Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

MUSIC

In Kashmir the noot is, like the ghatam, an earthen pot which is popular in folk music. It is placed with the mouth up. The singer who uses the noot for rhythm beats it on the mouth and sides.

These round metal sheets produce a jin- gling sound when it is played with all the four fingers. This simple instrument of a single stretched membrane used all over the world, is one of the chief percussion instruments. Eminent Kanjira player : Hari Shankar (L). IDIOPHONES The idiophones or anything solid - like sticks and stones, pots and pans - might have been the oldest musical instruments used by mankind. But since they are not capable of producing definite pitches that are required for creating a melody, they do not find a place in classical music with two exceptions — ghatam and jalatarang. They are also known as ’ghana' or 'lauhaja'. The instruments of this group are usually played with a striker or something like a hammer, either mechanically or otherwise. The instruments of this group are Svaraman- dala, Santura, Kanuna, Jalataranga, Nala- taranga, Kastha-taranga, Karatala piano and Cymbals etc.

There are many tabla schools which have different styles of playing. The players of the Delhi gharana use the rim of the tabla more than the centre, the first and middle finger more than other combinations. The Ajrada gharana so called, after the town where the originator of the style lived, uses combina- tions with heavier left-handed strokes and revels in odd rhythms. The other major branch is the 'poorab' or eastern one which comprises styles known as the Lucknow baj, Banarasi baj and Farrukhabadi baj. All these origi- nated from the Delhi gharana. The Punjabi gharana has a separate origin and develop- ment. There is difference in the way in which the drums of the tabla are played. The right drum (tabla) is struck with the ends and the middle ' phalanges of the fingers as well as with the flat palm. The left hand drum (bayan) is struck with the balls of the fingers, the flat palm and the base of the palm. These strokes which all have definite names are combined or empha- sised in a variety of ways giving rise to a num- ber of styles such as the Delhi gharana, the Ajrado gharana, the Faruqqabad gharana, the Lucknow-Varanasi gharana etc. Eminent Tabla players : Ahmed Jan Thirakwa, Jahangir Khan, Kanthe Maharaj, Masti Khan, Karamatulla Khan, Samta Prasad Maharaj, Alla Rakha (L), Kishan Maharaj (L), Zakir Hussain (L), Shaikh Dawood Dholak : This rarity with a metallic tone is similar to mridanga and enlivens dance music. It is not common at classical concerts.

Jalatharanga : Oldest type of instrument of the species of percussion. The literal meaning of the word is "waves of water". In the medieval age metal cups of brass, copper, a mixture of these two, besides silver and even of gold were used. In modern days cups of porcelain are used. Only 16 to 20 cups are used in the per- formance to cover a range of two octaves. It produces a very sweet and charming sound. The cups are placed in a semi-circular way just in front of the player. The biggest cup is placed on the left hand and the smallest one on the right side of the performer.

Ghatam : The ghatam is an earthen pot which has found a place in classical concerts in South India.

In between, all the other cups are placed according to their sizes. These cups are to be filled up with water to produce different notes of the octave. Kastha-Taranga : Literal meaning "waves from the wood". The Burmese gong. It is a graduated series of hard but flat pieces of bamboo or teak wood between 16 to 22 in number similar to the number of cups in a jala- taranga. These flat pieces of wood or bamboo are arranged parallel to each other. The biggest piece is placed at the extreme left and the smallest one is kept at the other end. Length of pieces varies from 15 inches to 6 inches only. Each piece represents a different note either flat or sharp. They are mounted on a half round wooden frame and played by striking on them with two wooden strikers or hammer made of wood, held in both the hands of the perform- ers.

Kanjira (Khanjari): One of the oldest types of drums. Its use is restricted only to folk music and devotional songs of rural areas.

Bangalore K. Venkataram

The pot made of special clay and care- fully baked is held with its mouth resting on the stomach of the player who sits on the floor with his shirt open. The body of the ghatam rests on his lap. It is tapped on the surface with the fingers. It can produce a wide variety of sounds. By manipulating his abdomen the player can draw subtle tones out of the ghatam.

It is a round wooden frame 6-10 inches

in diameter and about 2 and 2 V 2 inches broad. One side is covered with hide and the other side is left open. The frame is provided with two, three or four slits and a few small pieces of round metal sheets are inserted in a cross bar inside the slit.

Eminent Ghatam player : T.H. Vinayakaram (L)