Harmonics in Mridanga

[uddhavadasa]

Hello,

I would like to learn about the harmonics in the South Indian Mridanga, does anyone know a good video for learning?

With Love,
Uddhava dāsa

[Nick H]

videos, maybe not --- but research has been done, and papers have been written.

Google, as they say, is your friend

[mahavishnu]

Probably the most classic work on the topic has been done by Sir CV Raman, nobel laureate in physics. Here is a link to a paper he published in Nature in 1920. http://www.mridangam.info/~chidu/cvrama ... ature.html

If you go to the root page of the abovementioned website you will see many other interesting papers on the topic.

Senior Vidwan Sri Umayalpuram Sivaraman is actively involved in researching the spectral properties in the sound of the mridangam in collaboration with Dr. T Ramasami at CLRI in Chennai. They are involved in varying the chemical composition of the valanthalai (using organic and synthetic substances) and then looking at the frequency spectrum using the same methods as Sir CVRaman. I am not sure if this published yet, but a google search might fetch some useful hits.

[Nick H]

Oh well done! I had long since lost my link to that paper, but did remember it existed.

[RKrishnamurthy]

If you can explain exactly what you mean by harmonics in mridangam, it will help. For information mridangist Rohan Krishnamurthy did an undergraduate summer research project with a professor of acoustics. His idea was to compare the new design he has come up and the traditional design. In a way the research was complimentary to the work by C.V. Raman except that he used laser acoustic spectroscopy to compare the acoustic characteristics. His study showed that there was no discernible difference in acoustic out put between the traditional design and his design. Nor was there any difference when he used fiber glass shells instead of wood. His work was presented at the International Acoustic Society Annual meeting and won the 'Outstanding Student paper" award. Earlier he had published his new design in the premier music journal Percussive Notes. if any one is interested I can send a PDF copy. He uses his newly designed mridangam in all the kutcheries and we hope to market it in the US by next year. We are in touch with manufacturers in India and possible marketing agencies in the US.

[uddhavadasa]

Hello,

By harmonics I'm referring to the overtones available in different strokes and the sand patterns that they produce.

Oh that's cool about the mrdanga papers. I would like to get a PDF copy of that paper. Please send to my email [email protected]

With Love,
Uddhava dāsa

[Nick H]

You'll be lucky! Please share with the rest of us if you are . I think there are only photographic/scanned copies of the actual pages.

If you haven't found it yet, you may be interested in David Courtney's comparison of mridangam and tabla

[mahavishnu]

Uddhava Dasa: I am guessing (from your handle/member id) that perhaps you are referring to the drum also known as mrdangA used in keertans/bhajans by Hare KrSna folks as pictured here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X36qswRlar0.

The harmonics/overtones produced by this instrument are vastly different from those of the south Indian percussion instrument. The structure and chemical composition of the skin and frame used in that drum is different. Most of the discussions you will find in the academic literature that Nick and I are referring to are related to the classic south Indian percussion instrument. But David Courtney's discussion and methodologies used there would be relevant to you, as already suggested by Nick.

[rshankar]

Uddhava Dasa: I am guessing (from your handle/member id) that perhaps you are referring to the drum also known as mrdangA used in keertans/bhajans by Hare KrSna folks as pictured here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X36qswRlar0.

This is what maharAja svAti tirunAL meant in the dhanaSri tillAnA - 'mRdang bAjE tarikiTatOm....'

[mahavishnu]

Ravi, did you mean "Aaj Aaye shyam mOhanA" by the maharAja instead?
I'm not sure where the dhanasri tillAna has the word mridanga in it ... unless I have missed something.

[rshankar]

Ravi, did you mean "Aaj Aaye shyam mOhanA" by the maharAja instead?
I'm not sure where the dhanasri tillAna has the word mridanga in it ... unless I have missed something.

Ramesh - thank you, yes. I was mistaken - the maharAjA uses 'mRdanga' in Aj AyE SyAm. For personal reasons, I am consumed by the dhanaSri tillAnA these days! And the phrase I quoated, 'mRdang bAjE...' is actually from the movie song 'madhuban mein rAdhikA nAcE rE' (the reference is to the same instrument in both songs!)

[uddhavadasa]

Hello MahaVishnu,

I am refering to the South Indian Mrdanga as state in the first post.

Maybe someone here can make a simple Youtube video?

With Love,
Uddhava dāsa