Dholak

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The Dholak (Devnagari: ढोलक sometimes dholaki or in Suriname & Holland dhool) is a classical North Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese hand drum. A dholak may have traditional lacing or turnbuckle tuning. The dholak has a simple membrane and a handle on the right-hand side. The left-hand membrane has a special coating on the inner surface. This coating is a mixture of tar, clay and sand (dholak masala) which lowers the pitch and provides a well-defined tone.

The wood used for the membrane is usually made of teak wood, also known as "sheesham" wood. The process of hollowing out the drum is the determination of the sound and quality of the dholak.

A dholak has 2 heads a small part for the high pitch, and the large part is for the low pitch and it's pitched depending on size and tuning sounding like a bongo in playing mode.

The dholak is often used in Filmi Sangeet or Indian film music. It is also used extensively in chutney music, baithak gana, and tan singing, the local Indian music of the Caribbean. It is the main instrument along with the harmonium brought by the indentured immigrants to Suriname, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. In the Fiji Islands, dholak is widely used for bhajans and kirtans.

In a lot of Indian communities, traditionally, children sing and dance on the beat of the dholak during pre-wedding festivities. The dholak provides an interesting accompaniment for the naughty lyrics of the songs aimed at an abashed bride-to-be.