There are two tabla drums used to create music. The smaller drum is termed dayan and is made of wood. It is played with the right hand. The larger deeper-pitched drum is made of metal and is known as bayan. They have a black middle spot made of iron fillings, soot and gum which produces a characteristic bell-like sound when drummed. Tabla is the most widely used percussion instrument. Apart from classical music, the tabla has made its mark on devotional in Shabad Keertan.

The Jori, also known as Panjabi Pakhawaj, was created in the court of the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan, by two musicians of the court, Satta and Balwand. The Jori emerged from the Mardang, which is a one-barrel drum. They cut this instrument into two pieces to create the Jori, which means 'pair'. The sound of this instrument is much louder and deeper than that of the Tabla. This was a practical necessity 300 years ago, before the technology of microphones and electrical amplifiers. Thousands of people would sit and listen to Kirtan outdoors, a situation demanding versatile acoustic instruments that could carry the sound.

The Jori requires the use of fresh dough on the bass drum (dhama). The treble drum (dhaiya) has ink (shahee) on the skin. To apply and remove fresh dough for each sitting involves effort and maintenance. This was eliminated by the substitution of Tabla, which has ink on the skin of both drums.