2/3/2015

music:July2010
0

More NextBlog

CreateBlog SignIn

music
Monday,July26,2010

Sexophone

Followers

Jointhissite
withGoogleFriendConnect

Therearenomembersyet.
Bethefirst!

Alreadyamember?Signin

BlogArchive

2010(11)
July(11)
Sexophone

Thesaxophone(alsoreferred
toasthesax)isaconical
boredtransposingmusical
instrumentthatisamemberof
thewoodwindfamily.
Saxophonesareusuallymade
ofbrassandplayedwitha
singlereedmouthpiecesimilar
tothatoftheclarinet.The
saxophonewasinventedby
theBelgianAdolpheSaxin
1841.Hewantedtocreatean
instrumentthatwouldbothbe
themostpowerfulandvocal
ofthewoodwindsandthemostadaptiveofthebrass,whichwouldfillthethenvacant
middlegroundbetweenthetwosections.Hepatentedthesaxin1846intwogroupsof
seveninstrumentseach.Eachseriesconsistedofinstrumentsofvarioussizesin
alternatingtransposition.TheseriespitchedinBandE,designedformilitarybands,
hasprovedextremelypopularandmostsaxophonesencounteredtodayarefromthis
series.AfewsaxophonesremainfromthelesspopularorchestralseriespitchedinCand
F.
Whileprovingverypopularinitsintendednicheofmilitarybandmusic,thesaxophoneis
mostcommonlyassociatedwithpopularmusic,bigbandmusic,blues,earlyrockand
roll,skaandparticularlyjazz.Thereisalsoasubstantialrepertoireofconcertmusicin
theclassicalidiomforthemembersofthesaxophonefamily.Saxophoneplayersare
calledsaxophonists.

Sarangi
Voilin
Sitar
Tabala
Harmonium
Flute
Keyboard
Drums
Guitar(thebestmusic
instumentinventedever)
Intoduction

AboutMe

anilkhadka
I'm20yrsold
fashioningand
welleducatedman
enjoyingsoundhealth
Viewmycompleteprofile

History:
Thesaxophonewasdevelopedinthe1840sbyAdolpheSax,aBelgianborninstrument
maker,flautist,andclarinetistworkinginParis.Whilestillworkingathisfather's
instrumentshopinBrussels,Saxbegandevelopinganinstrumentwhichhadthe
projectionofabrassinstrumentwiththeagilityofawoodwind.Anotherprioritywasto
inventaninstrumentwhichwouldoverblowattheoctave,unliketheclarinet,whichrises
inpitchbyatwelfthwhenoverblownaninstrumentwhichoverblewattheoctavewould
haveidenticalfingeringforbothregisters.
Priortohisworkonthesaxophone,Saxmadeseveralimprovementstothebassclarinet
byimprovingitskeyworkandacousticsandextendingitslowerrange.Saxwasalsoa

http://musicguitaranil.blogspot.in/2010_07_01_archive.html

1/15

2/3/2015

music:July2010
makerofthethenpopular
ophicleide,alargeconical
brassinstrumentinthebass
registerwithkeyssimilartoa
woodwindinstrument.His
experiencewiththesetwo
instrumentsallowedhimto
developtheskillsand
technologiesneededtomake
thefirstsaxophones.Adolphe
Saxcreatedaninstrument
withasinglereedmouthpiece
likeaclarinet,conicalbrass
bodylikeanophicleide,and
theacousticpropertiesofboth
thefrenchhornandthe
clarinet.
Havingconstructed
saxophonesinseveralsizes
intheearly1840s,Saxappliedfor,andreceived,a15yearpatentfortheinstrumenton
June28,1846.[2]Thepatentencompassed14versionsofthefundamentaldesign,split
intotwocategoriesofseveninstrumentseachandrangingfromsopraninotocontrabass.
AlthoughtheinstrumentstransposedateitherForChavebeenconsidered"orchestral",
thereisnoevidencethatSaxintendedthis.Asonly3%ofSax'ssurvivingproduction
werepitchedinFandC,andascontemporarycomposersusedtheEaltoandBbass
saxophonefreelyinorchestralmusic,itisalmostcertainthatSaxexperimentedtofind
themostsuitablekeysfortheseinstruments,settlinguponinstrumentsalternating
betweenEandBratherthanthosepitchedinFandC,forreasonsoftoneand
economy(thesaxophoneswerethemostexpensivewindmusicalinstrumentsoftheir
day).TheCsopranosaxophonewastheonlyinstrumenttosoundatconcertpitch.All
theinstrumentsweregivenaninitialwrittenrangefromtheBbelowthetreblestafftothe
Fthreeledgerlinesaboveit,givingeachsaxophonearangeoftwoandahalfoctaves.
Sax'spatentexpiredin1866[3]thereafternumeroussaxophonistsandinstrument
manufacturersimplementedtheirownimprovementstothedesignandkeywork.Thefirst
substantialmodificationwasbyaFrenchmanufacturerwhoextendedthebellslightlyand
addedanextrakeytoextend
therangedownwardsbyone
semitonetoB.Itis
suspectedthatSaxhimself
mayhaveattemptedthis
modification.Thisextension
wasadoptedintoalmostall
moderndesigns.
Sax'soriginalkeywork,which
wasbasedontheTriebert
system3oboefortheleft
handandtheBoehmclarinet
fortheright,wasvery
simplisticandmadeplaying
somelegatopassagesand
wideintervalsextremely
difficulttofinger,sonumerous
developersaddedextrakeys
andalternatefingeringsto
makechromaticplayinglessdifficult.Whiletheearlysaxophonehadtwoseparateoctave
ventstoassistintheplayingoftheupperregistersjustasmoderninstrumentsdo,
playersofSax'soriginaldesignhadtooperatetheseviatwoseparateoctavekeys
operatedbytheleftthumb.Asubstantialadvancementinsaxophonekeyworkwasthe
developmentofamethodbywhichbothtoneholesareoperatedbyasingleoctavekey
bytheleftthumbwhichisnowuniversalonallmodernsaxophones.Oneofthemost
radical,howevertemporary,revisionsofsaxophonekeyworkwasmadeinthe1950sby
M.HouvenaghelofParis,whocompletelyredevelopedthemechanicsofthesystemto
allowanumberofnotes(C,B,A,G,FandE)tobeflattenedbyasemitonesimplyby
loweringtherightmiddlefinger.Thisenablesachromaticscaletobeplayedovertwo
octavessimplybyplayingthediatonicscalecombinedwithalternately.

Description:
Thesaxophoneconsistsofanapproximatelyconicaltubeofthinmetal,mostcommonly

http://musicguitaranil.blogspot.in/2010_07_01_archive.html

2/15

2/3/2015

music:July2010
brassandsometimesplatedwithsilver,gold,andnickel,flaredatthetiptoformabell.
Atintervalsalongthetubearebetween20and23toneholesofvaryingsize,including
twoverysmall'speaker'holestoassisttheplayingoftheupperregister.Theseholesare
coveredbykeys(alsoknownaspadcups),containingsoftleatherpads,whichare
closedtoproduceanairtightsealatrestsomeoftheholesstandopenandothersare
closed.Thekeysarecontrolledbybuttonspressedbythefingers,whiletherightthumb
sitsunderathumbresttohelpkeepthesaxophonebalanced.Thefingeringforthe
saxophoneisacombinationofthatoftheoboewiththeBoehmsystem,andisvery
similartothefluteortheupperregisteroftheclarinet.InstrumentsthatplaytolowA
havealeftthumbkeyforthatnote.
Thesimplestdesignofsaxophoneisastraightconicaltube,andthesopraninoand
sopranosaxophonesareusuallyofthisstraightdesign.However,asthelowerpitched
instrumentswouldbeunacceptablylongifstraight,forergonomicreasonsthelarger
instrumentsusuallyincorporateaUbendatorslightlyabovethethirdlowesttonehole.
Asthiswouldcausethebelloftheinstrumenttopointalmostdirectlyupwards,theend
oftheinstrumentiseitherbevelledortiltedslightlyforwards.ThisUshapehasbecome
aniconicfeatureofthesaxophonefamily,totheextentthatsopranoandevensopranino
saxesaresometimesmadeinthecurvedstyleeventhoughthisisnotstrictlynecessary.
Bycontrast,tenorsandevenbaritoneshaveoccasionallybeenmadeinthestraight
styleMostcommonly,however,thealtoandtenorsaxophonesincorporateacurved
'crook'abovethehighesttoneholebutbelowthetopspeakerhole,tiltingthemouthpiece
through90degreesthebaritone,bassandcontrabassextendthelengthofthebore
mainlybydoublefoldingthissection.

Materials:
Mostsaxophones,bothpast
andpresent,aremadefrom
brass.Despitethis,theyare
categorizedaswoodwind
instrumentsratherthanbrass,
asthesoundwavesare
producedbyanoscillating
reed,nottheplayer'slips
againstamouthpieceasina
brassinstrument,and
becausedifferentpitchesare
producedbyopeningand
closingkeys.Brassisusedto
makethebodyofthe
instrumentthepadcupsthe
rodsthatconnectthepadsto
thekeysthekeys
themselvesandthepoststhat
holdtherodsandkeysin
place.Thescrewpinsthatconnecttherodstotheposts,andtheneedlespringsandleaf
springsthatcausethekeystoreturntotheirrestpositionafterbeingreleased,are
generallymadeofbluedorstainlesssteel.Since1920,mostsaxophoneshave'key
touches'(smoothdecorativepiecesplacedwherethefingerstouchtheinstrument)made
fromeitherplasticormotherofpearl.
Othermaterialshavebeentriedwithvaryingdegreesofsuccess,suchasthe1950s
Graftonplasticaltosaxophone.Afewcompanies,suchasYanagisawaandBauhaus
Walstein,havemadesomesaxophonemodelsfromphosphorbronzebecauseofits
slightlydifferenttonalqualities.Forexample,althoughtheirdesignsareidenticalapart
fromthemetalused,thebronzeYanagisawaA992saxophonesaresaidtosound
"darker"thanthebrassversions.Yanagisawaandothermanufacturers,startingwiththe
KingSuper20around1950,havemadesaxophonenecks,bells,orentireinstruments
fromsterlingsilver.KeilwerthandP.Mauriathavemadesaxeswithanickelsilverbody
likethatofaflute[.Theeffectofmaterialonsoundiscontroversialamongsaxplayers,
andlittlesolidresearchhasbeenpublished.
Aftercompletingtheinstrument,manufacturersusuallyapplyathincoatingofclearor
coloredacryliclacquer,orsilverplate,overthebarebrass.Thelacquerorplatingserves
toprotectthebrassfromoxidation,andmaintainsitsshinyappearance.Severaldifferent
typesandcolorsofsurfacefinishhavebeenusedovertheyears.Itisalsopossibleto
platetheinstrumentwithnickelorgold,andanumberofgoldplatedsaxophoneshave
beenproduced.Platingsaxophoneswithgoldisanexpensiveprocessbecausegoldwill
notstickdirectlytobrass.Asaresult,thebrassisfirstcoatedwithsilver(whichwill
sticktoit)andthengoldplatedontop.
Somearguethatthetypeoflacquerorplating,orabsencethereof,mayenhancean
instrument'stonequality.Thepossibleeffectsofdifferentfinishesontoneisahotly

http://musicguitaranil.blogspot.in/2010_07_01_archive.html

3/15

2/3/2015

music:July2010
debatedtopic,notleastbecauseothervariablesmayaffectaninstrument'stonecolors
e.g.mouthpiecedesignandphysicalcharacteristicsoftheplayer.Inanycase,what
constitutesapleasingtoneisamatterofpersonalpreferenceandtastesvary.

Uses:

saxophonefirstgainedpopularityinthe
nicheitwasdesignedfor:themilitary
band.Althoughtheinstrumentwas
studiouslyignoredinGermany,French
andBelgianmilitarybandstookfull
advantageoftheinstrumentthatSax
haddesignedspecificallyforthem.
MostFrenchandBelgianmilitary
bandsincorporateatleastaquartetof
saxophonescomprisingatleasttheE
baritone,Btenor,EaltoandBsoprano.Thesefourinstrumentshaveprovedthe
mostpopularofallofSax'screations,withtheEcontrabassandBbassusually
consideredimpracticallylargeandtheEsopraninoinsufficientlypowerful.British
militarybandstendtoincludeatminimumtwosaxophonistsonthealtoandtenor.
Thesaxophonehasmorerecentlyfoundanicheinbothconcertbandandbigband
music,whichoftencallsfortheEbaritone,BtenorandEalto.Also,theBsoprano
isalsooccasionallyutilised,inwhichcaseitwillnormallybeplayedbythefirstalto
saxophonist.ThebasssaxophoneinBiscalledforinbandmusic(especiallymusicby
PercyGrainger)andbigbandorchestrations,especiallymusicperformedbytheStan
Kenton"MellophoniumOrchestra".Inthe1920sthebasssaxophonewasusedoftenin
classicjazzrecordings,sinceatthattimeitwaseasiertorecordthanatubaordouble
bass.Itisalsousedintheoriginalscore(andmovie)ofLeonardBernstein'sWestSide
Story.Thesaxophonehasbeenmorerecentlyintroducedintothesymphonyorchestra,
whereithasfoundincreasedpopularity.Inoneorothersize,theinstrumenthasbeen
foundausefulaccompanimenttogenresaswiderangingasopera,choralmusicand
chamberpieces.Manymusicalscoresincludepartsforthesaxophone,usuallyeither
doublinganotherwoodwindorbrassinstrument.Inthiswaythesaxservesasamiddle
pointbetweenwoodwindsandbrass,helpingtoblendthetwosections
g
Postedbyanilkhadkaat7:45AM Nocomments:

Recommend this on Google

Sarangi

Description:
ThesarangiisthemostpopularbowedinstrumentofIndia.Likethesitar,thesarangi's
historyisquiteold.Thisinstrumentbeganasavoiceaccompaniment,butgaineda
reputationasawonderfulsoloinstrument.Thesarangi,whenplayedbyamaster,is
capableofcloselyimitatingthenuancesofthehumanvoice.

http://musicguitaranil.blogspot.in/2010_07_01_archive.html

4/15

2/3/2015

music:July2010

Thisinstrumentismadeofablockoftunwood,withagoatskinstretchedoverthebody.
Thereare3mainplayingstringsand30to40sypatheticstrings.
Thetechniqueusedtoplaythesarangiistoplaythemainstringswiththetopsofthe
fingernailsofthelefthand.Itisbowedwithaheavybowliketheonesusedfortheesraj
anddilruba.

History:
ThehistoryofevolutionofSarangiisinitselfataleofromantichues.Legendhasitthat
once,longlongago,ahakim(aphysician),wearyandfootsorefromhistravels,laydown
torestunderatreewhenhisearswereassailedbymelodiousnotesemanatingfromthe
forestdenseness.Asearchrevealedthedrieduphideofadeadmonkeystretchedover
thebranchesofatree.Asthegentlewindscaressedthehide,melodicsoundswafted
forth.Thus,believethefaithful,wasbornSarangi.Initsotherramifications,thechief
roleinthistameisattributedtoadiscipleofthegreatPythagoras,anEgyptiannamed
BooAliIbnSina.
Legendsapart,however,noauthenticaccountofthedevelopmentofthesarangiis
available.Byinference,itmaybeassumedthatitevolved,likemostoftheotherknown
Indianinstruments,fromtheDhanuryantram(bowandarrow)usedbyprimitivetribesfor
hunting,asalsotosignaltheadventoftheenemy.DescriptionsinRamayanaandthe
Mahabharatofthe
reverberatingsoundsof
Rama'sbow,Sharangand
Arjun'sbow,Gandeevawhich
aresaidtohavedemoralized
theenemycamp,lendcolorto
thisinference.Itisbelieved
thatthisparticularsoundlater
inspiredthedesignandshape
ofthebowedinstruments
usedbyprimitivetribes.The
curvatureofthebowprovided
theideaofconstructingthe
bodyoftheinstrumentand
connectingbothendswithgut
string.PrimitiveManused
intestinesofwildanimalsto
makethestrings.Thereareindicationsthatthehorsetailhairwasalsousedto
manufacturethebows.
Fromthepointofviewofshapeandstructure,theancientmusicalinstrumentwithoutthe
fretsknownasGhosvatiorGhoshakVeena,wasperhapstheclosesttothelaterday
sarangi.Inmoremodernparalance,thePinakiVeena,agutstringbowinginstrument
describedinsarangDeva'sSangeetRatnakar(13A.D.)bearscloseresemblancetothe
sarangiweknow.
WefindthatpracticallyalloverIndiainstrumentsveryakintothesarangihavebeenin
vogue.Unlikethemorepolishedandperfectlyshapedsarangipoularlyusedtoday,these
instrumentsknownastheravanahathainWesternIndia,kingriinMaharashtraand
AndhraPradesh,kunjuinKerela,peninManipur,kamayanchinRajasthanandbanam
andkenarainOrissa,weremadeofordinarywoodorcoconutshell,devoidofall
ornamentation.
TheothervariationsofthesamethemearesaraninjammuandKashmirwithtwosteel

http://musicguitaranil.blogspot.in/2010_07_01_archive.html

5/15

2/3/2015

music:July2010
andtwogutstringsand
nineteensubsidiarystrings
(Taral)withtheresonator
beingcoveredwithsheepor
goatskintheSindhiSarangi,
theJogiaSarangi,the
GujaratanSarangiandAlabu
Sarangi.
Theintroductionofsarangi
intotheclassicaltraditionhas
beenslowprocessthoughit
wouldseemtohave
establisheditscredentialsas
anincomaprable
accompanyinginstrument
eveninthissphereasearlyasthedaysofthegreatTansen.Astheveenaacquiredsolo
status,therangeandpitchofthesarangi,thepowerandsensitivityofitstonalqualities,
anditsrarecapacityforreproducingthegamak,soindispensabletothesingingofthe
khayal,dhrupadandthumriofHindustaniMusic,madeitanaturalsuccessortoveena.
Unfortunatelyforsarangi,intheveryprocessofit'sinductionintotheclassicaltradition
havelaintheseedsofneglectandthethreatofoblivioninthefuture.Withthepatronage
ofHindustaniclassicalmusicpassingintotheroyalcourts,andtheemergenceofKothas
andhavelisasanintegralpartoftheNawabiwayoflife,thesarangibecameidentified
withthemehfilsandtawaifs(dancinggirls).Anampleillustrationofthetravailsofthe
sarangiplayeristhefactthatsomeofthealltimegreatsofHindustanimusiclikeAbdul
KarimKhan,BadeGhulamAliKhanandAmirKhanwhohadbeguntheirartisticcareers
assarangiplayershadtodisowntheirpastontheirpathtofame.
In16thand17thcentury,sarangiplayingbards,singingreligioussongsandheroic
ballads,beganflockingtotheIndiancities.Theywereatbesttoleratedandcouldinno
waycompetewiththemoreestablishedbeenkarsandrababiyas.Adecentlivingcould
perhapsbemadebyteachingandaccompanyingthevocalists.

PlayingtheSarangi:
Thebowisheldpalmupwards.Itisdrawnacrossthemainstrings,justabovethebridge.
Thefingersofthelefthandnotethestrings.Thisisdonebypressingandslidingthe
bottomofthefingernailagainstthesideofthestring.Playersoftenusetalcumpowderon
theirpalmstofacilitatetheglidingofthehandupanddowntheneck.Theglidingofyour
nailsalongthestringscreatesthesoundcharacteristicofHindustanimusic.
Postedbyanilkhadkaat7:09AM Nocomments:

Recommend this on Google

Voilin

Theviola(pronounced/viol/or/vaol/[1])isabowedstringinstrument.Itisthe
middlevoiceoftheviolinfamily,betweentheviolinandthecello.
Thecasualobservermaymistaketheviolafortheviolinbecauseoftheirsimilarityin
size,closenessinpitchrange(theviolaisaperfectfifthbelowtheviolin),andnearly
identicalplayingposition.However,theviola'stimbresetsitapart:itsrich,darktoned
sonorityismorefullbodiedthantheviolin's.Asitsmellowvoiceisfrequentlyusedfor
playinginnerharmonies,thevioladoesnotenjoythewidesolorepertoireorfameofthe
violin.

http://musicguitaranil.blogspot.in/2010_07_01_archive.html

6/15

2/3/2015

music:July2010

Formofthe
viola:
Theviolaissimilarinmaterial
andconstructiontotheviolin
butislargerinsizeandmore
variableinitsproportions.A
"fullsize"viola'sbodyis
betweenoneandfourinches
longerthanthebodyofafull
sizeviolin(i.e.,between15
and18inches(38and46
cm)),withanaveragelength
ofabout16inches(41cm).
Smallviolasmadeforchildren
typicallystartat12inches(30
cm),whichisequivalenttoa
halfsizeviolin.Often,a
fractionalsizedviolinwillbe
strungwiththestringsofaviola(C,G,DandA)forthosechildrenwhoneedeven
smallersizes.[2]Unliketheviolin,thevioladoesnothaveastandardfullsize.Thebody
ofaviolawouldneedtomeasureabout21inches(53cm)longtomatchtheacousticsof
aviolin,makingitimpracticaltoplayinthesamemannerastheviolin.[3]Forcenturies,
violamakershaveexperimentedwiththesizeandshapeoftheviola,oftentweakingthe
proportionsorshapeoftheinstrumenttomakeaninstrumentwithashorterscalelength
andlighterweight,butthatstillhasalargeenoughsoundboxtocreateanunmistakable
"violasound."
Experimentswiththesizeoftheviolahavetendedtoincreaseitintheinterestof
improvingtheinstrument'ssound.TheseincludeHermannRitter's"violaalta",an
instrumentmeasuringabout18.9inches(48cm)intendedforuseinRichardWagner's
operas.[4]TheTertismodel
viola,whichhaswiderbouts
anddeeperribstopromotea
betterviolatone,isanother
slightly"nonstandard"shape
thatallowstheplayertousea
largerinstrument.Many
experimentswiththeacoustics
ofaviola,particularly
increasingthesizeofthebody,
resultinamuchdeepertoneof
theinstrument,makingthe
instrumentresemblethetone
ofacello.Sincemany
composerswrotefora
traditionalsizedviola,changes
inthetoneofaviola,
particularlyinorchestralmusic,
canhaveunintended
consequencesonthebalanceinensembles.
Morerecent(andmoreradicallyshaped)innovationsaddresstheergonomicproblemsof
playingtheviolabymakingitshorterandlighterwhilefindingwaystokeepthetraditional
sound.TheseincludeOttoErdesz"cutaway"viola(whichhasoneshouldercutoutto
makeshiftingeasier)[the"OakLeaf"viola(whichhastwoextrabouts)violshaped
violaslikeJosephCurtin's"Evia"model(whichalsoutilizesamoveableneckanda
mapleveneeredcarbonfiberbacktoreduceweight):[6]violasplayedinthesamemanner
ascellos(seeverticalviola)andtheeyecatching"Dalesque"shapesofbothBernard
Sabatier'sviolasinfractionalsizes(whichappeartohavemelted)andofDavidRivinus'
"Pellegrina"modelviolas.
Otherexperimentsbesidesthosedealingwiththe"ergonomicsvs.sound"problemhave
appeared.AmericancomposerHarryPartchfittedaviolawithacellonecktoallowthe
useofhis43tonescale.Luthiershavealsocreatedfivestringedviolas,whichallowa
greaterplayingrange.Modernmusicisplayedontheseinstruments,butviolmusiccan
beplayedaswell.

Playingtheviola:
Apersonwhoplaystheviolaiscalledaviolistorsimplyaviolaplayer.Whileitissimilar

http://musicguitaranil.blogspot.in/2010_07_01_archive.html

7/15

2/3/2015

music:July2010
totheviolin,thetechnique
requiredforplayingviolahas
manydifferences.The
differenceinsizeaccountsfor
someofthetechnical
differences,asnotesarespread
outfartheralongthefingerboard
oftenrequiringdifferent
fingerings.Thelessresponsive
stringsandheavierbowwarrant
asomewhatdifferentbowing
technique.Theviolarequires
theplayertoleanmore
intenselyonthestrings
comparedtotheviolin.
Comparedtoviolin,theviola
willgenerallyhavealargerbody
aswellasalongerstringlength,
whichiswhyyoungerviolistsor
evensomeoldtendtogetsmallersizedviolasforeasierplaying.Themostimmediately
noticeableadjustmentsaplayeraccustomedtoplayingviolinhastomakearetouse
widerspacedfingerings.Itiscommonforsomeplayerstouseawiderandmoreintense
vibratointhelefthandfacilitatedbyemployingthefleshierpadofthefingerratherthan
thetip,andtoholdthebowandrightarmfartherawayfromtheplayer'sbody.Theplayer
mustalsobringtheleftelbowfartherforwardoraround,soastoreachtheloweststring.
Thisallowsthefingerstobefirmandcreateaclearertone.Unlesstheviolistisgifted
withespeciallylargehands,differentfingeringsareoftenused,includingfrequentuseof
halfpositionandshiftingposition,whereontheviolinstayinginoneplacewouldsuffice.
Theviolaisgenerallystrungwiththickerstringsthantheviolin.This,combinedwithits
largersizeandlowerpitchrange,resultsinadeeperandmellowertone.However,the
thickerstringsalsomeanthattheviola"speaks"moreslowlythanitssopranocousin.
Practicallyspeaking,ifaviolistandviolinistareplayingtogether,theviolistmustbegin
movingthebowafractionofasecondsoonerthantheviolinisttoproduceasoundthat
startsatthesamemomentastheviolinist'ssound.Thethickerstringsalsomeanthat
moreweightmustbeappliedwiththebowtomakethemspeak.
Bowfrogs,toptobottom:violin,viola,cello
Theviolabowhasawiderbandofhorsehairthanaviolinbow,particularlynoticeable
nearthefrog(or"heel"intheUK).Violabows(70to74g)areheavierthanviolinbows
(58to61g).Theprofileoftheoutsidecornerofaviolabowfroggenerallyisrounded,
comparedtotherectangularcornerusuallyseenonviolinbows.

Tuning:
Theviola'sfourstringsare
normallytunedinfifths:C3
(anoctavebelowmiddleC)is
thelowest,withG3,D4and
A4aboveit.Thistuningis
exactlyonefifthbelowthe
violin,sothattheyhavethree
stringsincommonG,D,and
Aandisoneoctaveabovethecello.Althoughtheviolinandviolahavethreestrings
tunedthesame,thetonequalityorsoundcolorismarkedlydifferent.
Violasaretunedbyturningthepegsnearthescroll,whichthestringsarewrapped
around.Tighteningthestringraisesthepitchlooseningthestringlowersthepitch.TheA
stringisnormallytunedfirst,typicallyto440Hzor442Hz(seepitch).Theotherstrings
arethentunedtoitinintervalsofperfectfifths,bowingtwostringssimultaneously.Most
violasalsohaveadjusters(alsocalledfinetuners)thatareusedtomakefinerchanges.
Thesepermitthetensionofthestringtobeadjustedbyrotatingasmallknobatthe
oppositeendofthestring,atthetailpiece.Suchtuningisgenerallyeasiertolearnthan
usingthepegs,andadjustersareusuallyrecommendedforyoungerplayersandputon
smallerviolas,althoughtheyareusuallyusedinconjunctionwithoneanother.Adjusters
workbest,andaremostuseful,onhighertensionmetalstrings.Itiscommontouseone
ontheAstringeveniftheothersarenotequippedwiththem.Thepictureontheright
showsnormalstringingofthepegs.SomeviolistsreversethestringingoftheCandG

http://musicguitaranil.blogspot.in/2010_07_01_archive.html

8/15

2/3/2015

music:July2010
pegs,sothethickerCstringdoesnotturnsosevereanangleoverthenut,althoughthis
isuncommon.
Small,temporarytuningadjustmentscanalsobe
madebystretchingastringwiththehand.A
stringmaybetuneddownbypullingitabovethe
fingerboard,ortunedupbypressingthepartof
thestringinthepegbox.Thesetechniquesmay
beusefulinperformance,reducingtheilleffects
ofanoutoftunestringuntilanopportunityto
tuneproperly.
ThetuningCGDAisusedforthegreat
majorityofallviolamusic.However,other
tuningsareoccasionallyemployedbothin
classicalmusic(wherethetechniqueisknown
asscordatura)andinsomefolkstyles.Mozart,
inhisSinfoniaConcertanteforViolin,Violaand
Orchestra,whichisinEflat,wrotetheviolapart
inDmajorandspecifiedthattheviolastrings
weretoberaisedinpitchbyasemitonehis
intentionwasprobablytogivetheviolaabrighter
tonetoavoiditbeingoverpoweredbytherestoftheensemble.LionelTertis,inhis
transcriptionoftheElgarcelloconcerto,wrotetheslowmovementwiththeCstring
tuneddowntoBflat,enablingtheviolatoplayonepassageanoctavelower.
OccasionallytheCstringmayalsobetuneduptoD.

Violists:
hereareonlyafewtrulywellknownviolavirtuosi,perhapsbecauselittlevirtuosoviola
musicwaswrittenbeforethetwentiethcentury.Themostimportantviolapioneersfrom
thetwentiethcenturywereLionelTertis,WilliamPrimrose,PaulHindemith,Thophile
Laforge,CecilAronowitz,MauriceVieux,VadimBorisovsky,LillianFuchs,Frederick
Riddle,WalterTrampler,ErnstWallfisch,andEmanuelVardi,thefirstviolisttorecordthe
24CapricesbyPaganinionviola.Manynotedviolinistshavepubliclyperformedand
recordedontheviolaaswell,amongthemEugneYsae,YehudiMenuhin,David
Oistrakh,PinchasZukerman,MaximVengerov,JulianRachlinandNigelKennedy.
Amongthegreatcomposers,severalpreferredtheviolatotheviolinwhenplayingin
ensembles,[8]themostnotedbeingLudwigvanBeethoven,JohannSebastianBach[9]
andWolfgangAmadeusMozart.Numerousothercomposersalsochosetoplaytheviola
inensembles,includingJosephHaydn,FranzSchubert,FelixMendelssohn,Antonn
Dvok,andBenjaminBritten.Amongthosenotedbothasviolistsandascomposersare
RebeccaClarkeandPaulHindemith.ContemporarycomposerandviolistKenjiBunch
haswrittenanumberofviolasolos.
Theterm"violist"isnotuseduniversallyinEnglishsomeplayers,generallyBritish,
prefer"violaplayer",astheword"violist"isusedintheUKtomean"playeroftheviol".
Postedbyanilkhadkaat6:46AM Nocomments:

Recommend this on Google

Sitar

Thesitar(Hindi: ,Bengali:,Urdu:,Persian:)isapluckedstringed
instrumentpredominantlyusedinHindustaniclassicalmusic,whereithasbeen
ubiquitoussincetheMiddleAges.Itderivesitsresonancefromsympatheticstrings,a
longhollowneckandagourdresonatingchamber.
UsedthroughouttheIndiansubcontinent,particularlyinNorthernIndia,Pakistan,and
Bangladesh,thesitarbecameknowninthewesternworldthroughtheworkofPandit
RaviShankarbeginninginthelate1950s,particularlyafterGeorgeHarrisonofThe
BeatlestooklessonsfromShankarandShambhuDasandplayedsitarinsongsincluding

http://musicguitaranil.blogspot.in/2010_07_01_archive.html

9/15

2/3/2015

music:July2010
"NorwegianWood(ThisBird
HasFlown)".Shortlyafter,
TheRollingStonesusedsitar
in"PaintItBlack"andabrief
fadbeganforusingthe
instrumentinpopsongs.

Etymologyand
history:
InhisBharatiyaSangeet
VadyaDr.LalmaniMisratracesitsdevelopmentfromthetritantriveenathroughthe
nibaddhandanibaddhtanpurasandlaterthejantra.Constructionofthesimilartanpura
wasdescribedbyTansen.DuringthetimeofMoghulrulePersianluteswereplayedat
courtandmayhaveprovidedabasisofthesitar.However,thereisnophysicalevidence
forthesitaruntilthetimeofthecollapseoftheMughalEmpire.
TheSitaralsosaidtohavebeendevelopedinthethirteenthcenturyADby"AmirKhusro"
(Ab'ulHasanYamnalDnKhusrowDehlavi,theMuslimsaintofDelhi)fromamember
oftheveenafamilyofIndianmusicalinstrumentscalledthetritantriveenaandtohave
beennamedbyhimafterthePersiansetar.Thesitaris,likethesetar,amemberofthe
lutefamilywhilethenorthIndianveenaisazither,butitsharestheveena'sresonating
gourdsandsympatheticstrings.TherearedoubtsaboutSitarbeinginventedbyAmir
Khusroashedoesnotmentionthesitar(noevidencetosupportheinventedSitar)buthe
doesmentionthetanburand,bythemid18thcentury,Indiantanburswerereferredtoas
sitars.

Tuning:
Tuningdependsonthesitarist'sschoolorstyle,traditionandeachartist'spersonal
preference.Generally,themainplayingstringistunedtothetonicofapiecewhichis
calledSaorvaadandthedronestringsbothtothattoneandtothesamvaadorsecond
note,whichisusuallythe
perfectfifth.Thesympathetic
stringsaretunedtothenotes
oftheragabeingplayed:
althoughthereisslight
stylisticvarianceastothe
orderofthese,typicallythey
aretuned:
ISa=C,
VIINi=B,

Mechanics

Themechanicsofasitar:
Thesitar'scurvedfretsaremovable,allowingfinetuning,andraisedsothatsympathetic
strings(tarb,alsoknownas"taarif"or"tarafdaar")canrununderneaththem.Asitarcan
have21,22,or23strings,amongthemsixorsevenplayedstringswhichrunoverthe
frets:theGandhaarpanchamsitar(usedbyVilayatKhanandhisdisciples)hassix
playablestrings,whereastheKharajpanchamsitar,usedintheMaihargharana,towhich
Pt.RaviShankarbelongs,hasseven.Threeofthese(orfouronaKharajpanchamsitar),
calledthechikaari,simplyprovideadrone:therestareusedtoplaythemelody,though
thefirststring(baajtaar)ismostused.
Theinstrumenthastwobridgesthelargebridge(badaagoraa)fortheplayinganddrone
stringsandthesmallbridge(chotagoraa)forthesympatheticstrings.Itstimbreresults
fromthewaythestringsinteractwiththewide,slopingbridge.Asastringreverberates
itslengthchangesslightlyasitsedgetouchesthebridge,promotingthecreationof
overtonesandgivingthesounditsdistinctivetone.Themaintenanceofthisspecifictone

http://musicguitaranil.blogspot.in/2010_07_01_archive.html

10/15

2/3/2015

music:July2010
byshapingthebridgeiscalled
jawari.Manymusiciansrely
oninstrumentmakersto
adjustthis.
Materialsusedinconstruction
includeteakwoodortunwood
(Cedrelatuna),whichisa
variationofmahogany,forthe
neckandfaceplate(tabli),and
gourdsforthekaddu(themain
resonatingchamber).The
instrument'sbridgesaremade
ofdeerhorn,ebony,orvery
occasionallyfromcamelbone.
Syntheticmaterialisnow
commonaswell.Thesitar
mayhaveasecondary
resonator,thetumbaa,near
thetopofitshollowneck.

Playing:
AsitarworkshopinIslamabad,Pakistan.
Theinstrumentisbalancedbetweentheplayer'sleftfootandrightknee.Thehandsmove
freelywithouthavingtocarryanyoftheinstrument'sweight.Theplayerplucksthestring
usingametallicpickorplectrumcalledamizraab.Thethumbstaysanchoredonthetop
ofthefretboardjustabovethemaingourd.Generallyonlytheindexandmiddlefingers
areusedforfingeringalthoughafewplayersoccasionallyusethethird.Aspecialized
techniquecalled"meand"involvespullingthemainmelodystringdownoverthebottom
portionofthesitar'scurvedfrets,withwhichthesitaristcanachievea7semitonerange
ofmicrotonalnotes(itshouldbenoted,however,thatbecauseofthesitar'smovable
frets,sometimesafretmaybe
settoamicrotonealready,and
nobendingwouldberequired).

Postedbyanilkhadkaat4:50AM Nocomments:

Recommend this on Google

Tabala

http://musicguitaranil.blogspot.in/2010_07_01_archive.html

11/15

2/3/2015

music:July2010

Thetabla(ortabl,tabla)
(Hindi:,Marathi:,
Kannada:,Telugu:,
Tamil:,Bengali:
,Nepali:,Urdu:,
Arabic:
)isapopular
Indianpercussioninstrument
usedinHindustaniclassical
musicandinpopularand
devotionalmusicoftheIndian
subcontinent.Theinstrument
consistsofapairofhand
drumsofcontrastingsizes
andtimbres.Thetermtablais
derivedfromanArabicword,
tabl,whichsimplymeans"drum."
Playingtechniqueinvolvesextensiveuseofthefingersandpalmsinvarious
configurationstocreateawidevarietyofdifferentsounds,reflectedinthemnemonic
syllables(bol).Theheelofthehandisusedtoapplypressureorinaslidingmotionon
thelargerdrumsothatthepitchischangedduringthesounddecay.

History:
Thehistoryofthisinstrumentisuncertain,andhasbeenthesubjectofsometimes
heateddebate.RebeccaStewartsuggesteditwasmostlikelyahybridresultingfromthe
experimentswithexistingdrumssuchaspakhawaj,dholakandnaqqara.Theoriginsof
tablarepertoireandtechniquemaybefoundinallthreeandinphysicalstructurethereare
alsoelementsofallthree:thesmallerpakhawajheadforthedayan,thenaqqara
kettledrumforthebayan,andtheflexibleuseofthebassofthedholak.
SitarplayerShahidParvezKhanataconcertaccompaniedbythegreatTablawizardof
theBenarasGharanaPanditSamtaPrasad
Acommonlegendaryaccount[3]creditsthe13thcenturyIndianpoetAmirKhusrauasthe
inventorbysplittingthesingleSouthIndianmrudangamdrumintotwoortheNorthIndian
pakhawajintwo.('toda,tabbhibolatabla':'Whenbroke,itstillspoke'afairlywell
knownHindipun)Noneofhiswritingsonmusicmentionthedrum,butthisapparent
traditionoflateinvention,combinedwiththeabsenceoftheinstrumentinSouthIndian
music,andthatthetablacloselyresemblesaMrudangamcutintotwo,theclosedended,
paireddesignthatrelatesittotheWesternclaydrumsandtympani,altogethersupports
theviewthatthetablaisacomparativelyrecentdevelopmentinnorthernIndianmusic.
Otheraccountsplacetheinventionofthisinstrumentinthe18thcentury,andthefirst
verifiableplayerofthisdrumwasUstadSuddharKhanofDelhi.
TheMuktesvaratemple(6th7thcentury)andBhuranesvara(andthreeothercave
temples)ofBadariinBombay(6thcentury)containdepictionsofthepuskaradrum.
Musiciansoftenplacedthe
puskara'ssmallervertical
drum(called'alinga'),ontheir
lapandplayedmorethanone
drumatatime.Similar
regionalinstrumentsinclude
thePunjabidukkar,the
Kashmiridukra,theduggiin
easternUttarPradesh,and
themridangam.The
mridangam(Southern
equivalentoftheNorthern
pakhavaj)istheprincipaldrum
inCarnaticmusic.Thedhol
(dholak)ofeastern
Afghanistanisrelatedinterms
ofbothconstructionand
playingstyle.Themain
distinctionofthetablaisthe

http://musicguitaranil.blogspot.in/2010_07_01_archive.html

12/15

2/3/2015

music:July2010
pairingoftwodifferenttypesofsingleheadeddrums,whereasthedukkar,dukra,and
duggiarepairsofthesametypeandthemridangamanddholaredoubleheaded,barrel
shapeddrums.

Nomenclatureandconstruction:
Thesmallerdrum,playedwiththedominanthand,issometimescalleddayan(lit."right"
a.k.a.dhina,siddha,chatt)butiscorrectlycalledthe"tabla."Itismadefromaconical
pieceofmostlyteakandrosewoodhollowedouttoapproximatelyhalfofitstotaldepth.
Thedrumistunedtoaspecificnote,usuallyeitherthetonic,dominantorsubdominant
ofthesoloist'skeyandthuscomplementsthemelody.Thetuningrangeislimited
althoughdifferentdysareproducedindifferentsizes,eachwithadifferentrange.
Cylindricalwoodblocks,knownasghatta,areinsertedbetweenthestrapandtheshell
allowingtensiontobeadjustedbytheirverticalpositioning.Finetuningisachievedwhile
strikingverticallyonthebraidedportionoftheheadusingasmallhammer.
Thelargerdrum,playedwiththeotherhand,iscalledby(lit."left"a.k.a.dagga,
dugg,dhm).Thebyhasamuchdeeperbasstone,muchlikeitsdistantcousin,
thekettledrum.Thebymaybemadeofanyofanumberofmaterials.Brassisthe
mostcommon,copperismoreexpensive,butgenerallyheldtobethebest,while
aluminumandsteelareoftenfoundininexpensivemodels.Onesometimesfindsthat
woodisused,especiallyinoldbysfromthePunjab.Clayisalsoused,althoughnot
favoredfordurabilitythesearegenerallyfoundintheNorthEastregionofBengal.
Bothdrumshellsarecoveredwithahead(orpuri)constructedfromgoatorcowskin.An
outerringofskin(keenar)isoverlaidonthemainskinandservestosuppresssomeof
thenaturalovertones.Thesetwoskinsareboundtogetherwith
acomplexwovenbraidthatgivestheassemblyenough
strengthtobetensionedontheshell.Theheadisaffixedtothe
drumshellwithasinglecoworcamelhidestraplacedbetween
thebraidoftheheadassemblyandanotherring(madefromthe
samestrapmaterial)placedonthebottomofthedrum.
TheheadofeachdrumhasaninnercalledtheSyahi(lit."ink"
a.k.a.shorgb).Thisisconstructedusingmultiplelayersof
apastemadefromstarch(riceorwheat)mixedwithablack
powderofvariousorigins.Thepreciseconstructionandshapingofthisareais
responsibleformodificationofthedrum'snaturalovertones,resultingintheclarityof
pitchandvarietyoftonalpossibilitiesuniquetothisinstrument.Theskillrequiredforthe
properconstructionofthisareaishighlyrefinedandisthemaindifferentiatingfactorin
thequalityofaparticularinstrument.

Gharntablatradition:
ThetermgharnisusedtospecifyalineageofteachingandrepertoireinIndian
classicalmusic.Mostperformersandscholarsrecognizetwostylesoftablagharana:
DilliBajandPurbiBaj.Dilli(orDelhi)bajcomesfromthestylethatdevelopedinDelhi,
andPurbi(meaningeastern)bajdevelopedintheareaeastofDelhi.DelhiBajisalso
knownasChatibaj(ChatiisapartofTablafromwherespecialtonecanbeproduced).
Musiciansthenrecognizesixgharnsschoolsortraditionsoftabla.Thesetraditions
appearedorevolvedinpresumably[citationneeded]thefollowingorder:
Delhigharn
Lucknowgharn
Ajraragharn,laterfollowedby
Farukhabadgharn
Benaresgharn
Punjabgharn
Othertablaperformershaveidentifiedfurtherderivationsofthe
abovetraditions,butthesearesubjectiveclaimsnotuniversally
recognized.[citationneeded]Sometraditionsindeedhavesub
lineagesandsubstylesthatmeetthecriteriatowarranta
separategharnname,butsuchsociomusicalidentitieshave
nottakenholdinthepublicdiscourseofHindustaniartmusic,
suchastheQasurlineageoftablaplayersofthePunjabregion.
Eachgharnistraditionallysetapartfromtheothersbyuniqueaspectsofthe
compositionalandplayingstylesofitsexponents.Forinstance,somegharnshave
differenttablapositioningandboltechniques.Inthedaysofcourtpatronagethe
preservationofthesedistinctionswasimportantinordertomaintaintheprestigeofthe

http://musicguitaranil.blogspot.in/2010_07_01_archive.html

13/15

2/3/2015

music:July2010
sponsoringcourt.Gharnsecretswerecloselyguardedandoftenonlypassedalong
familylines.Beingbornintoormarryingintoalineageholdingfamilywasoftentheonly
waytogainaccesstothisknowledge.
Todaymanyofthesegharndistinctionshavebeenblurredasinformationhasbeen
morefreelysharedandnewergenerationsofplayershavelearnedandcombinedaspects
frommultiplegharnstoformtheirownstyles.Thereismuchdebateastowhetherthe
conceptofgharnevenstillappliestomodernplayers.Somethinktheeraofgharn
haseffectivelycometoanendastheuniqueaspectsofeachgharnhavebeenmostly
lostthroughthemixingofstylesandthesocioeconomicdifficultiesofmaintaining
lineagepuritythroughrigoroustraining.
Nonethelessthegreatnessofeachgharncanstillbeobservedthroughstudyofits
traditionalmaterialand,whenaccessible,recordingsofitsgreatplayers.Thecurrent
generationoftraditionallytrainedmastersstillholdvastamountsoftraditional
compositionalknowledgeandexpertise.
Thisbodyofcompositionalknowledgeandtheintricatetheoreticalbasiswhichinformsit
isstillactivelybeingtransmittedfromteachertostudentallovertheworld.Inadditionto
theinstrumentitself,thetermtablaisoftenusedinreferencetothisknowledgeandthe
processofitstransmission.

Tablaterminology:
Ustadamasterofthetablatechniqueandgharana,orschool.Hindusarereferredtoas
Pandit.
Gharanaanyofthesixschools(Punjab,Delhi,Benares,Ajrara,Lucknow,Farukhabad)
oftabla.
Syahitheblackspotsonthetabla,alsocalledgab.Composedofadriedpastederived
fromironfilingsandappliedinseveralseparatelayerstotheheadofthedrum.
Sometimescalledtheshyani.
Keenartheouterringofskinontheheadofeachofthetwotabladrums.InHindi,
knownasthechat.
SurTheareabetweenthegaabandthekeenar.InHindi,knownasthemaidan.
bolbothmnemonicsyllablesandaseriesofnotesproducedwhenstroked.E.g.Na,tin,
Dha,Dhin,Ge,Ke,etc.
Thekaastandardseriesofbolsthatformtherhythmicbasisoftablaaccompanimentfor
agiventala.
Relaasortofrapiddrumroll.
Chuttathecushionsusedwhenplacingthetabla.
Baj,Baaj,orBaazastyleofplaying,differentfromthegharn.Twomainstyles
developed,PurbiBajandDilliBaj.Dilli,orDelhi,bajisthe*styleofbolsandplayingthat
originatedinthecityofDelhi.Purbi(meaning"eastern")developedintheareaeastof
delhi.Bothhavedifferentwaystoplaybols.
ByorDuggiThemetaldrumprovidingthebassnotesintabla.
DayanorTablaThewoodendrumprovidingthetreblenotesintabla.
Lay(orLaya)tempo.
talameter.Example:DadraTala,AdaChautal,Teental,andthemostcommon,
keherwa.
VibhagSectionofatablataalwherebolscanbeplaced.
TaliAvibhagsignifiedbyaclap.
KhaliAvibhagsignifiedbywavingofthehands.
GhattaWoodendowelsusedtocontrolthetension.
Postedbyanilkhadkaat3:40AM Nocomments:

Recommend this on Google

NewerPosts

Home

OlderPosts

Subscribeto:Posts(Atom)

counter

freewebhitcounter

Simpletemplate.PoweredbyBlogger.

http://musicguitaranil.blogspot.in/2010_07_01_archive.html

14/15

2/3/2015

http://musicguitaranil.blogspot.in/2010_07_01_archive.html

music:July2010

15/15