Panche baaja (Nepali: पञ्चे बाजा, "five musical instruments") is a set of five traditional Nepali musical instruments that are played during holy ceremonies like marriages. Panche baajas are usually played by the Damai (Miji) and the Gaine; these are Dalit ("untouchable) castes in Hindu tradition.
Components
The panche baja includes the jhyali (cybals), tyamko (small kettledrum) or dholak (drums), damaha (large kettledrum), narsiha (a long S-shaped trumpet), shehnai (a folk oboe), and karnal (a wide-mouthed, straight trumpet).
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Dholak
The Dholak (Punjabi: ਢੋਲਕ, Hindi: ढोलक; Dutch: dhool in the Netherlands and Suriname) is a South Asian two-headed hand-drum. It may have traditional cotton rope lacing, screw-turnbuckle tensioning or both combined: in the first case steel rings are used for tuning or pegs a twisted inside the laces. The dholak is mainly a folk instrument, lacking the exact tuning and playing techniques of the tabla or the pakhawaj. The drum is pitched, depending on size, with an interval of perhaps a perfect fourth or perfect fifth between the two heads. It is related to the larger Punjabi dhol and the smaller dholki.
It is widely used in qawwali, kirtan, Marathi(laavani) and bhangra. It was formerly used in classical dance. Indian children sing and dance to it during pre-wedding festivities. It is often used in Filmi Sangeet - Indian film music - in chutney music, baithak gana, tan singing and the local Indian music of Jamaica, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, where it was brought by indentured immigrants. In the Fiji Islands the dholak is widely used for bhajan and kirtan. Also it is mostly used in India.
The dholak's higher-pitched head is a simple membrane while the bass head, played usually with the left hand, has a compound syahi to lower the pitch and enable the typical Dholak sliding sound ("giss" or "gissa"), often the caked residue of mustard oil pressing, to which some sand and oil or tar may be added. The Sri Lankan version uses a large fixed tabla-style syahi on the middle of bass skin.
Playing style
The drum is either played on the player's lap or, while standing, slung from the shoulder or waist or pressed down with one knee while sitting on the floor. The shell is sometimes made from sheesham wood(Dalbergia sissoo) but cheaper dholaks may be made from any wood (mango).Sri Lankan dholaks and dholkis are made from hollowed coconut palm stems.
In some styles of playing (i.e. Punjab) an iron thumb ring is used to produced a distinctive "chak" rim sound. In other styles (e.g. Rajasthani), all fingers are generally used.
Dholak masters are often adept at singing or chanting and often provide a primary entertainment or lead drumming for a dance troupe. Perhaps the most characteristic rhythm played on the "dhol" is a quick double-dotted figure that may be counted in rhythmic solfege as "ONE -tah and -tah TWO -tah and -tah THREE-E (rest on 'and') -TAH, FOUR AND" or simply a long string of double-dotted notes, over which the bass side is used for improvisation.
On large dholaks, known as dhols, the high-pitched head may be played using a thin (1/4"/6 mm or less) long (over 14"/30 cm) stick of rattan or bamboo (rattan is preferred for its flexibility) and the low-pitched drum head using a somewhat thicker, angled stick.
It is widely used in qawwali, kirtan, Marathi(laavani) and bhangra. It was formerly used in classical dance. Indian children sing and dance to it during pre-wedding festivities. It is often used in Filmi Sangeet - Indian film music - in chutney music, baithak gana, tan singing and the local Indian music of Jamaica, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, where it was brought by indentured immigrants. In the Fiji Islands the dholak is widely used for bhajan and kirtan. Also it is mostly used in India.
The dholak's higher-pitched head is a simple membrane while the bass head, played usually with the left hand, has a compound syahi to lower the pitch and enable the typical Dholak sliding sound ("giss" or "gissa"), often the caked residue of mustard oil pressing, to which some sand and oil or tar may be added. The Sri Lankan version uses a large fixed tabla-style syahi on the middle of bass skin.
Playing style
The drum is either played on the player's lap or, while standing, slung from the shoulder or waist or pressed down with one knee while sitting on the floor. The shell is sometimes made from sheesham wood(Dalbergia sissoo) but cheaper dholaks may be made from any wood (mango).Sri Lankan dholaks and dholkis are made from hollowed coconut palm stems.
In some styles of playing (i.e. Punjab) an iron thumb ring is used to produced a distinctive "chak" rim sound. In other styles (e.g. Rajasthani), all fingers are generally used.
Dholak masters are often adept at singing or chanting and often provide a primary entertainment or lead drumming for a dance troupe. Perhaps the most characteristic rhythm played on the "dhol" is a quick double-dotted figure that may be counted in rhythmic solfege as "ONE -tah and -tah TWO -tah and -tah THREE-E (rest on 'and') -TAH, FOUR AND" or simply a long string of double-dotted notes, over which the bass side is used for improvisation.
On large dholaks, known as dhols, the high-pitched head may be played using a thin (1/4"/6 mm or less) long (over 14"/30 cm) stick of rattan or bamboo (rattan is preferred for its flexibility) and the low-pitched drum head using a somewhat thicker, angled stick.
Dhimay
Dhimay, Dhimaya (Nepal Bhasa: धिमय्) or Dhime (धिमे) is a drum, and according to the Sachs-Hornbostel classification belongs to the category of double-headed cylindrical membranophone.
The drum is rather big compared to other drums played by the Newar. The size of this instrument varies from diameter of 40 inches to 51 inches and length of 17 inches to 21 inches.[1] The shell of the drum is made of wood or metal. Sometimes wooden drums are partly covered with metal foil. The shape of old Dhimay drums is mostly irregular, formed by the natural shape of the piece of wood being used to make the drum body (see image at the mimo-db). Modern drums are either cylindrical or slightly barrel-shaped. Both heads are made of goat skin. On the inside of the left membrane, called Mankhah (Haima in Bhaktapur)[2] a red tuning paste (Masala) is applicated, providing a deep sound.
Playing technique
The left side (Mankhah) is played directly by hand playing either at the upper part of the membrane (cvay), producing a long resonating sound, or a downward stroke (kvay), producing a sharp crisp sound. The right membrane, called Nasah, is played with a thin stick, made of cane, which is normally curved at one end. In addition to this three basic strokes a fourth type of stroke is played, combining the deep sound of the left hand and the stroke of the right hand.
The drum is rather big compared to other drums played by the Newar. The size of this instrument varies from diameter of 40 inches to 51 inches and length of 17 inches to 21 inches.[1] The shell of the drum is made of wood or metal. Sometimes wooden drums are partly covered with metal foil. The shape of old Dhimay drums is mostly irregular, formed by the natural shape of the piece of wood being used to make the drum body (see image at the mimo-db). Modern drums are either cylindrical or slightly barrel-shaped. Both heads are made of goat skin. On the inside of the left membrane, called Mankhah (Haima in Bhaktapur)[2] a red tuning paste (Masala) is applicated, providing a deep sound.
Playing technique
The left side (Mankhah) is played directly by hand playing either at the upper part of the membrane (cvay), producing a long resonating sound, or a downward stroke (kvay), producing a sharp crisp sound. The right membrane, called Nasah, is played with a thin stick, made of cane, which is normally curved at one end. In addition to this three basic strokes a fourth type of stroke is played, combining the deep sound of the left hand and the stroke of the right hand.
Bansuri
The bansuri (Hindi: बांसुरी, Urdu: بانسری, Nepali: बाँसुरी, Marathi: बासरी, Assamese: বাঁহী, Bengali: বাঁশি) is a transverse flute of India made from a single hollow shaft of bamboo with six or seven finger holes. An ancient musical instrument associated with cowherds and the pastoral tradition, it is intimately linked to the love story of Krishna and Radha and is also depicted in Buddhist paintings from around 100 CE. The Bansuri is revered as Lord Krishna's divine instrument and is often associated with Krishna's Rasa lila; mythological accounts tell of the tunes of Krishna's flute having a spellbinding and enthralling effect not only on the women of the Braj, but even on the animals of the region. The North Indian bansuri, typically about 14 inches in length, was traditionally used as a soprano instrument primarily for accompaniment in lighter compositions including film music. The bass variety (approximately 30", tonic E3 at A440Hz), pioneered by Pannalal Ghosh has now been indispensable in Hindustani Classical music for well over half a century. Bansuris range in size from less than 12" to nearly 40".
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