Jori (Pakhawaj-jori)

History

The jori was developed for Sikh kirtan in the time of Guru Arjan Dev ji by the legendary tabla players Bhai Satta and Bhai Balwand, who split the older pakhawaj into two drums so each hand had its own instrument. The deep, gajra-tuned jori is the original rhythmic foundation of Gurmat Sangeet — older than the modern tabla by more than a century.

A pair of asymmetrical hand drums — a wooden bass drum (dhamma) and a clay treble drum — developed for Sikh kirtan by splitting the older pakhawaj into two. Its deep, gajra-tuned strokes are the traditional rhythmic foundation of Gurmat Sangeet.

Tuning & playing guide

The wooden bass drum (dhamma) is tuned with fresh atta (wheat-flour) dough pressed onto the centre of the head before each session — this lowers the pitch and gives the round 'gajra' tone. The clay treble drum is tuned by tapping the wooden tension blocks (gattas) down to tighten the head to the singer's Sa. Always remove the atta when you finish.

Hear how it sounds