Dhrupad

The Instruments:
Tanpura, Pakhawaj & Rudra Veena

the Tanpura

A Tambura (Tanpura) is a classical four (or five) stringed drone instrument, which is a very important part of every Indian concert. It is plucked throughout the concert and serves as the reference point (basic pitch) for performers so as to enable them to render all the other notes in their proper relative positions. In recent times, various types of electronic Tamburas and digital discs are being used for convenience.

Construction: A Tambura is made of wood (mostly jack wood). It has a long unfretted neck with bone / ivory inlays. The neck has a bowl shaped resonator at the lower end that vibrates and amplifies the sound. At the upper end of the neck are tuning pegs.The Tambura has four strings that run from the bottom of the bowl to the tuning pegs over a broad ivory bridge mounted on the resonator. Fine-tuning is done with the help of beads between the lower end and the bridge. Besides, fine silk threads called "jeeva" are used between the bridge and the strings. When positioned perfectly, these threads cause the strings to "buzz" and enhance the tonal quality. This is one of the unique features of the Tambura.

Tuning: Of the 4 strings that the Tambura usually has, the middle strings are tuned to the tonic note, Sa. The first string is tuned to the fifth perfect, Pa and the last, which is the bass string, to the tonic, Sa, an octave lower. When Madhyama Sruti compositions are sung, the playing of the first string is either completely stopped or it is tuned to the Suddha Madhyama.

Posture: The Tambura is normally held vertically on the right lap of the performer (usually not the main artiste), with the resonator being supported by the left hand. The strings are plucked in succession with the right hand, starting with the first string (usually plucked with the middle finger) and ending with the bass string, the last three being plucked with the index finger. The Tambura artiste usually sits behind the main artiste and plays the instrument throughout the concert, starting just before the concert starts and ending it after the concert ends. It can be tuned to any pitch, depending on that of the main artiste's.

The Rudra Veena

The Rudra Veena has it's musical roots in ancient times. Rudra veena (also called the been) is associated quite strongly with Dhrupad. The performance exhibits the same wealth of melodic nuance and sophisticated development. Dhrupad is often presented as the oldest Indian music, with an explicit continuity to ancient times. In this respect, it is perhaps the most direct development of Vedic chanting, and the literal respect for text in dhrupad is representative of those scriptural ideas. However many of the codifications of dhrupad are dated more specifically to the same period as the origin of khayal, and the two might be viewed more accurately as parallel developments, although dhrupad is certainly more austere in its formalism. The been or veena has always been the instrument of Indian classical music and was traditionally studied by all dhrupad students until the 19th century.

This stringed instrument does not look like any other, veena or otherwise. It has been developed to follow the precision of Indian classical mucic, and the quality of the long and slow moving (vocal type) glissandos that are so typical of dhrupad. The duration of these veena's notes is incredibly long.

The been is made of a body, a hollow tube made of teak wood, on which the strings are fixed at both ends. The bridge is a flat bridge, multiplying the depth of the note's spectrum. Metallic frets are disposed on that tube on a slightly angled axis. They are always movable (fixed by wax or strings) and so can be adapted for every raga (the notes of the raga are not fixed by equal temperament). Two resonators made out of pumpkins are placed on each side of the veena, not far from the two ends of the body.

Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar introduced important changes to this veena, transforming it into a Bass instrument : the Rudra Veena.

The pakhawaj

The pakhawaj is a highly developed percussion instrument.
The name pakhawaj seems to have been derived from the awaj, a king of drum used during the Mughal period and described as two kettle drums joind together at the reverse ends, their heads covered with skin and braced with thongs." The pakahawaj is used in accompanying kathak dancers and classical vocal music.

Continue:
• The Dagar Family
• Dhrupad history & musical structure
• Marianne Svasek at the Dagar Gurukul