TATT offers $80,000 for upcoming tassa competition

The winners will receive $15,000 while second and third place winners will receive $12,000 and $9,000 respectively.

Among the groups that will be going up against the defending band, St John’s United Tassa Drummers are: Country Boys, Caribel Fun Lovers, Next Generation, Shinning Stars, Soochit Boys, Surya Stars, RBTT Dragon Boys, Lion King, Hot Blood, Humming Bird, Latchman Boys, St Johns Junior, Island Boys, Shinning Stars Juniors, Charlieville Tassa, Cross Fire, Malick All Stars, Silver Stars, and Matilda Dynamics .

Each band will be allowed ten minutes on stage to play four hands. Judging criteria include 25 points for rhythm and harmony, 25 points for original piece, 20 points for breaking tall (changing from one beat to the next), 20 points for discipline, and ten points for presentation.

Groups will be allowed to have dancers on stage during their performances. The rules state that dancers should choreograph the presentation to add value to the rendition.

Speaking at a recent meeting held at the Divali Nagar Site in Chaguanas, the president of TATT, Dr Vijay Ramlal said that TATT was established as the umbrella body for the propagation and development of tassa drumming as the second national instrument of TT. He noted that TATT held meetings with the representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Prime Minister, Patrick Manning and proposed that the tassa drum be declared the second national instrument of TT.

TATT members have performed and conducted workshops in the Caribbean, Europe, North America, Canada, and the Middle East.

Speaking on the history of the tassa drums, Ramlal said that the original drums were brought to TT by the indentured labourers 160 years ago. "As the years went by, in this country, the characteristics of the tassa drums changed. This is because this generation experimented on the drums to get a sharper sound," he said. The original goat-skin drum is now replaced by the synthetic plastic skin.

There are 32 beats or hands used in tassa drumming. The popular hands are Thikora, Dingolay, Calypso Hosey, Wedding Hand, Steelpan, Chutney and Bangra.