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Mridangam Repair and Other Mridangam Aspects
Mridangam Repair and Other Mridangam Aspects
Topic started by Rohan Krishnamurthy (@ pm533-26.dialip.mich.net) on Mon Jul 16 15:47:14 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.
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As many of you may know, I am a 14 year old mridangist who is a student of Sri. Guruvayur Dorai. I have played extensively throughout the USA and India, for leading artists like N. Ravikiran, "Flute" Ramani, R. Vedavalli, and many more.
Though this is not the first topic of its kind created, I noticed nothing on mridangam has been discussed lately.
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Responses:
- Old responses
- From: Kumaran Ravendradas (@ cache1-popl.server.ntli.net)
on: Sat Jul 10 11:15:10 EDT 2004
a half pitch like 3 1/2 (3.5) will be the sharp notes. I.e. 1.5 or 1 1/2 will be C#.
- From: Nick H (UK) (@ nhaynes.adsl.wizards.co.uk)
on: Sat Jul 10 14:29:16 EDT 2004
Raju: are you sure you mean TABLEspoon? one tablespoon is two desertspoons is two teaspoons, so one desertspoon is 4 teaspoons. It would be about 40ml in flat liquid measure. I have never seen anyone use anything like this much, usualy more like a teaspoonful is used.
Raju and Kumaran; I think that he shape does matter!
I propose that there are three reasons for using ravai...
a. it adds weight to the skin, thus lowering the pitch.
b. it acts as a reservoir for moisture, thus reducing the tension and further lowering the pitch
c. it controls the vibration of the skin. There is a paper on the internet somewhere on the tuned drums of India. The author says that a tight skin when hit does not vibrate in any even or regular pattern and thus does not give a musical sound, hence the low use of drums in western classical music. attaching a weight to the skin causes it to vibrate about that point, producing a more even sound with fewer enharmonic constituents.
- From: Nick H (UK) (@ nhaynes.adsl.wizards.co.uk)
on: Sat Jul 10 14:33:47 EDT 2004
... and I suggest that this would work best with a rounded dollop than a flat dollop. Gumaka will always tend to spread it a little, but if it is smoothly rounded the hand can glide over it.
Of course, item 'b' does not apply to non-wet ravai substitutes.
- From: Nick H (UK) (@ nhaynes.adsl.wizards.co.uk)
on: Sat Jul 10 14:35:32 EDT 2004
Kumaran, What is the logic in calling the B below C 3/4, rather than _7_ when the B above C is clearly 7? Maybe there just isn't any?
- From: Raju B. (@ 213.42.2.21)
on: Sun Jul 11 01:13:36 EDT 2004
Nick,
1 tablespoon = 1.5 teaspoons
I think it would be around 7.5 ml.
- From: Nick H (UK) (@ nhaynes.adsl.wizards.co.uk)
on: Sun Jul 11 06:28:24 EDT 2004
Raju; OK, we need translation software! Things in your part of the world are obviously different. You can see why I was puzzled!
Here in UK a 'table spoon' is the big spoon you serve food with; you'd need to have a big mouth to eat with it! Your teaspoons are obviuously a lot smaller than ours too. I'll have to remember that if I'm ever visiting and I'm asked how many sugars in my tea!
- From: Raju B. (@ 213.42.2.23)
on: Sun Jul 11 15:36:25 EDT 2004
Kumar,
You said the thani of Adi Thalam could be played for all thalams with 32 aksharakalm. Can the thani of Adi thalam also be played for thalams with 64 and 96 aksharakalm i.e. any multiple of 32? Also can it be played for a thalam with 16 aksharakalam?
Nick,
The tablespoon I mentioned is the one with which you have cereal, ok?
BTW, How much did you pay for the TALO-METER (Rupees)?
- From: K. Ravendradas (@ cache1-popl.server.ntli.net)
on: Mon Jul 12 05:34:13 EDT 2004
Raju, It depends on how many aksharakalm a thani is. If it was 32 the thani can be played in 16 and twice in a 64 aksharakalam and so on....
Nick you say it would be logical to say that B should be _7_ but i think it suggests that the mridangams will sound of nothing if the pitch goes below 0. I.e. A (0)is the lowest a mridangam can go. Well that is my theory. I should consult someone.
btw. Nick, Don't forget Tuesday's program. I also think that Sri. Nagarajan is playing in that temple this friday. Im going to have to play mridangam. (the first time for him since my arangetram).
- From: Nick H (UK) (@ nhaynes.adsl.wizards.co.uk)
on: Mon Jul 12 11:04:26 EDT 2004
Raju, we eat cerial with a desert spoon. Sorry, I don't remember how much the talometer cost; it was a few years ago. Going to Chennai next week, I'll try to rememebr to look. Did you check out the Radel website?
Kumaran, there is no pitch 0 or below. Note C is note C regardless of what octave it is in, higher or lower, note Ni is still note Ni, lower, mid or higher octave. So if it is still called Ni, it should also still be called 7. That's my theory!
(see you tomorrow, looking forward to it:-)
- From: Nick H (UK) (@ nhaynes.adsl.wizards.co.uk)
on: Mon Jul 12 11:06:21 EDT 2004
Raju, the mridangam compositions are supposed to respect the structure of the tala, laghu, drutums, anadrutums etc. Otherwise, if something fits it fits!
Have you considered that you can play adi tala korvai for rupaka tala?
- From: K RAVENDRADAS (@ cache1-popl.server.ntli.net)
on: Mon Jul 12 11:45:59 EDT 2004
I see Nick, your theory is rather interesting. But in most cases when one sings on B it is lower than C (1). Therefore when one says 7 they could be reffering to the higher version of B.
- From: K. Ravendradas (@ cache1-popl.server.ntli.net)
on: Mon Jul 12 11:47:27 EDT 2004
the Sruthi Boxes are actually set to a certain octave on the keyboard.
- From: Nick H (UK) (@ nhaynes.adsl.wizards.co.uk)
on: Mon Jul 12 16:40:17 EDT 2004
Indeed, referring to just B or C, or Sa, Ri, Ga etc gives no information about octave. i think the music people put a dot over or under to indicate higher of lower octave, don't they? But it is still the same note, whatever the octave, so would be perfectly in tune regardless.
- From: Kumaran Ravendradas (@ cache1-popl.server.ntli.net)
on: Wed Jul 14 04:37:05 EDT 2004
Having seen your table yesterday Nick im rather confused.
- From: Nick H (UK) (@ nhaynes.adsl.wizards.co.uk)
on: Wed Jul 14 15:52:44 EDT 2004
First thought: what has furniture got to do with it?
...Took me a moment or two to realise what you meant!
The table is simple, it just maps sa, ri, ga, etc to Western scale, whatever sa might be.
- From: K. RAVENDRADAS (@ cache1-popl.server.ntli.net)
on: Fri Jul 16 10:14:17 EDT 2004
Nick, Are you sure you don't want to come this evening?
- From: K. Ravendradas (@ cache1-popl.server.ntli.net)
on: Sat Jul 17 17:36:44 EDT 2004
Here's is one for the record books.
I managed to successfully, lift a mridangam that was built specifically at pitch 4 and i have managed to get up to pitch 5. Using sticks but i feel that is legend!!!!
- From: satish (@ mix-rennes312-2-128.w80-9.abo.wanadoo.fr)
on: Sun Jul 18 09:16:48 EDT 2004
its amazing,im am a mridangist too from mumbai,now im in france;was checking the site of urs and its really very very nice,good work,pats on everyones shoulders
satish krishnamurthy
- From: Nick H (UK) (@ nhaynes.adsl.wizards.co.uk)
on: Sun Jul 18 15:06:17 EDT 2004
Hmm, 4 to 5 should be possible, it is only 1 diffrence
- From: K. RAvendradas (@ cache1-popl.server.ntli.net)
on: Mon Jul 19 06:48:22 EDT 2004
Try doing that with a full strung mirudangam. Anyways, i once managed to get a mridangam from 2 to 4 but i put it down to 3.
- From: Nick H (UK) (@ nhaynes.adsl.wizards.co.uk)
on: Mon Jul 19 07:24:34 EDT 2004
2 to 4? *now* I'm impressed!
- From: K. RAVENDRADAS (@ cache1-popl.server.ntli.net)
on: Mon Jul 19 09:23:17 EDT 2004
Yeh, i was just having a bit of fun really. In fact it was the mridangam i was using on that programme we last had.
- From: K. Ravendradas (@ cache1-popl.server.ntli.net)
on: Mon Jul 19 14:39:12 EDT 2004
Now i think it was Raju who said that U.K. Sivaraman used copper instead of kutchi in his mridangam. Where can i find more info. on this?
- From: K. Ravendradas (@ cache1-popl.server.ntli.net)
on: Mon Jul 19 14:42:07 EDT 2004
Or someone could tell me more about it.
- From: Raju (@ 195.229.241.181)
on: Tue Jul 20 08:04:03 EDT 2004
Kumar,
You could alter the pitch within a range of plus or minus 1 - 2. What are you doing? Tightening the waar? I have an A pitch mridangam which I increased to A#. I did this by inserting mullu (small cylindrical wood pieces) under the waar. I had to fit in 8 of them to increase the pitch by a mere 0.5. Now, the pitch has gone down to G# after removing the wood pieces. So, let it be. To my shock, the mridangam has lost all its nadam and the sruthi varies at all points. Well, I have corrected the sruthi but I have been told that if I have to use the mridangam at A then I would have to keep a temporary PULL. Bad luck! Would tightening the waar help?
Thanks.
- From: Raju (@ 195.229.241.182)
on: Tue Jul 20 08:05:17 EDT 2004
I'll let you about the U K S copper wire innovation shortly.
- From: K. RAVENDRADAS (@ cache1-popl.server.ntli.net)
on: Tue Jul 20 09:58:04 EDT 2004
Raju, i did actually use wooden pieces. I know your problem. What you are actually meant to do is to keep the sticks in there. Basically using the sticks to adjust the pitch. The reason why you lose sruthi is becuase the vaar is stretched.
- From: K. Ravendradas (@ cache1-popl.server.ntli.net)
on: Thu Jul 22 06:13:11 EDT 2004
RAJU IT WILL BE NICE TO HEAR ABOUT THIS INNOVATION SHORTLY!
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