Pakhawaj

Previous editions of this column have referred to the pakhawaj, a barrel-shaped horizontal twin-faced drum that is used to accompany dhrupad-dhamaar performances and certain kinds of instrumental music and dance. We have also discussed the Although the instrument predates the tabla and the earliest known pakhawaj players date back to the sixteenth century, various circumstances have led to the decline in the popularity of this instrument. However, several gharanas or styles of pakhawaj solo playing have existed since centuries. Some of these gharanas are known by the place of origin of the founder of a particular style, but others are named after the founder. With today’s episode, we begin a new series devoted to pakhawaj solo. Tabla player and scholar Aban E. Mistry’s Pakhawaj & Tabla: History, Schools and Traditions lists at least 11 styles: Jaawli, Mathura, Punjab, Kudau Singh gharana, Nana Saheb Panse gharana, Naathdwara, Bengal, Gurav parampara of Maharashtra, Mangalvedhekar gharana, Gwalior, Raigarh, Gujarat, Jaipur and Jodhpur. However, not all of these still exist and over the generations musicians have trained in more than one style. Based on audio-video material that is available in the public domain, we will try to visit some of these styles. This is only representative of what the pakhawaj solo playing tradition has to offer. We begin with an interview of renowned pakhawaj player Ayodhya Prasad, who belonged to the Kudau Singh gharana. He is interviewed by Hafe...

A freshly prepared dough made of flour and water has to be applied to the bass skin before playing, to get the typical deep bass sound. This procedure is rather complicated and time consuming. An alternative is a bass head with a special special paste permanently or temporarily attached to it. If you are interested in that please ask India Instruments for more information! Traditionally a dough made of flour and water is applied to the bass skin every time before playing in order to get the typical deep bass sound. However, this procedure is rather complicated and time consuming. Alternatively you can prepare the bass skin permanently with some kind of bathroom sealant. We recommend a sealant called Plastic Fermit for this purpose. It is available for little money in hardware stores and in many online shops. Any dough residue on the skin must be removed thoroughly before applying the sealant to ensure good adhesion. Apply the sealant in a thin base layer first, pressing it firmly against the skin. Add more sealant onto the base evenly until you get the desired pitch. Plastic Fermit can remain permanently on the skin without causing any damage. It can also be removed at any time. After several months, it usually gets brittle and starts falling off. Then it can be replaced completely. If the skin has such a high tension that the desired deep sound is not reached even with a very thick application of sealant, the basic tension of the skin should be reduced. This also extends ...

Pakhawaj--the mother of Indian Drum Pakhawaj–Indian Drum (पखावज) Pakhwaj (पखावज) is called the mother of North Indian style drums—the world famous drum called Tabla came from this instrument. Legend goes that famous musician Amir Khusro was playing Pakhawaj and it broke in two pieces—when he tried to play the pieces, it worked and from here came the new instrument called Tabla. Pakhawaj is very good drum in the shape of barrels and often is categorized with Mridungam, which is almost similar to Pakhawaj and its South Indian counterpart. Pakhawaj has its origin in ancient times and it is believed that Lord Ganesha uses this instrument. In one of the most difficult type of North Smaller head of the Pakhawaj The smaller or treble head of Pakhawaj is just like the smalled head of the Tabla. However, on the bigger head, there is no black part on outer side—this is inside in case of Pakhawaj: it means you won’t be seeing it on the bigger head. Though Tabla has come up from Pakhawaj itself, it has excelled far into varieties and with continuous improvements and experimentations in its style and form it has emerged as an independent instrument. Pakhawaj has very little use now-a-days. Only hardcore classical music uses Pakhawaj. The bigger head of the Pakhawaj The playing style of Pakhawaj is almost similar to any Indian drum with one difference; and this one difference is major one: audience, who is used to Tabla or Mridungam or any drum for that matter, would find it very diffic...

The pakhawaj, a twin-faced horizontal drum, has a layer of syahi or powdered metal ore permanently pasted on one of its skins. This lends a treble tone to this side of the drum. The bass tone on the opposite side is produced due to the layer of wheat dough that is rolled onto the skin. Unlike the powdered metal ore on the treble side, this layer of wheat dough is removed after each performance or practice session. The broad faces on either side of this large cylindrical drum and the structure of the instrument give rise to the deep and resonant tone that is so unique to it. The pakhawaj player tunes the treble side to the keynote chosen by the vocalist or instrumentalist who he or she is accompanying. In the case of pakhawaj solo recitals, it is left to the soloist to decide the keynote. Over the last fortnight, we have heard tracks featuring representatives of the Play The Naathdwara style is believed to have begun in Jaipur and developed in the Vaishnav temple of Naathdwara. There are a few other styles that have also developed in the Vaishnav environment of northern India and Gujarat. This environment sees music being offered as a part of worship ritual to the deity Krishna. The following track features Purshottam Das (1907-1991), one of the chief representatives of the Jaipur-Naathdwara style. He plays a solo in Chautaal, a favourite rhythmic cycle with most pakhawaj players. This taal contains 12 matras or time-units. Play There have been times when pakhawaj players l...

Pakhavaj The pakhawaja or mridang is an Indian barrel-shaped, two-headed drum, a variant and descendant of the older mridang. It is the standard percussion instrument in the dhrupada style and is widely used as an accompaniment for various forms of music and dance performances. The pakhavaja has a low, mellow tone, very rich in harmonics. Set horizontally on a cushion in front of the drummer’s crossed leg, the larger bass-skin is played with the left hand, the treble skin by the right hand. The bass face is smeared with wet wheat dough which acts as the kiran and is the cause of the vivid, bass sound the pakhavaja produces. Etymology The word pakhāvaja or pakhavāja is of Prakrit origin, whose Sanskrit equivalent is pakṣavādya. This instrument is always known as pakhavaj and not pakshavadya. This word is derived from the words pakṣa (“a side”), and vādya (“a musical instrument”), it is said that, during the 14th century, the great mridangists experimented with the materials used in mridang construction, and finally started using wood for the main body as opposed to the original clay. Thus, a new name pakhawaj emerged, whilst the older name, mridang was still used. Technique As with the tabla, the pakhavaj rhythms are taught by a series of mnemonic syllables known as bol. The playing technique vary from that of tabla in many aspects: in the bass face, the artist hits with his whole palm instead of the finger tip hitting which is done in tabla. In the treble face, the artist ...