Rav Neiyyar
Tabla and Dhol
Bio
Rav started playing Tabla at the age of 6, after his grandparents returned from a trip to India with his first Tabla set, which he still plays. Learning at his local Gurdwara (temple), it became clear Rav had talent and he soon overshot the older students in the class. He continued to learn over the next 4 years, at the same time playing other percussion instruments including the drum kit, which he was able to play without any speacialist tuition. For his 11th birthday, Rav received his first Dhol and at that point he knew music was to be his chosen career. Using the knowledge gained through his Tabla tuition, Rav played the Dhol as if he had been playing for years, stepping on stage for the first time soon after.
A short time later Rav saw the Dhol Foundation perform at his school and signed up for classes straight away. Over the next 6 years, he built his knowledge and performance skills with the Dhol Foundation, playing all over the UK and the world. It was here he first performed with bands such as Fun Da Mental, Transglobal Underground and of course the Bollywood Brass Band. With these bands, Rav was able to play at festivals such as Glastonbury and Womad, and venues including Queen Elizabeth Hall and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, as well as appearing with the Dhol Foundation and Transglobal Underground supporting Robert Plant and Jimmy Paige on the Paige & Plant Tour.
Along with performance, Rav became interested in the recording side of music and enrolled on a music technology course, eventually graduating from university with an Honours Degree in music technology.
Currently working on his own music projects, Rav can be seen performing regularly with Transglobal Underground and the Bollywood Brass Band.