Classification of Musical Instruments - Page 3

Originally posted by: adi_0112

how sweet.... uh............................... first question skipped....😳😆

no i haven't heard any of the clips provided... but i did hear Matka and damroo b4... don't remember which movie... but an actor was playing his damroo while a monkey danced to it's tunes...

i like listening to anything... doesn't matter... but i love beating on the tabla and matka! 😃😆... we had it in india... not here though.... but seriously i think i'd enjoy probably flute more than any others. 😳

Originally posted by: GUARDIAN ANGEL

Some of the African and Peru instruments. I will post more later. Cheers.

Nattu(moe) ... Use google uncle for more info!😉😆😆

you're welcome Barnalidi... My pleasure 😳 right adi?😉😆

Originally posted by: 2smart4u

Thank You soooo much kusum! 😳🤗

Nattu(moe) ... Use google uncle for more info!😉😆😆

you're welcome Barnalidi... My pleasure 😳 right adi?😉😆

i would lekin is thread ka koi untar nahi rahe ga ...uper se tumhe apne frineds ki madad karna chiaye😉

Originally posted by: wite_rainbow

i would lekin is thread ka koi untar nahi rahe ga ...uper se tumhe apne frineds ki madad karna chiaye😉

chalo kya hai tumhara question.... hum uska jawaab dene ki poori koshish karinge...😳

Dia, Minali...great contributions...thanks for doing it...

SOUND PLAY

A cylindrical drum played vertically, it is suspended by a cloth strap called a kacha, slung round the player's neck.

The wooden body of the chenda, made from the wood of the jackfruit tree, is hollow and the two ends are covered with leather, usually cowhide. Traditionally, the leather covering was held to the wooden body using jute straps, though today, these might be replaced by plastic or metal nuts and bolts. Jute is preferred for quality sound.

The upper end of the drum is played by striking it with two sticks made from chappangem wood. The height of a chenda is approximately two feet, while it has a diameter of one foot. A good quality chenda weighs between 12 and 15 kgs.

Among the theatre arts, Kathakali and Yakshagana make extensive use of the chenda. Often this drum, which has an extremely robust, reverberating sound that carries over a long distance, is used for strong, warlike characters or in battle scenes.

In Kathakali, for example, while the chenda is used to accompany male characters, along with other percussion instruments, it is usually not included when accompanying a gentle female character.

At the same time, the skill of the players is such that they can moderate the sound and bring about innumerable aural expressions to match the nuanced acting of the performers.

Another art that makes use of this vibrant drum is Yakshagana Gombeyatta, the puppet theatre of Karnataka. Here too, its resonant properties are harnessed to create the varied ambience required to depict the puppet adventures drawn from myths and legends.

The chenda is also an auspicious temple instrument. Chenda melam, or ensemble, takes place in the premises of temples during festivals and other special occasions.

As an outdoor instrument it is an important part of the percussion playing that traditionally announces a Kathakali performance in villages and towns.

The chenda is not a drum that is tuned to a particular pitch (sruti) like other drums, such as the mridangam or the tabla. However, its sound can be adjusted marginally.

Among celebrated chenda players is Mattanur Sankaran Kutty of Kerala, who has innovated with his instrument in terms of tuning. He is known for his collaborations with exponents of other drums of India and western countries.

Other well known players of the chenda include Kalamandalam Unnikrishnan and Sadanam Divakaran among others.

ANJANA RAJAN

source : http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/11/02/stories/2007110250940700. htm

SOUND PLAY

Type Wind

Made of Ebony (hollowed out of a single block of wood)

Mainstream Carnatic

Exponents Namagiripettai Krishnan, T.N.Rajaratnam Pillai, Sheikh Chinna Maulana, S.Kasim & S.Babu and Mahaboob Subhani & Kalleshabi.

Believed to be derived from the pungi used by snake charmers, its name is literally translated as 'voice of the snake' or 'sound of the snake.'

However, in terms of sheer volume and sustained tones, its sweetness and its close association with temple rituals in South India, the nagaswaram also merits the other name it is often known by, 'nadaswaram.' Nada is the word used for the Cosmic Sound.

It is also the musical term used for a pleasing or divine tone produced by an instrument, more often an individual characteristic developed by gifted instrumentalists. In both these contexts the instrument fits the bill as a 'voice of nada.'

Traditionally played in South Indian temples, the nagaswaram is an integral part of a marriage ceremony, much like the shehnai of North India.

The nagaswaram is so important a part of the marriage rituals that, ingrained in the popular imagination, it is useful in cinema soundtracks, where a few notes of the instrument are enough to indicate the marriage or impending union of the characters in the story. But apart from its role in marriage ceremonies, the nagaswaram is a temple instrument used in processions with the deity, temple festivals and other ceremonial occasions.

The nagaswaram is a wooden, conical shaped instrument about two feet or more in length. Its mouthpiece at the narrow end contains a double reed.

The nagaswaram is mostly made of ebony, hollowed out of a single block of wood, though other materials are also sometimes used.

The instrument has 12 holes bored into it, of which seven are playing holes and the other five, located on the lower side of the instrument, are used to adjust the tuning by filling them with wax.

While there are three types of nagaswaram, namely the bari nayanam, the thithi nayanam and the kurun kuzhal, today only the bari is widely in use.

The thithi is sometimes used in temples. It is smaller in size than the bari and has a metal bell-shaped attachment at its wider end.

The smallest and most rarely heard is the kurun kuzhal, which, at approximately 12 inches long, is almost akin to a flute.

The role of the kurun kuzhal in temple festivals was to provide a melodic base for the drums (chenda melam) to play.

The playing technique of the nagaswaram is complex and demanding, both intellectually and physically.

Half-and quarter-tones are produced by adjusting the blowing, which is considered more strenuous than the fingering technique used in flute playing.

Besides, there is the circular breathing technique to ensure a continuous air flow into the instrument. This allows sustained notes, and most certainly induces concentration akin to yogic meditation. The player performs what would normally be considered a contradictory feat: taking air into the lungs while simultaneously blowing air out through the mouth into the mouthpiece.

Nagaswaram players who achieved legendary fame in the past include T.N.Rajaratnam Pillai and Sheikh Chinna Maulana. The nagaswaram does not seem to be as popularly taken up as a concerti instrument today as, say, the flute, the veena or the violin.

This may be because of its nature as an outdoor instrument that is not easily adjusted to chamber concert conditions, or because of its relatively difficult technique. It does continue to be heard, however, in concert halls as well as in temples and on ceremonial occasions.

Descendents and disciples of Sheikh Chinna Moulana, such as S. Kasim and S.Babu, and of Rajaratnam Pillai, such as Mahaboob Subhani and Kaleeshabi who play duet concerts, have made a name for themselves in this difficult field.