MAIGH MALHAAR

Indian/Pakistani Classical Music

- A Word About Classical Music                 

- Learn Classical Music - Lesson 4

- A Word About Classical Music

We believe the first priority is to prepare a new generation of discerning listeners for the future. Without an appreciative audience good performers will disappear. Only noise shall remain. This is what we are saying to young people who have been deprived of music as part of their education.

Would you enjoy watching chess or cricket if you did not know the rules of the game? Probably not.

Music is much more powerful than chess and cricket – you can enjoy it without knowing anything about its rules. But can you imagine how much your enjoyment would increase if you were familiar with its vocabulary and grammar? Or how much your performance would improve if you were an aspiring performer? Don’t take our word for it – ask the great ghazal singers.

Is music very difficult to learn? Think again. It is hard work becoming a good cricketer or chess player. It is not all difficult to understand the rules of chess or cricket. It is the same with music. It is very easy to acquire the essential knowledge that would enhance your appreciation of music.

Think of music as a language. If you can learn English with its 26-letter alphabet and complicated grammar you can learn the language of music that has only 7 letters in its alphabet. Yes, just 7 – Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni (or Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti, it doesn’t really matter which you learn).

In five minutes you can tell the difference between Sa and Re and in one hour you will be able to explain the difference between Malkauns and Kaushik Dhani. It is plain sailing from there on – the more you learn, the more you will enjoy.

You don’t punish your stomach with a lifetime of plain food – a gourmet meal once in a while is a great treat. Don’t punish your ears with a lifetime of plain music – try gourmet music for a change. Once you have tasted it you will realize what you have been missing. Think Nihari, think Sri Pai, think Purya Kalyan. You are not born liking them – all of them take time to grow on you.

---

Learn Classical Music - Lessons

In this section we will learn historical development of all genres of classical music from origin to modern day and the basics of classical music. Raagas with their characteristics, your favorite artists their gharanas with profiles, articles, reviews and images, also about the instruments used in classical music and their most famous exponents.

- Lesson 4 Percussion Instruments

Dholak
This is a percussion instrument used predominantly as an accompaniment in devotional and film music. The body of the instrument is made of wood and the two ends are made of hide. The pitch of the dholak can be altered either by the adjustable bolt-nut system or by strings.

Ghatam
The ghatam is an earthenware pot with thick walls (2 cm). The percussionist uses the flat, the knuckles and the sides of both hands to hit the walls of the ghatam but he also uses his belly to cover the mouth of the pot, generating controlled tuning and even notes in the lower octave. The ghatam is the main percussion instrument of Carnatic music with mridangam.

Khanjira
The kanjira is a small tambourine. It is made by stretching lizard skin over a wooden frame. The frame is about seven inches in diameter with one metal jingle mounted in it. The kanjira is very popular in South Indian classical performances. But since it is difficult to play it continuously for extended periods of time, it is not used as the main purcussion instrument, but as an additional one with Mridangam.

Mridangam
The mridangam is the instrument used in Carnatic music to maintain the 'thala' or rhythm of the recital. The body is made of jackwood, and the circular sides are made of hide.

The mridangam is a double sided drum. The body of the instrument is made of one piece of wood. Hollow, the body has two opertures of different size, one, very small, that will generate high pitched sounds and another, wider, for low pitched sounds. The walls of the instrument are 2/3 centimeters thick and give it stability in the low frequencies.

The Right Head: A mixture of manganese dust, boiled rice and tamarind juice is worked on to the right head of the mridangam in order to increase the pitch of the note. This creates a permanent large black circle in the middle of the drum head. The note of the head is tuned to the tonic. Different harmonics of the head are produced by various finger combinations. The Left Head: The left head of the mridangam is left bare, but when it is played, a mixture of pounded raw rice and water is applied to the center. This gives its characteristic dull sound. The two skins are stretched together with leather strips. The Mridangam is the main rhythm instrument of Carnatic music music with ghatam.

Pakwajh
Pakhawaj is an ancient barrel shaped drum with two playing heads. It is essentially a north Indian version of the Mridangam. It was once common throughout north India but in the last few generations tabla has usurped its position of importance. It has a right head which is identical to tabla except somewhat larger. The left head is similar to the tabla bayan except that there is a temporary application of flour and water instead of the black permanent spot. It is laced with rawhide and has tuning blocks placed between the straps and shell. This instrument was very much tied to dhrupad, consequently as dhrupad has declined, the pakhawaj has also fallen out of use. Today this instrument is rare and used only in Dhrupad concerts and percussion ensembles.

Tabla
Tabla is the overall term for two drums, which are played as accompaniment to North Indian music and dance. The musician uses the base of the palm as well as the fingers to produce great variations in sounds. The right hand drum is tuned to the tonic dominant or sub-dominant and the left-hand drum acts as the base. It is perhaps the most versatile of all percussion instruments. It is the most used instrument in any form of indian music, except carnatic classical and Dhrupad.

Thalam
The thalam is used by musicians as a timing instrument. The mild clanging sound made by the two circular brass plates held together by a string, is used to maintain timing and rhythm. Thalam is mainly used in devotional music and in Nadaswaram recitals.

Thavil
The Tavil is the main percussion instrument for the Nagaswaram. It is a double-headed barrel-shaped drum which is hollowed out of a solid block of wood. On both sides of the barrel are hoops fastened by interwoven leather straps. Also attached to the hoops are two skins stretched to form the two heads. The pitch is adjusted by tightening the skin with the help of a leather band which passes round the middle of the barrel over the braces. The right head is played with the fingers of the right hand capped with hardened rice paste caps whilst the left head is played with a thick stick. Rings made of the same material as the caps are also worn on the knuckles of the right hand. The right head is stretched tight but is not tuned to any particular pitch.

Source: Maigh Malhaar  www.maighmalhaar.nastac.com