The tabla consists of two drums: the bayan (left drum) and the dayan (right drum).
The dayan is small, cylindrical drum made generally of wood, and is tuned to the preferred scale of the artist. Dayans typically have a range of 3-5 semi-tones.
The bayan is a small spherical drum that provides the bass note, which can be constantly altered based on different techniques used by the artist. It is made either of clay or metal such as copper, bronze or even a thin iron sheet.
The goat skin stretched across both the drums is made of multiple membranes, one full and the other on the periphery of the full skin called the Chanti. This parchment, called Pudi, is tied to a strip called the Gajra. The Gajra is fixed to the mouth of the drum by leather braces. These braces are tied to another ring at the bottom of the instrument. There are sixteen holes to which the braces are tied at equal distance, giving the instrument an equal tension at all the points.
Beneath each pair of leather bracing, a 8 small wood tuning blocks can be moved up or down. This causes the braces to increase or decrease in tension, thus varying the tension of the Pudi. This allows the tabla to be tuned to the desired pitch.
Special attention is made to the application of the Syahi, which is a finely ground mixture of iron powder, glue, paste of wheat flour and charcoal powder. This paste is applied layer by layer on the surface of the parchment. After applying one layer the same is polished with a smooth stone, and before this layer dries out another layer is laid. This work is done by highly expert tabla makers and the total thickness is judged only by experience. Both the drums are placed upon rings made of cloth, which provide stability during playing.