Mridangam
What is Mridangam?
The Mridangam is a primary percussion instrument of Indian Classical Music (Carnatic). It has double ended drums to played with both hands.
The body of this instrument is usually made up of wood of Jack fruit tree. It has dense and heavy wood that gives the Mridangam a weight of 10 to 12 kilograms
Origin of Mridangam
In Sanskrit "Mrid" means soil. The original Mridangam was made of soil. "Angam" is the body. The origin of Mridangam goes back to the Indian mythologies wherein it is stated that Lord Nandi (the Bull God), who was the escort of Lord Shiva was a master percussionist and used to play the Mridangam during the performance of the " Taandav " dance by Lord Shiva.
How it is made?
The present day Mridangam is made of a single block of wood. It is made either from a log of jack wood or redwood. It is made hollow to suit the sound effect to be created. Jack wood has more fibrous structure than any other types of wood. The packing of the fibers is also very high. The pores present in jack wood is less when compared to others. The pore size and distribution of the material can be inversely proportional to the modulus of the wood. The density of jack wood is also less when compared to other woods.
How it is played?
The Mridangam is played primarily by using the index, middle, ring and small fingers of both hands while the thumb finger is used as a support element. The palm of the right hand is also used mainly while playing the stroke "Plam or Jham". To play the strokes "Nam" and "Dhim", it should be kept in mind that when the index finger is used to play these strokes, the ring finger should always be positioned in between the outer rim and the inner black ring on the right side of the Mridangam.
In this video Master Sunadhakrishna of VIII th std. in KV2, Mangalore has played beautifully the intricate Taniyavartanam in Aaditaal. One can see and hear the varieties of this Taal in the form of Theka, Korave and Mohara.
Written by Vivek Raj & Rahul Rao
