wow, I go away for a while... come back and there's a percussion forum! sweet!
anyway. yes, buddy right did do a combo record w/ a tablaya--it was ud. alla rakha.
going to india is a great idea if you can afford the airfare, know who to contact and what you're looking for, etc. my family's from India and if you don't know what you're getting into, you'll wind up being one of the most frustated people on earth.
with that said: YOU NEED A TEACHER. a guruji, really. of the 50 or so talented fellow tabla players I know, 2 of them went at it without a teacher. and even they wish that they had the knowledge of form and theory that comes from having a guru.
in the UK, the best place to start for indian instruments is JAS musicals in southall, london.
www.jas-musicals.com . he sells good stuff. you want the heaviest drums you can get, essentially. the head is where the 'magic' is, but you need to know what you're looking for at first. check out david courtney's site:
www.chandrakantha.com .
tabla is a fantastic, humbling instrument, but you only get out of it what you put into it. it'll take you a long time before you can even play poorly, years to get to mediocre. it's an instrument that will stay with you your whole life. best of luck in your quest
