u01793916491537&h=00546c34&itok=4e-4nB0h' 'image:type': image/jpeg 'image:width': '1200' 'image:height': '675' 'image:alt': 'Tavil: barrel-shaped South Indian drum with its stick' --- Carnatic instrument · Barrel drum # Tavil The tavil, also spelt thavil, is a double-headed, barrel-shaped drum associated with Tamil Nadu. It is the drum of the periya melam, the South Indian temple ensemble led by the nadaswaram. [Ask for a quote](/en-jp/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=380) [Learn the tavil ](#learn) ## Buy from KalaSudha £250 to £800 - Sold by quote or made to order - Packed for shipping and delivered worldwide - Serviced and repaired by us, wherever you bought it FamilyBarrel drum Played withHand and a short stick EnsemblePeriya melam OriginSouth India (Tamil Nadu) Buy from us ## Choose your tavil [Ask about a custom order ](/en-jp/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=380) - Entry level ### Entry level tavil From £250 [Ask for a quote](/en-jp/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=380) - Professional ### Professional tavil £400 to £800 Professional drums have hand-selected jackfruit shells and correctly pasted heads, for Carnatic concerts and temple work. [Ask for a quote](/en-jp/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=380) ### What to look for Compare a shell hollowed from one block, sound buffalo and goat hides and intact paste inside the left face. A shell hollowed from a solid block of jackfruit wood is the superior build for even sound; some are assembled from staves bonded with natural glue. The right head is water buffalo or buffalo-calf hide and the left goat skin, with paste coating a circle about 5 cm across inside its face. Then check how the heads are tensioned, since it affects how a head is replaced: leather strap lacing, or bolts or metal straps on some modern drums. Professional drums have hand-selected jackfruit shells and correctly pasted heads, for Carnatic concerts and temple work. You will also need the kuchi, a short, thick, hard stick, and finger caps for the hand that plays the right head. Ask us for a quote, or for a tavil made to order. ### After you buy Delivered worldwideWe pack every instrument for international shipping; ask us about cases and insurance. Service and repairWe service and repair any tavil, wherever you bought it, worldwide: ask us. Strings, parts and casesAsk us for strings, spare parts and cases, and about a size for a younger learner. Help with your instrumentAsk us through the chat on any page, or by email, for help with your instrument. Gifts, schools and travelAsk us about gift vouchers, class sets for schools, and flight cases and travel help. Read the tavil care guide - **Heads:** Store the tavil in a padded bag or case; a cracked or punctured head needs replacing. Check the paste inside the left face before you play. - **Straps:** Rub the leather straps with a little neatsfoot oil or leather conditioner once a month, as dry straps snap under tension and leave the heads untunable on stage. - **Heat and damp:** Keep the drum out of strong sun, which dries straps and heads, raises pitch without warning and wears them faster, and away from damp and sudden humidity swings. Before humid outdoor performances retighten slack heads; in dry weather ease the straps a little so they do not over-tension. - **Paste:** If the paste loosens and the head sounds thin or hollow, bring the drum to us rather than re-pasting it yourself. KalaSudha Academy ## Learn the tavil with us [All courses ](/en-jp/courses) You can start the tavil with KalaSudha online or in a workshop, and beginners begin at Foundation level. Foundation covers playing seated and standing with a shoulder strap, and the traditional hold: fingers on the right head, a stick in the left hand. We teach children as well as adults, so ask us about a starting age and about a drum size for a younger learner. Returning after a long break, you start again where you left off. Our courses run in levels, and your teacher reviews where you stand first. [Ask about learning the tavil](/en-jp/form/learner-enquiry?source_entity_type=node&source_entity_id=380) ### Your route, stage by stage 1. 1 Basics of tavil technique Every KalaSudha beginner starts here, at the Foundation level of our courses. Learn both positions, seated and standing with the drum on a shoulder strap, and basic tones from both heads. Set up the traditional hold: fingers on the right head and the stick gripped in the left hand. 2. 2 Finger caps and right-hand articulation Strike the right head with hand, wrist and fingers, wearing finger caps if your lineage uses them, and develop rapid single-stroke patterns through slow, regular practice, building the endurance long temple performances demand. 3. 3 Left-hand stick technique Develop the left hand's stick strokes on the left head, open and damped, and integrate them with right-hand finger rhythms in patterns your teacher sets. 4. 4 Carnatic tala cycles Study the primary talas of periya melam and Carnatic music (Adi, Rupaka and Misra Chapu) and practise keeping each cycle at the loud, sustained dynamics the tavil needs. 5. 5 Nadaswaram partnership and solo repertoire Learn to accompany the nadaswaram in standard periya melam pieces, with the ottu drone and talam cymbals, for temple rituals and weddings. Then develop solo tavil compositions for the tani avartanam of a Carnatic concert. The instrument ## About the tavil ### What makes a tavil ### What is the tavil? The **tavil** (thavil, தவில்) is the double-headed barrel drum of Tamil Nadu's **periya melam**, and a KalaSudha tavil suits the temple musician and the concert drummer. The periya melam is the temple ensemble of nadaswaram and percussion heard at temples, weddings and processions. Its **jackwood** shell carries a buffalo-hide right head and a goat-skin left head, for a range from sharp high attacks to deep resonant bass. ### Built to match the nadaswaram The tavil's volume and projection match the powerful reed of the [nadaswaram](/en-jp/instrument/nadaswaram) outdoors, where other drums cannot carry; the two count together as **mangala vadyam**, auspicious instruments, with the ottu drone and talam cymbals. The barrel shell reinforces the low frequencies. The heads tune separately on their lacing, set to the nadaswaram player's tonal centre before each performance, and a paste coats a circle about 5 cm across inside the left face. ### How it is played The right hand plays the right head with hand, wrist and fingers, traditionally in hardened **finger caps**, for rapid rolls and sharp articulation, while the left hand strikes the left head with a short stick. Players sit, or stand with the drum on a shoulder strap. Valayapatti A. R. Subramaniam took the tavil into Carnatic concerts. Start on one of our [tavil](/en-jp/instrumental/carnatic-classical/tavil) study paths. ### History The tavil is one of the oldest percussion instruments in continuous South Indian use, though no firm date marks its beginnings. Tamil Sangam literature (c. 300 BCE–300 CE) names temple and processional percussion, and similar drums appear in Chola and Pallava temple reliefs of the 7th to 12th centuries. Arunagirinathar's 15th-century Thiruppugazh mentions the tavil, and it took its place in the periya melam of temple courtyards, processions and life ceremonies. Periya melam musicians, the tavil vidwan among them, came from hereditary non-Brahmin temple communities, who in the mid-20th century took the name Isai Vellalar; families passed on both playing and drum-making. For centuries this kept the tavil within set lineages and ceremonies. In the 20th century Carnatic concerts began to include periya melam instruments, and tavil players found audiences beyond the temple. Valayapatti A. R. Subramaniam shaped the modern concert tradition, with solo compositions and rhythmic elaboration for the Carnatic stage, and his recordings made the tavil a solo voice able to hold a full concert beside the nadaswaram. Haridwaramangalam A. K. Palanivel and later players took the drum to international festivals, within and beyond the periya melam. How a tavil is made The shell is a barrel of **jackfruit wood** (*Artocarpus heterophyllus*), 50–60 cm long and 30–35 cm across at the centre, tapering to both heads. Makers hollow it from a solid block, the superior build for even sound, though some assemble staves bonded with natural glue; the inside is smoothed, and the dense wood adds resonance and low-frequency weight. The right head is water buffalo or buffalo-calf hide; the left is goat skin, with a flour paste, traditionally of rice flour and ash, coating a circle about 5 cm across on the inside of its face. Each skin sits on a hemp hoop attached to the shell. Leather straps threaded through loops and crossed over the body lace the heads on, and each head tunes on its own by shifting the straps. The stick, the kuchi, is short, thick and hard, of wood or horn. Players who wear finger caps on the right hand traditionally shape them from hardened paste; bone or plastic caps are also used. ### At a glance OriginSouth India (Tamil Nadu) ClassificationMembranophone: barrel drum Playing techniqueRight hand: fingers in finger caps; left hand: stick EnsemblePeriya melam (nadaswaram ensemble) Notable performersValayapatti A. R. Subramaniam, Haridwaramangalam A. K. Palanivel TraditionCarnatic classical music, temple and processional music, weddings and folk music Full specifications #### Physical dimensions Body length50–60 cm Maximum body diameter30–35 cm (centre) Right head diameter18–22 cm Left head diameter22–26 cm Weight4–7 kg #### Construction materials Shell materialSolid block of jackfruit wood (Artocarpus heterophyllus) Right headWater buffalo or buffalo-calf hide Left headGoat skin, with paste inside the face over about 5 cm LacingLeather straps threaded through head loops and crossed over the body; bolts or metal straps on some modern drums Stick (kuchi)Short, thick, hard stick of wood or horn #### Sound characteristics Right head toneSharp, high-pitched attack; defined fundamental Left head toneLow, resonant, wide frequency spread Combined rangeBass to high treble across both heads Dynamic levelLoud; designed for outdoor and temple projection beside the nadaswaram Resonance characterWarm shell resonance from jackfruit wood body #### Playing technique Right-hand toolHand, wrist and fingers, traditionally in finger caps Left-hand toolKuchi stick Stroke typesRoll, single stroke, open, mute, rim Drum positionSeated, or standing with a shoulder strap; on a stand for some players Difficulty levelIntermediate #### Tuning and setup Tuning mechanismLeather strap lacing, adjusted by pulling or slackening Pitch referenceMatched to nadaswaram tonal centre before performance Right head pitchHigher; tuned separately from left head Left head pitchLower; wide resonance profile Weather effectHeat tightens heads; humidity slackens them Explore the music ## Hear the tavil Hear KalaSudha's [recordings](/en-jp/releases) and [concert videos](/en-jp/videos). ### Players Ask us to book a tavil player for a concert, event or recording. [Book a tavil player ](/en-jp/book-indian-classical-musicians) Keep exploring ## More around the tavil - [ Discipline Tavil The barrel drum of stick and fingers that partners the nadaswaram ](/en-jp/instrumental/carnatic-classical/tavil) Questions ## Tavil: common questions Buying, learning, care and the instrument itself. ### What is a tavil? The **[tavil](/en-jp/instrument/tavil)**, also spelt thavil, is a double-headed, barrel-shaped drum associated with Tamil Nadu. It is the drum of the periya melam, the South Indian temple ensemble led by the nadaswaram. It is used in temple music, Carnatic music and folk music, and with the nadaswaram it counts as an auspicious instrument at temple rituals and Hindu weddings. The mridangam, the drum of the Carnatic concert, sits across the lap and is played with both hands. The tavil hangs from the shoulder: the right hand plays one head and the left strikes the other with a short, hard stick, and its volume matches the nadaswaram outdoors. ### How do I start learning the tavil? You can start the [tavil](/en-jp/instrumental/carnatic-classical/tavil) with KalaSudha online or in a workshop, and beginners begin at **Foundation** level. Foundation covers playing seated and standing with a shoulder strap, and the traditional hold: fingers on the right head, a stick in the left hand. We teach children as well as adults, so ask us about a starting age and about a drum size for a younger learner. Returning after a long break, you start again where you left off. Our [courses](/en-jp/courses) run in levels, and your teacher reviews where you stand first. ### What is a tavil made of? A **[tavil](/en-jp/instrument/tavil)**'s shell is hollowed from a solid block of jackfruit wood. The two heads use different hides: water buffalo skin on the right head and goat skin on the other. The skins are fixed to hoops, historically of bamboo, and steel hoops have replaced bamboo because bamboo breaks. A paste is applied inside the left face, over a circle about 5 cm across. ### How do you play the tavil? In the standard hold, the right hand plays the **[tavil](/en-jp/instrument/tavil)**'s right head with the hand, wrist and fingers, and the left hand strikes the left head with a stick. The stick, the kuchi, is short, thick and hard, cut from local wood such as portia. The player sits or stands with the drum hung from the shoulder on a cloth strap, which suits the open-air performance of the temple ensemble. ### Should I buy a rope-laced or a steel-hoop tavil? The **[tavil](/en-jp/instrument/tavil)**'s skins are fixed to hoops, historically bamboo, and steel hoops have replaced bamboo because bamboo breaks. The tensioning system, rope and dowel or steel hoop and bolt, is one of the main decisions for a buyer, because it affects how a head is replaced. Check too that the shell is a solid jackwood block, and look at the head hides and the loaded left face. Each head tunes on its own, and the player sets both to the nadaswaram player's tonal centre before each performance. ### What is the periya melam? The periya melam is the South Indian temple ensemble of nadaswaram, **[tavil](/en-jp/instrument/tavil)**, ottu, a drone reed pipe, and talam, cymbals, organised around the lead nadaswaram player. The nadaswaram and tavil are auspicious instruments, heard at temple rituals and Hindu weddings in South India. The nadaswaram's volume makes it largely an outdoor instrument. Players who shaped the concert tavil include Valayapatti A. R. Subramaniam and Haridwaramangalam A. K. Palanivel. ### What should I check when buying a tavil? When buying a **[tavil](/en-jp/instrument/tavil)**, check that the shell is a solid jackwood block, how the heads are tensioned, which hides the heads use, and the condition of the loaded left face. The tensioning system affects how a head is replaced. You will also need the kuchi, a short, thick, hard stick, and finger caps for the hand that plays the right head. ### Where can I buy a tavil outside India? KalaSudha sells the tavil to players outside India, by quote or made to order, and we deliver worldwide. We pack every drum for international shipping; ask us about cases and insurance. We also service and repair any tavil, wherever you bought it, in any country. Spare parts come from us as well. For help with your tavil after the sale, use the chat on any page or email . Ask us too about gift vouchers or class sets for schools, and about a flight case for travel. ### Can I book a tavil player for a concert, event or recording? You can book a tavil player through KalaSudha for a concert, event or recording. The tavil partners the nadaswaram outdoors and in Carnatic concerts, with a volume to match the reed. Ask us through our page to [book Indian classical musicians](/en-jp/book-indian-classical-musicians), and hear our artists first in KalaSudha's [recordings](/en-jp/releases) and [concert videos](/en-jp/videos). ### Who are the best-known tavil players? Well-known **tavil** players include Valayapatti A. R. Subramaniam, who shaped the modern concert tradition and in 2009 became the first tavil player to receive the Music Academy's Sangita Kalanidhi, and Haridwaramangalam A. K. Palanivel, who received the Padma Shri in 2004. Valangaiman A. Shanmugasundaram Pillai received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for tavil in 1985. ### How is a tavil tuned? Each head of the **tavil** tunes on its own, by pulling or slackening the leather straps that lace it to the shell. The player sets both heads to the nadaswaram player's tonal centre before each performance: the buffalo-hide right head higher, the goat-skin left head lower. Weather moves the pitch, since heat tightens the heads and humidity slackens them. Before humid outdoor performances players retighten slack heads, and in dry weather they ease the straps a little. ### What is the difference between the tavil and the mridangam? Both are double-headed barrel drums of jackfruit wood from South India, built for different settings. The **tavil** plays outdoors with the nadaswaram in the periya melam, loud enough to match its powerful reed, while the mridangam is the principal percussion of Carnatic concerts. They are played differently. A tavil player strikes the right head with the hand, traditionally in finger caps, and the left with a short stick. A mridangam player uses both hands across the lap, on a treble head with a permanent black load and a bass head that takes fresh paste before each concert. ### Still have questions? Our support team can help you find the right answer. [Contact support](/en-jp/form/learner-enquiry?source_entity_type=node&source_entity_id=380) Talk to us ## Tell us about the tavil you want Ask for a quote on an instrument made to order, or about learning to play it with our teachers. [Ask for a quote](/en-jp/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=380) [Ask about learning](/en-jp/form/learner-enquiry?source_entity_type=node&source_entity_id=380) Stay close ## Keep KalaSudha close. Receive news of concerts, learning opportunities, recordings and the work taking shape at KalaSudha. - Concert news - ·Learning opportunities - ·Recordings and stories We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time. Buy a tavil from KalaSudha [Ask for a quote](/en-jp/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=380)