Rhythms of Shakti

Latha Ramachar (2006)

India's only performing female Carnatic kanjira player. She learned kanjira from her father H. P. Ramachar and also U. K. Sivaraman but has also had some training on mridangam. She leads the extraordinary all female group Rhythms of Shakti and has performed all over India, Europe, and the USA with many of India's top artists.

Living up to the name Shakti (the female energy and force in life and nature), this highly talented and powerful group of women includes a saxophone player, which amongst a group of traditional musicians adds great interest and flair.

Soothing notes from the kanjira

CAN A Kanjira sing? It does, when Latha Ramachar from Bangalore plays on it. You can see for yourself if you go to a concert where she plays, close your eyes and listen. You may well hear a voice producing rythmical musical sounds with all the gamakas, and if you investigate you will find that it is coming from Latha's kanjira. That is the level of perfection she has achieved with that odd instrument - one is almost tempted to call it a contraption. And she has learnt it all from her father, Bangalore H.P. Ramachar, an old timer from Bangalore who has made it his life's ambition to coax this instrument into yielding soothing rhythm. Ramachar gave a lecture demonstration on the kanjira at the Indian Fine Arts Society on December 23. Tracing the history of the instrument over the years he recalled how veteran rhythm masters like Dakshinamurthy Pillai had handled the instrument. He emphasised that the kanjira artiste should play softly and in unison with the mridangam - the kanjira ideally should not be heard separately from the mridangam. The artiste gave some technical details of the construction of the kanjira, using animal skins, different types of the instrument for varying pitches and how separate sets of kanjiras have to be used for different seasons. Ramachar regretted that of late the kanjira was being given lesser and lesser importance. He then gave a demonstration of kanjira playing. It could be battered to produce mere noise, although rhythmical, or it can also be played softly to enhance the beauty of the music. In this demonstration Latha proved that her soft feminine touch was surely producing more sublime beats than even her father's masterly strokes. G. DWARAKANATH

barnali ji its very intersting article.. never heard of them before..waiting to see more on this.

Khanjira (carnatic, purcussion instrument)

Music Sample - Kanjira Solo

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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.

Wow. This is the first time I have heard about this instrument... Amazing... 👏

The Kanjira

The Kanjira (South Indian Frame Drum) is one of the most popular instrument in the family of tambourines. It is made out of wooden rim from Jack fruit tree (mostly available in eastern countries) having approximately 2" to 2 1/2" inches deep and the total diameter of the wooden rim will be in the range of 7" to 8" inches... the wooden frame covered with the monitor lizard skin (now it endangered species in India) streatching round the frame.
Basically the skin will be pasted with regular carpenter's glue and kept aside for a day to dry. This frame drum also has one pair brass jingle fitted on one side to get a sharp cut sound. Normally, without tuning, this instrument sounds very hight pitched sound. The artists has to sprinkle water on the back inside of the instrument to get a good bass sound. The players has to be very careful in putting water on the back side, as over water sprinkle will lead to dead tone... so we have to wait for 5-10mins for the instrument to dry. You can get heavy bass sound by correctly sprinkling the water during the concerts. The instrument will also have effect on outside temperature and moisture conditions. The performers has to carry couple of Kanjira's for the concerts so that they can keep atleast one instrument in perfectly tuned condition. If one instrument tone get died, we can use another instrument. So, usually audience questions having multiple kanjiras on the stage.. this is the reason..

Now the Cooperman (www.cooperman.com) and Remo (www.remo.com) drum companies, brought synthetic and cloth mylar skin kanjiras which can be tuned according to the pitch of the concert... ( Cooperman drum company will soon be bringing out newly designed kanjira by Ganesh Kumar)

Kanjira is mostly used for the South Indian Classical concerts ( the carnatic music system in India) as a supporting instrument for the Mridangam ( the double headed barrel shaped drum).. Kanjira is a recent innovation (less than 100 years) and added to the classical concerts during 1930's.

Subash Chandran & Ganesh Kumar

Ganesh Kumar will soon bringing out a book for the Kanjira students with proper descriptions about the instrument, about the fingering positions and the playing techniques..

A Kanjira Solo album will soon be released in US in the spring 2004 with many guest musicians.

Ganesh Kumar worked with bassist Victor Wooten and an Album featuring Victor, Ganesh and his guru Sri T H Subash Chandran will be releasing soon

kanjira player

Ivan Nyusztay was born in 1967, in Budapest, Hungary. His commitment to Indian Classical music dates from 1990, when he put the flamenco guitar aside, and went to India. His personal experience of live Indian music together with subsequent acquaintances with leading musicians in Delhi made him become an ardent student of tabla. On his return to Hungary he immediately became one of the most dedicated students of Peter Szalai, who received training from tabla maestros Ustad Alla Rakha and his son Zakir Hussain. This style of playing is equivalent to the pursuing of the ancient traditions of the Punjab gharana.

During the ten years of tabla playing Ivan Nyusztay often participated on performances of Calcutta Trio, accompanying sitar player Andras Kozma, the only European student of Pandit Ravi Shankar. He also gave concerts with the American sarod player Stephen James, also student of Pandit Ravi Shankar. His close musical kinship with Peter Szalai materialized in a number of tabla duet concerts and workshops.

In year 2000, Ivan Nyusztay's interest turned towards the Carnatic tradition of South Indian Classical music. He became the student of the world famous kanjira virtuoso, Selvaganesh Vinayakram. Apart from his main instrument, the kanjira, he also received training on the ghatam from Vikku Vinayakram, and on the mridangam from N. Ramakrishnan.