Dhantal
The dhantal (dandtal) is a long steel rod based percussion instrument (sounding similar to the triangle), which was adapted from the iron "bows" which yoked the oxen that pulled the carts on the estates in Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, other parts of the Caribbean, and Fiji. The original beater (which is called a kartaal/taali) was an actual horseshoe, a shape which is still retained in the modern dhantal's beater. The top of the dhantal may be blunt or tapered to a fine point to allow for greater resonance, and its end is shaped into a circle that rests on the ground, table, or other surface when it is played.
Dhantal
- Field
- idiophone.
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Dhantal. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q5269026 · wikipedia · Dhantal
In this article
History
Dhantal sizes can range anywhere from 3–6 feet (0.91–1.83 m) in length and 0.375–0.5 inches (9.5–12.7 mm) in diametre. The dhantal is an important instrument in Indo-Caribbean music styles, such as Chutney, Baithak Gana and Taan Singing.
The dhantal (also called the dhandataal) is of Indian origin, but most commonly found in the Caribbean and Fiji. The instrument was invented in the Caribbean by indentured laborers from India. The instrument's name literally means "stick percussion" from danda, "stick," and taal, the act of striking rhythmically.
Technique
The rod is gripped with the player's weaker hand while the beater is held in the dominant hand. The amount of resonance is controlled by opening and closing the hand that is holding the rod. The dhantal's timbre is sharply metallic and provides a clearly defined taal (beat or pulse) to help the ensemble stay in rhythmic sync. The basic rhythm of the dhantal is an ostinato consisting of two sixteenth-notes followed by an eighth-note. An example of how the Dhantal works can be seen in the Dhantal Lesson YouTube video.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Dhantal, revision 253567969 (DE edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Trinidad Express. The Mainstreaming of Roti.
- 2.Shepherd, John. Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, Volume 9: Genres: Caribbean and Latin America. Bloomsbury Publishing. 2014-03-13. 9781441132253.
- 3.Meighoo, Sean. The Encyclopedia of Caribbean Religions. EBSCO host.
- 4.Winer, Lise. Dictionary of the English/Creole of Trinidad & Tobago. McGill-Queen's University Press. 294. 2009. 978-0773534063.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witness
Connections
Knowledge graph
Connections
Each connection was recorded deliberately, with the basis for it kept on the internal record.
Broader subject
1- idiophoneTerminology
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Collectables
20,755 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- DexterityWork
- Dezaemon 3DWork
- DhaddTerminology
- Dhaka RacingWork
- dhimayTerminology
- dholakTerminology
- dhyāngroTerminology
- Di Blasi IndustrialeOrganisation
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own an object connected with Dhantal?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.