Module 8: Instruments · Lesson 3

Percussion and the ensemble

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The rhythm section

Percussion keeps the tala, adds energy, and shows off intricate rhythmic ideas. A vocal concert usually has one main drummer, and sometimes more than one.

Mridangam

The Mridangam is the principal drum. It is a barrel-shaped, two-headed drum, with a body of jackfruit wood and heads of animal skin. One head is larger and gives deep notes, the other is smaller and gives a higher, metallic sound, helped by a black paste applied to the head. It is tuned to the performer’s Sa. The player sits and plays it across the lap with the hands.

The mridangam follows the tala and the song, and in the percussion solo (the Tani avartanam ) it takes the lead.

Ghatam

The Ghatam is a clay pot, played with the fingers and palms and held in the lap. It plays rhythm patterns alongside the mridangam.

Kanjira

The Kanjira is a small frame drum with a single head, played on one side only.

Morsing

The Morsing is a small metal mouth harp. It is held in the mouth and plucked, and it is usually played alongside the mridangam.

How the ensemble fits together

Accompanists such as the violinist and the mridangam player tune their instruments to the pitch of the main performer, as the NIOS textbook notes. The accompanists have solos of their own too, above all in the tani avartanam.