Spiegel also plays a variety of musical instruments such as Indian folk drums, Vibraphone, marimba, and assorted western and Asian percussion. He is head of Simla House, Inc. an independent CD label. Ray spent his formative years in the San Francisco Bay area, where he was associated with musicians such as Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ustad Alla Rakha, and at the Ali Akbar College of Music, studying tabla and playing in the Diga Rhythm Band (with Mickey Hart and Zakir Hussain), and various small combos.

Ray has received prestigious grant awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the American Institute for Indian Studies (Smithsonian Institute) to further his study of Tabla.

Ray has given lecture-demonstrations and master classes as well as performing at Julliard, Harvard, Dartmouth, Colgate, Amherst, Bennington, the New School of NYC, Simon's Rock College of Bard, Univ. of Northern Illinois (Dekalb), Univ. of Michigan, Lawrence University (Appleton, WI) and has taught Tabla at Weslyan University (Middletown, CT) for several years.

Outside the realm of traditional Indian Classical Music, Ray leads his group, the
Ray Spiegel Ensemble, who play an original blend of Raga and Rhythm centered music, composes and records film and television soundtracks, and performs with many various artists. Performance and recording credits include: The Grateful Dead, Patty Smyth, Diga Rhythm Band, Zakir Hussain and the Rhythm Experience, Robert Bly, Najma, Bhagavan Das, Gabrielle Roth, Shankar, Bon Jovi, Paul Winter, Danilo Perez, Noirin Ni Riain, Mike Diamond of the Beastie Boys, and Bill Cosby television productions.