The Goal…
Buying Tabla in Bangalore
The subject is the most penetrating question in anyone’s mind when he/she is learning the Tabla and needs to know from where a good Tabla should be bought.
Based on my own experience i have noted down a few ways in which one can buy and trying to help in the quest of getting answer to this question. This no way is a complete list, however i would like to thank anyone who would help me in getting this list keep increasing and support in other pointers as well.
What to see before buying a Tabla set :
Dayan with A# shruti (that is kali or Black 5 as per standard convention).
Preferably a original sheesham, black/Delhi sheesham or close to heavy seasoned wood (this helps in getting good sound).
A good shining puri that resonates well on nadam (opening up as in the tin part), sustains more of taa (on chati) bol etc.
Observe thickness of shyaahi is maintained.
Heavyweight– helps in keeping and sustaining sonorous tonal sound. Should be more than 2 Kgs at least.
Bayan with heavy weight of at least 2.5 Kgs. Should be of copper or heavy steel metal etc, which helps in resonant sound. Also points above as mentioned for daya part on puri for open like Dhammm sound, Closed Ghe should be long lasting and nice to hear. No specific shruti here, however check if it is D# or F shruti for a A# to C# dayan.
Where to Buy the instrument :
Shanta Tabla Works: Shri Anantramaiah (is a good Mridangam Player and is very good at making Mridnagam as well as Tabla). Normal turn around time for getting Mridangam done (only on orders) is 2 to 3 weeks and cost is ~14 to 16K. Tabla either can be ready within 2 days or based on availabilty. Cost of a jodi of tabla is < 10K.
382, Old Taluk Cutchery Rd, Near-L V Temple, Sowrashtrapet, Chickpet, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560053
Phone: 098440 27006
Veena Musicals: This is a shop in Jayanagar 4th Block that sells all kinds of Indian and western music instruments.
Address: No.396, 8th Main, 9th Cross, 2nd Block, Jayanagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560011. They are god at repairing Veena, Violion, Mridangam and Tabla. They also have ready made Tabla and Mridangams. You need to just check and ask to tune them to the right shruti. Mridangam cost will be < 12K, Tabla cost can vary from 8K to 20K. In my experience i have seen some very good tabla/dagga jodi from Hyderabad – Akbar Miyan, Nasir Miyan, Delhi Tabla, Banaras Tabla from Iqbal Khan and Pune from Somnath Kakde. They don’t sell only Tabla or dagga.
Phone: 080 2657 3399
Manjunath Tabla Makers
If you would know what you need and want a custom one then you can go to him. Turnaround time for 1 jodi tabla making is <10 days. Especially good at Daya puri’s of custom sizes (e.g. 6, 6.5 or 7 inches- as generally the size of a standard tabla puris is ~5.5 to 5.75 inches). Also has ready made puri’s for dayan and bayan
Address: 116, 4th Cross St, Srinivasnagar, Banashankari, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560050
Phone: 081971 51539
Naad….
Naada Roop, Naada Rang, Naada Sundari
Naada Surya, Naada Chandra, Naada Madhukari !!There is Music(Naada) in Beauty, There is Music(Naada) in Colors and The ultimate divine mother (Sundari-Maharoopa) is herself made of energies of Music(Naada).The striking brightness and heat of Sun and soothing calmness of Moon -submerge into universal cycle of Music.Nectar(Prasadam/Madhukari) and food (Madhukar) are also embodiment of divine Naada(Music).
Naada Surya, Naada Chandra, Naada Madhukari !!There is Music(Naada) in Beauty, There is Music(Naada) in Colors and The ultimate divine mother (Sundari-Maharoopa) is herself made of energies of Music(Naada).The striking brightness and heat of Sun and soothing calmness of Moon -submerge into universal cycle of Music.Nectar(Prasadam/Madhukari) and food (Madhukar) are also embodiment of divine Naada(Music).
Naada Urdhwa, Naada Adhar, Naada Roopini.
Naada Disha, Naada Prahhar, Naada Ranjini !!
Naada Disha, Naada Prahhar, Naada Ranjini !!
There is Music in the Skies(Urdhwa), There is Music in the core of universe(Adhar), The Goddess(Mahamaya-Maharoopini) also is bonded by the divine rhythms of the Music.There is Music in every direction(Disha), There is Music in the beginning of the Day(Prahar) and There is Music culminating the Day(Mahakali -symbolizing the darkness before enlightenment)
Naada NOOR,Naada Guru, Naada Palini..
Naada Vaacha, Naad Bhakti, Naad Shanakari !!
Naada Vaacha, Naad Bhakti, Naad Shanakari !!
There is Naada in Guru’s divine blessings and knowledge imparted , There is Music in the beloved care of Mother and Father(in the form of Param Shakti-Palini).
The Poet NOOR bows down and requests-with words(Vaacha) and with faith(Bhakti)-to the ultimate divine mother (Shanakari)- make me NAADMAY(submerg me into divine pleasures of Music)..
The Poet NOOR bows down and requests-with words(Vaacha) and with faith(Bhakti)-to the ultimate divine mother (Shanakari)- make me NAADMAY(submerg me into divine pleasures of Music)..
CD album released for Raam Gunjan
Released my album on auspicious occasion of Vishu in the land of Lord Guruvayurappan in Kerala. Contains 5 Gunjans sung, edited, written and directed by team of Rythm Seven. Many thanks to all friends and artists who spent almost an year, endless nights and finances and put it to perfect project and special regards to Subhavana for beautiful piece of art and design.
Move ahead
Life is beautiful and what makes it more elegant and full of happiness is involvement and indulgence with something which you like the most.This could be anything -from cycling to yoga to art to creating fancy crafts or even as weird as just listening.
More we make use of out of 5 senses , better our quality of life becomes.
Preparing food for our beloved and family members is one such thing and Music would be another ,which not only makes use of touch,hear,watch senses but also has a sequence and stimulates our brain to anticipate and enables to analyse the science and art in it.
Ahealthy brain and healthy senses means happiness and happiness triggers men to move ahead in life incessantly.
Amir Khusrau
Sudev has produced and direction and edition was done by Ani via an Underscore records production.
Khusrau has been considered the inventor of Sitar,Tabla and Qawwali .Khusru -as all the talented extraordinary minds like Michale Angelo, leonardo da vinci, Einstein was a multi faceted personality and shagird of Hazrat Khwaja Nijamuddin Ouliya Sahab.
In the first piece, Fareed Ayaz presents his interpretation of an encounter that he believes took place between two iconic figures in South Asian musical history–-Gopal Nayak and Amir Khusrau. Legend has it that a music competition in a king’s court had come down to the two aforementioned finalists. Gopal Nayak sang a song in Sanskrit hoping to baffle Khusrau. Khusrau replied by singing a similar melody with Persian vocalic syllables as Sanskrit substitutes. These Persian vocalic syllables came to be later known as tarana.
Ayaz sings both versions commenting that Khusrau’s response was prized because it was limited in words and was able to be reproduced by the young musicians, or the qawwal bacche, of the time.Having trained in Hindustani classical music, Fareed Ayaz’s music also includes features of khayal singing. This is especially true in the interludes between verses. For example, the second piece begins with a short aalaap and tarana in Raag Bihag before moving back into the main medley. The main song is a stanza from Khusrau’s famous poem Chhapa Tilak Sab Cheeni. This particular poem was written in reverence to Khusrau’s spiritual guide (peer) Nizamuddin Auliya. The verse sung here is:Bal Bal Jaaon Mein Toray Rang Rajwa Apnisee Rang Leeni Ray Mosay Naina MilaikayThe last item of the video is the popular dhamaal. This ritual is characterized by ecstatic and uncontrolled swirling of the head and body accompanied by strong punctuations in the rhythm. This type of dance and rhythmic trance is characteristic of the music at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. In this segment of the clip, Fareed Ayaz’s younger brother and son are on the tabla and dholak, respectively, and conclude the recital with variations in the qawwali thekha, or the metric pattern of eight beats (4 + 4).
http://www.mefeedia.com/entry/fareed-ayaz-qawwal-bros-at-dilli-haat-new-delhi-nov-3-2006/23424150
Qawwali can be categorized as a song genre of Hindustani semi-classical music that is set to mystical Sufi poetry in Farsi, Hindi, Persian, Punjabi, and Urdu. Historically, this type of music was performed in smaller assemblies at the dargahs, or shrines, of the respected Sufi leaders. Since the early eighties, however, the likes of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Sabri Brothers have brought qawwali to the masses by performing outside of the dargah. It is important to note that as a genre, qawwali is marked by its vast internal variation in musical and lyrical understanding, performance, and repertoire. Different musicians performing the same song can and do sound very different.
More importantly, a troupe will change their presentation of the same song depending on variable factors such as time, audience, place, and setting.This video, recorded at a public concert in New Delhi, presents a medley of different sounds that characterize qawwali as taught by the Late Munshi Raziuddin. Munshi Raziuddin was a respected musician and scholar who diligently taught his sons Fareed Ayaz (video right) and Abu-Muhammad (video left) until his death at the age of 93.
Blue Symphony and Chilli Water
Thoda saa aaj hum bhi challenge hawa ke saath…
Badli hui hai aaj , yehan ki hawa bohot…
Another trip, another destination; new people , new culture, new kinds of sports but same definition of brotherhood, management and musical notes , of course written in different languages.Life goes on and teaches one to create something of ones own, and let the world get waste if it is not up to ones liking and the taste.Does the life teach the same lesson to everyone? Probably not! Probably not.
Mozart learned it and my dear friends Michael and Armin also .Armin and Michael learned archery and para gliding respectively as well;They also learned how to save time and not to get exhausted with the work they do not like so that they can spend more and more energies into something they love to do.They are free , and they don’t compare themselves with their peers.There is a catch; in my country I don’t find Arm and Mike; we are not free.Are we?
A resounding no !
Some times I used to think , people have every right to say NO to learn new things but at the other time there was this voice from within that- there is no virtue in not knowing something , if that can be known.
Oops…Life till now had been full of analysis,studies,realization and bundle of zeroness.
Its all past , its all gone by.
Main kuch bhi karoon koi tokta nahin tha,
Abb teri aankhein daantti hai….
Jo khud ko bhi maine kaha nahin tha,
Abb teri aankhein jaanti hai….
Main chhalkata tha jis boond ko,
Abb teri aankhien rokti hai….
Thee baatein jo jami -kabhi seene mein mere,
Abb teri aankhein bolti hai….
Bhagta tha jo kisi manzil ki oar,
Abb teri aankhein bulaati hai….
Jo hazaar baar rulaati thee jindagi…
Abb sau baar hansaati hai yeh aankhein,
Pyar mein chhalak jati hai magar,
Gusse mein garajti hai ye aankhein..
Bas who aankhe, do aankhe..badi badi ,gehri aur.. neeli ankhein..
Badi tarsaati hai….is ‘Noor’ ko J..
Music is not just about music
My riyaaz is doing good for the last few days and the music season in South is gearing up .Especially in Tamilnadu/Andhra/Karnataka/Kerala ; the gaan sabhas and thyagaraja aradhana mahotsavas will be in full swing.
After I got back from Udaipur and Jaisalmer,never knew if I can regain the speed and clarity on my instrument but now everything is settled ; just need to increase playing by a few more hours(!) and it’ll all be done.
It was a soothing feeling when I was introduced to a few colleageus of mine as musicians.Interestingly -Venkatachalam is a very good flute player(Carnatic Classical) and Ramya is a decent singer (Indian Classical) .Hope we could jam some time.
Looking forward for ‘Gaaja Baaja’ at Pune during February and meeting with Guruji for a taalim during 24-26th January in Mumbai.It has been really a long time I went to Pune.
Just going through Deepak dada’s (Deepak Raja-whoes book titled –Khayal Vocalism: Continuity within Change) was published recently and below few lines/translations are taken from his blog.Its about -“Music is not just about music…”.
“The knowledge of music becomes an effective means of attaining one-ness with Lord Shiva; for by the knowledge of music, one attains to a state of absorption and it is by attaining such a state that one-ness with Shiva could be obtained… One ought not to indulge, out of delusion, in worldly songs…”
Skanda Purana, Suta Samhita. 4.2.3.114-16
“To the yogin whose spirit attains a unified state in the uniform bliss engendered by delectation of objects like music, there occurs an absorption and anchoring of the mind in that bliss. Where there is a continuous and long flow of sounds from stringed instruments, one becomes freed of other objects of cognition and becomes merged in that ultimate and verily of the form of that Supreme Being.”
Vijnanabhairava Tantra
“We adore the Supreme Being of the form of sound (Nada Bramha) which is the one bliss without a second, and the light of consciousness in all beings that has manifested itself in the form of the universe. By the adoration of sound (Nada) are also adored God Bramha, Vishnu, and Maheshwara, for they are the embodiment of sound.”
Sharangadeva in Sangeet Ratnakara, 1.3.1-2
“One attains the Supreme Being by practicing continuously the chanting of the Samans (the sacred Vedic mantras set to music) in the prescribed manner and with mental concentration. The singing of the songs Aparanta, Ullopya etc… the songs composed by Daksha and Bramha, constitutes indeed liberation. One who knows the correct playing of the lute, has mastered the subtle semitones, and understands the rhythms, attains the path of liberation without any strain.”
Yajnavalkya Smriti, 3.4.112-15
“O Mind! The knowledge of the science and art of music bestows on a person the bliss of oneness with the Supreme Being. Music such as is accompanied by the blissful oceanlike stories of the Lord which are the essence of love and all the other sentiments blesses a person with oneness with the Lord. Music such as that cultivated by the discerning Thyagaraja bestows on a person affection (for fellow beings), devotion (to God), attachment to good men, the Lord’s Grace, austere life, mental concentration, fame, and wealth.”
Sangitajnanamu in raga Salagabhairavi by Thyagaraja
“O Mind! Drink and revel in the ambrosia of melody; it gives one the fruit of sacrifices and contemplation, renunciation, as well as enjoyment; Thyagaraja knows that they who are proficient in sound, the mysic syllable OM, and the music notes – which are all of the form of the Lord Himself – are liberated souls.”.
Ragasudharasa in raga Andolika by Thyagaraja
“Two Bramhana lutists are singing to the lute; this thing, the lute, is verily the embodiment of beauty and prosperity; and these musicians of the lute do verily endow him (the patron) with prosperity.”
Taittiriya Bramhana, 3.9.14
“These that sing to the lute indeed sing of Him (the Supreme Being) only; hence it is that they attain riches.”
Chandogya Upanishad 1.7.6.
“Whatever poetic utterances there are, and the songs in all their entirety, are aspects of Lord Vishnu, in his sonant form.”
Vishnu Purana. 1.22.84