veena part -6

Veena

Veena is a plucked stringed ('Tat') instrument used mostly in Carnatic music and by Dagar musicians (dhrupad). It is one of the three principal musical instruments mentioned in the vedic literature, the other two being the venu (flute) and Mrindanga. Veena player is referred to as a 'Vainika'. The veena is a complete instrument and provides the basic components: sruti, laya. Its peculiarity is the mellow tonal quality which is capable of evoking a meditative atmosphere.

History: Veena has a recorded history that dates back to the Vedic period. In Bharata's Natyashastra, there is a mention of many types of Veenas like Ektari, Kinnari, Audumbari etc.. The current form of veena can be attributed to Raghunath Nayak (circa 17th century ) of Tanjavur in Tamil Nadu.

Structure: The veena is 1.5m long and is made from jackwood. It has a large, round body with a thick, wide neck, the end of which is carved into the head of a dragon. A small resonator is attached to the underside of the neck. The veena has 24 metal frets embedded in hardened bees-wax, mixed with charcoal powder. Melody is produced on four metal strings that run above the frets. These are stretched over a wide bridge that sits on the body of the veena. Three other strings run alongside the neck of the instrument. These are used for maintaining time and for playing the drone. The performer, who sits cross-legged on the stage, rests the small resonator on the left lap. The fingers of the left hand are used to press, pull and glide on the frets, while the fingers of the right hand are used to pluck and twang the strings.

Veena variants

Tanjavur (Saraswati) Veena, Rudra veena, Vichitra veena, and Gottuvadhyam veena or Chitra veena.

Renowned Vainikas

Muthuswami Dikshitar, Veena Dhanammal, Rugmini Gopalakrishnan, Doraiswamy Iyengar, Bahauddin Dagar

VEEENA INSTRUMENT PART -4

Saraswati

Saraswati Veena

BACK IN STOCK and REDUCED!!!

About the Saraswati Veena:

The Saraswati Veena is one of the most ancient and revered of South Indian instruments. Together with Bansuri flute this form of veena may be seen in many sacred pictures of Saraswati, goddess of music.
The following is reproduced by kind permission of David Courtney Phd:
The Saraswati veena has an interesting construction. It has a body made of wood, generally, this is jackwood. The highest quality veenas have the entire body carved from a single block of wood, while the ordinary veenas have a body which is carved in three sections (resonator, neck and head). There are 24 frets made of brass bars set into wax. There is another resonator at the top of the neck of the veena. This is no longer a functioning resonator, but is mainly used as a stand to facilitate the positioning of the instrument when it is played. Because it is no longer functioning it is not unusual to find that this upper resonator may be made of acoustically neutral materials such as paper mache, cane or other similar materials.
Unlike north Indian instruments like the sitar, the Saraswati veena has no sympathetic strings. It has only four playing strings and three drone strings (thalam). The main bridge is a flat bar made of brass. This bar has a very slight curve. It is this light curve which gives the veena its characteristic sound. A major centre for the manufacture of the Saraswati veeni is in Tanjore. Features:

• 52" Long
• 24 brass frets
• 7 strings.
• Painted and carved peg box.
• With wooden shell case.
• Most popular traditional Veena.
• A fine quality instrument.

Price $1350.00. Please email regarding shipping cost

SPECIAL REDUCED TO $1249

Rudra Veena

About 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 music, 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.

You can hear the Rudra Veena at: Makar records. We thank them for some of the above text.

Features:

• 54" Long
• 22 frets.
• Made from well seasoned Tun wood.
• 7 strings.
• One piece bridge.
• Light weight and good sound.
• Includes wooden carrying case.
• A fine quality traditional instrument harking back to India's rich musical history.

• Price $1499.00. Please email regarding shipping cost.

Vichitra Veena

About the Vichitra Veena:

The Vichitra Veena is an Indian classical plucked string musical instrument.
It is a modern instrument, a 19th century evolution of the been, a traditional instrument of classical hindustani music.
From it's ancestor, the been, Vichitra Veena has kept the flat bridge (jawari), the two pumpkin resonators (tumbas) and a body which is a hollow tube made of teak wood on which the strings are fixed at both ends. The Vichitra Veena of the North and a rare instrument, was introduced by Ustad Abdul Ajij Khan, a court musician at Indore. It is of comparatively recent origin. It has a broad stem and six main strings are fastened to wooden pegs fixed to the other end. It is played by means of a plectrum on the right hand finger.
The Vichitra Veena's strings are sometimes stopped by a glass egg, a technique originating most probably from the playing of the tampura. Generally these days it is is played with a glass or metal bar, rather like the Hawaiian guitar. Consequently it has no frets.
One can play perfect meends (glissandos) on a octave and a half, something difficult to perform on a been, and so get closer to the abilities of the human voice.
You can hear the Vichitra Veena at: Makar records. We thank them for some of the above text.
A video tutorial for Vichitra Veena is promised by Pandit S. D. Batish and is said to be coming soon.

Pandit S. D. Batish playing the rare and exquisite Vichitra Veena

Features:

• 48" Long with 2 toombas
• 17 strings, 6 main and 11 sympathetic
• Skilled, elaborate, carving.
• Made from well seasoned Tun wood.
• A fine quality, unique, instrument.
• Includes wooden carrying case.
• Price $1349.00. Please email regarding shipping cost.

veena part -5

The veena is one of the most beautiful instruments in Hindustani as well as Carnatic music. It is possibly the oldest instrument and finds mention in the ancient texts.
Many kinds of veenas exist like the Vichitra Veena, Mahaveena, Sarasvati Veena, and Rudra Veena or been. They mainly differ in their size and number of strings. Because of its antiquity, it is used in the music of both the north and the south. In South India, the Sarasvati Veena is popular, while in the north, the Rudra Veena is used more often.

Veena Structure
Veena is made of jackwood or blackwood about 3 feet long.

Khunti -Tuning pegs
Patari, Fret Board - Patari or fret board is a bamboo board about 2 feet long on the stem of the veena. It supports the 24 metal frets of the veena.
Perda - Metal frets - The veena has 24 frets called perda made of steel, wood, or branze. These frets are fixed, not movable.
Tar - Strings - The veena has four metal tars or playing strings tuned to the notes Ma (Madhyam), Sa (Shadaja), Pa (Panchama), and Re (Rishaba). These strings are made of copper, brass, steel or bronze. They are attached to four wooden tuning pegs on one side and pass the gori, a wide bridge covered with a steel plate. Besides the four metal strings, three thin strings called sarani are also present. They pass over a subsidiary bridge and are suspended on the sides. They provide the drone.
Tumbar - Gourd - The veena has two symmetrical gourds called tumbar, about 1 foot in diameter. These gourds are quite elaborately decorated.
Gori - Bridge
Veena Performance
The index and the middle finger of the right hand are used for plucking the melody strings, while the little finger plucks the drone strings. A wire plectrum is generally used for plucking the strings though some players also use their fingernails. The left arm encircles the stem, so that the fingers rest easily upon the frets.
The veena is perfect for chamber music as it produces an echoing sound. It permits a continuous change of frequency from one note to another, as on the sitar, but it is much smoother on the veena. All the musical styles, and techniques like meend and gamaka, are brought out distinctly by the veena. The veena is played as a solo instrument accompanied by the mridangam and sometimes the flute. It is also a popular accompanying instrument in both Hindustani music like dhrupad and Carnatic music like kriti. Many recent instruments like the sitar and tanpura owe their origin to the veena.

Maestros of veena
Pithapuram Sangameswara Sastri, Seshanna, Subbanna, Venkataramana Das, Dhanammal, the Karoekudi brothers, Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu, Yamini Shankar Shastry, Balachander, S.Balachander, K.N. Narayanaswami, D.N. Iyengar, Chitti Babu, Mokkapati Nageswara Rao, and Narayana Menon are some of the exponents of this instrument. Among the prominent beenkars are Wazir Khan of Rampur who gave recognition to the been as a concert instrument in the early 20th century. Today, Dabri Khan, Zia Mohinuddin Dagar, Asad Ali Khan, Ahmed Raza, and Gopal Krishna are prominent been players.

veena part -3

Journey Through The Lens

This blog showcases images captured across India and the US when I did my Reuters Foundation Fellowship at the Missouri University in 1997. It portrays an India of million moods and mutinies. There are many who helped me to look beyond my lens. I thank Jayant Kodkani, Vinay Kamat, Sumit Chakraberti and Balasubramanium, four of my very close friends, who taught me the basics of journalism. Apart from them I also thank Bill Kuykendall, D Rees, Julie and Loop of the MU. All images are copyrighted.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Swan Song - Thanjavur Saraswati Veena's

Around 100 artisan families in the temple town of Thanjavur are dedicated to the art of making the Saraswati Veena

Earnest music enthusiasts will tell you that even today when you listen to the recording of Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar and S Balachander, you get goose bumps and are mesmerised. But even while we listen to a veena concert by a maestro, how many of us will actually wonder about the making of the magnificent instrument and the people who have toiled to get music out it? Not many, perhaps.
While several art forms die a slow death because of lack of patronage, more than 100 families in Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, have kept the veena making art alive and have passed it on through the generations.
For these families in this popular temple town, known more for its paintings that the South Indian style of veena made here, it is daily grind as they set about making the Tanjori Veena, more commonly known as the Sarawasti Veena.

“These musical instruments, made of wood from the jack fruit tree, go through rigorous testing before they are ready for use. The veenas are then sold to customers across the world, who have exclusively placed orders,” said R Venkatesan, Manager of the Thanjavur Musical Instruments Workers Cooperative Society.
MAKING A VEENA
The Saraswati Veena is one of the most ancient and revered of South Indian instruments. Its is attractive and the highest quality veenas have the entire body carved out of a single block of wood. The more ordinary ones, said Ganeshan, a veena maker, have a body which is made in three sections – resonator, neck and head. There are 24 frets made of brass bars set into wax. There in another resonator at the top of the neck of the veena. This is no longer a functioning resonator, but is mainly used as a stand to facilitate the positioning of th instrument when it is played. As it does not serve a musical purpose, it is not unusual to find that this upper resonator may be made of acoustically neutral materials such as paper mache, cane or other similar materials.

The Sarawasti Veena has four playing strings and three drone strings (thalam). The main bridge is a flat bar made of brass. This bar has a alight curve, and it is this curve that gives the veena its characteristic sound. The string instrument with two ground resonators is connected by a central shaft and held diagonally from lap to shoulder.
“The Thanjavur veena is considered the most sophisticated of all veenas. We can make any kind of veena, with any specification given by the customer, of course for a price,” says Ganeshan.
While shaping a veena out of blocks of wood is an arduous task, testing it for the right quality of music is no small work. “The veenas have to be tested for the right sound and notes and at least ten testers have to do the job before the Tanjori Veenas are shipped to their respective destinations.” says E Lakshman.
He added that the cost of a Sarawasti Veena varies from one piece to the other – the more th art work, the more the cost. While a non-decorative veena made out of three pieces of wood may cost around Rs 5,000, those which are intricately carved out of a single piece of wood cost upto Rs 50,000.

WAITING FOR THEIR DUE
“The invasion of western culture and with it, the popularity of western instruments, has brought down the demand for traditional instruments, such as the veena,” said Jayabalan, a veena maker. Though the artisans produce around 300 veenas on an average, in a year, their sale is not very high, he added.
Most of the veeena makers of Tanjore have been approaching the Tamil Nadu government for more than 10 years and also the Central government for subsidies, but they are yet to get them. They allege that the other artisans get both the state as well as the central subsidies, but the veena makers are nor getting what is due to them. “But whether the subsidies come or not, the 100 veena-making families of Thanjavur will continue their work and keep the art alive, even though it our only source of income,” said Jayabalan.
These families are determined to preserve their tradition, so that classical musicians across the country can make music.

PLAYING THE VEENA
The veena is played while sitting cross-legged with the instrument held tilted slightly away from the player. The small gourd on the left rests on the player’s left thigh, the left arm passing beneath the neck with the hand curving up and around so that the fingers rest upon the frets. The palm of the right hand rests on the edge of the top plank so that the fingers (usually index and middle) can pluck the strings. The drone strings are played with the little finger. The veena’s large resonator is placed on the floor beyond the right thigh.
DIFFERENT KIND OF VEENA
Venkatesan says that they are various types of veena across the country and have specific ways of playing them. He added that they are also made in different styles to suit the customer. To name a few there is the Rudra Veena which is mostly used by the Dhrupad performers which is considered as the oldest Indian music.
Then there is the Vichitra Veena which was popularized by Abdul Aziz Khan who was a court musician in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. And lastly the Saraswati Veena or the Tanjori Veena which is the most popular.
MYTHOLOGICAL TIES
The patron Hindu goddess of learning and the arts, Saraswati, is often depicted seated upon a swan or peacock playing a veena. According to Hindu mythology, the demon-king Ravana and the monkey-god Hanuman were great veena players, as was the sage Narada.

BOBBILI PROJECT- making of veena part -2

Bobbili Veena

30 March 2010 By Vikram_Boga 1 In Music

Darsana sparsane chasya bhoga svargapavargade |
Punito viprahatyadi patakaih patitam janam ||
Danda sambhuruma tantri kakubhah kamalapatih |
Indra patrika brahma tumbam nabhih sarasvati ||
Dorako vasukirjiva sudhamsuh sarika ravih |
Sarvadevamayi tasmad veeneyam sarvamangala ||
|| Sarangadeva ||
Carnatic musicologist of the 13th century

By seeing and touching the veena, one attains the sacred religion and liberation.
It purifies the sinner, who is been guilty of killing a Brahmin.
The danda, made of wood or Bamboo, is Siva, the string is Devi Uma, The shoulder
is Vishnu, the bridge is Lakshmi, the gourd is Brahma, the navel is Sarasvati,
The connecting wires are vasuki, the jiva is the moon and the pegs are the sun.
The veena thus represents nearly all the Gods and Goddesses,
And is, therefore, capable of bestowing all kinds of divine blessings, benediction and auspiciousness.

Instrumental music has been an integral part of Indian culture for centuries. This is evident from the innumerable treatises on music in ancient India and famous sculptures in ancient places of worship depicting musicians. Gods and Goddesses are often depicted playing various instruments, particularly the Goddess of learning and the arts, the Goddess Saraswati, who’s image is never seen without a Veena.

Although string instruments of almost all types were called “Veena” in ancient Indian texts, the Veena with its long neck and rounded resonators is considered to have ancient origins. Today, some of the main types of Veena played are: the Rudra Veena (also known as the been or bin), the Saraswati Veena, the Vichitra Veena and the Chitraveena or Gottuvadyam. Veena players are often referred to as Beenkars (or Binkars) or Vainikas.

The “Saraswati Veena” has become synonymous with the tradition and culture of India. Carnatic music played on these Saraswati Veenas has won the hearts of millions of music lovers the world over, transcending geographical barriers and regional cultures.

Veenas are also known by the town where they are made, for example, Tanjore Veena, Mysore Veena, etc. The Saraswati Veenas made in Bobbili are also sometimes referred to as Bobbili Veenas. Bobbili, a town 55 km from Vizianagaram , has a unique style of playing the Veena, developed over three centuries. It is known as the “Bobbili veena sampradayam” and its exponents have performed to much acclaim from Indian and International audiences.

The history of making veenas dates back to the founder of Bobbili Kingdom, established in the 17th Century by Pedda Rayudu, when playing veena was leisure activity and had its importance in every social event. The women from the Bobbili kingdom played the Veena, which were supplied by Sarwasiddi community craftsmen who belonged to Gollapali. The Veena was specially made by Sarwasiddi Acchanna, the master craftsman who was appointed in Bobbili Kingdom.

To this date the practice of making Veena has been continued by the family members of the Sarwasiddi community which later has become a livelihood option and been carried over generations.

Veenas are made of Panasa wood (Jackfruit tree) which is lightweight and possesses qualities like excellent reverberation, clear grain lines, great durability and minimum swelling in moisture. It is acquired from the local deposits maintained by forest officials and also from nearby settlements.The wood is cut into the required size, around 4-5 ft in length. The uniqueness of the Bobbili and Nuzvidu Veenas is that they are carved out of a single log of wood. Such Veenas are called ekandi veena.

The Thumba is a spherical form fixed to the lower base of Dandi to give support. In a professional Veena, thumba is made of hollow pumpkin. In case the required size of pumpkin is not available, then thumba is made of aluminum sheet. Pumpkin is used as a resonator which helps in increasing the duration of the note played, and also for balancing the Veena to stand still when musician is not holding the instrument. All the fibrous matter in the pumpkin is removed and dried in sun for around 3 days and stored carefully. A metal pipe is screwed to the top of the pumpkin and connected to dandi to transfer the sound to pumpkin.

A fret board (danda) connects these two ends, with twenty-four brass frets set in wax and charcoal. The frets are set to halfsteps in two octaves. Four main strings traverse this fret-board, from a bridge at the right end to tuning pegs (biridais) at the left end. At this left end of the danda is attached a “yali”, which is a scroll that is carved into an elaborate head of a mythical animal. Three additional strings (talam strings) are set off to the side and are used for rhythmic emphasis.

Apart from the main body, certain brass and bronze parts are crucial for holding the wooden parts of the Veena together, for improving the tonal quality and also for adding to the aesthetic value of the instrument.

A major change in the material can be seen in the decorative inlay work, which used to be done on elephant tusks, now replaced by plastic. The patterns are engraved on the polypropylene. Lac is applied on the engraved surface filling them to produce patterns.

Thanjavur veenas are manufactured in great numbers, while Bobbili veena still remains a rural, small-scale industry. There are around 30 families in a small village called Gollapalli (near Bobbili), dependent on making this musical instrument for their livelihood.

Adapting to the changes demanded by the customers, for the past 15-20 years, the craftsmen have been making different instruments like the peacock Veenas, Swarnamandal, Tambura, Tabla set, Violin and Sitar. Bobbili and Vadada have now become more famous for producing ornamental miniature Veenas rather than the actual Veenas.

Even though the demand for Veenas is on a decline, as long as there are music lovers, the golden sounds of veena will continue to echo far and wide.

Other Veena Clusters ~ Tanjore, Mysore, Thiruvananthapuram, Rampur, Bobbili, Pithapuram and Bandar Vee

veena the bobbili project

1. Fingerboard

   • The fret board of a veena has a unique scalloped shape.

     The unique hollow, scalloped fret board is known as the dandi and contains 24 frets, or mettu, often made from gunmetal, stainless steel or bronze. The seven strings are of steel manufacture. The three tala pakarekku or talam are the rhythm and drone strings which are fashioned as subsidiary strings tuned to the tonic, upper tonic and fifth. These are attached to three pegs on the side of the neck that reside on a separate, curving bridge placed aside the main bridge, and are closest to the player's body when held. The other four (main) strings, the sarani, are tuned to the fifth and tonic in two octaves.

   Meru and Peg Box

   • The four main strings ascend into and are attached to the four pegs, the birdai, in the peg box. The meru is the upper bridge which begins where the fingerboard ends, on which the peg box resides before its neck curves back toward the player to end in a carved dragon's head---the yali.

   Resonators

   • A veena kudam is sometimes made from ornately carved wood.

     The main resonator, or kudam, is at the end of the fingerboard. It is made of hollowed-out jackwood or fiberglass. The strings descend over the resonator in the lower portion, passing over two sound holes, or nada randhra, carved into the kudam. The kudirai is the bridge over which the strings are positioned before they end in the fine-tuning langar adjustment. The langar are tied at the bottom to the naga pasha at the end of the kudam. The extra resonator, the surakkai or sarrokai, is made from tin or a gourd and hangs below the meru.

   Variants

   • The ekanda veena is an instrument carved from a single piece of wood. Alternatively, the parts are often made separately and joined together. The appearance of the veena has changed over time as alterations have been made to its body shape or parts manufactured from different materials, such as wood, gourd and metal pieces.

   Synthetic Materials

   • While the veena has traditionally been made from jackwood, contemporary versions are often made from fiberglass. A fiberglass body has the advantage of being more impact-resistant than wood and of producing a more consistent sound quality from instrument to instrument. Additionally, a fiberglass veena is lighter than one made of wood.

Read more: Parts of a Veena | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5087121_parts-veena.html#ixzz1gDWxQRJf

DANCING

Dance

Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music,^[1] used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting.

Dance may also be regarded as a form of nonverbal communication between humans, and is also performed by other animals (bee dance, patterns of behaviour such as a mating dance). Gymnastics, figure skating and synchronized swimming are sports that incorporate dance, while martial arts kata are often compared to dances. Motion in ordinarily inanimate objects may also be described as dances (the leaves danced in the wind).

Definitions of what constitutes dance are dependent on social, cultural, aesthetic, artistic and moral constraints and range from functional movement (such as folk dance) to virtuoso techniques such as ballet. Dance can be participatory, social or performed for an audience. It can also be ceremonial, competitive or erotic. Dance movements may be without significance in themselves, such as in ballet or European folk dance, or have a gestural vocabulary/symbolic system as in many Asian dances. Dance can embody or express ideas, emotions or tell a story.

Dancing has evolved many styles. Breakdancing and Krumping are related to the hip hop culture. African dance is interpretative. Ballet, Ballroom, Waltz, and Tango are classical styles of dance while Square Dance and the Electric Slide are forms of step dances.

Every dance, no matter what style, has something in common. It not only involves flexibility and body movement, but also physics. If the proper physics are not taken into consideration, injuries may occur.

Choreography is the art of creating dances. The person who creates (i.e., choreographs) a dance is known as the choreographer.

]

Three best-known Hindu deities, Shiva, Kali and Krishna, are typically represented dancing.^[1] There are hundreds of Indian folk dances such as Bhangra, Bihu, Ghumura Dance, Sambalpuri, Chhau and Garba and special dances observed in regional festivals. India offers a number of classical Indian dance forms, each of which can be traced to different parts of the country. The presentation of Indian dance styles in film, Hindi Cinema, has exposed the range of dance in India to a global audience.The gods and goddesses are invoked through the religious folk dance forms from good old times. Mention may be made of Ram-lila Nach, Kirtaniya Nach, Kunjvasi Nach and Naradi Nach, Bhagata Nach, Vidapat Nach and Puja Art Nach in this category. Minimum use is made of musical instruments and dancer performs the dances without humming the tune.