The thavil is a barrel shaped percussion instrument from South India. It is used in folk music and Carnatic music, often accompanying the nadaswaram. The thavil and the nadaswaram are essential ingredients of traditional festivals and ceremonies in South India.
The thavil consists of a cylindrical shell hollowed out of a solid block of wood. Layers of animal skin are stretched across the two sides of the shell using hemp hoops attached to the shell. The right face of the instrument has a larger diameter than the left side. The instrument is hung by a leather strap from the shoulder of the player. The right head is played with the right hand, wrist and fingers. The player usually wears thumb caps on all the fingers of the right hand. The left head is played with a stick made from the wood of the portia tree.
The thavil is a South Indian drum used in Carnatic music in the nagaswaram ensemble and in folk music.
A typical ensemble includes 2 thavil players (both right-handed and left-handed players), 2 nagaswaram players (traditional double reed instruments although Western clarinets can also be found in place of nagaswarams) and some times a percussionist who marks the talam on a pair of small cymbals.
The thavil is played with a stick in one hand (on the smaller bass head) and the index, middle, and ring fingers with thimbles of the other hand (on the larger treble head).
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