Tambura Sruti for Nagaswaram

[Sivaramakrishnan]

With the advent of electronic tambura sruti boxes, Nagaswara Vidwans also use e- sruti in concerts. May be due to near extinction of the wooden sruti-pettis and non availability of 'bellowers', e boxes have come to stay. This could be inevitable.

However I have felt that the sruti for Nagaswaram needs to be 'robust' which only the traditional sruti-petti of SA-PA-SA notes could offer. But I would suggest use the first version (model) of e sruti boxes which produced only the typical sruti petti drone (Non-tambura strains). This type of boxes are fast vanishing from the scene. I have also observed that e tambura sruti compells the nagaswara vidwan to put sort of a restraint on free blowing. Sri Semmangudi used to remark that 'nagaswara vaadyatthai chutru chutri vaasikkanum' to imply the need for 'free and emphatic' blowing.

T N Rajaratnam Pillai's experiment with Tambura sruti was for different reasons during his later years. He was reported to have insisted on OTTHU for sruti even when the wooden sruti boxes were already in use!

[VK RAMAN]

I have seen only Oothu being used for sruti along with kiNNaram for talam. It is interesting technology penetrating Nagaswaram.

[srikant1987]

I too feel the wind shruti peTTi sounds better with nAdaswaram. Indeed, even with violin, I like that. Also, even of the e-boxes, there are some which give a continuous sound (imitating these peTTis and not tambura), which enhance the listening experience in a way.

[thanjavooran]

As a piece of information [IMO] Shri Tiuvenkadu Subramania Pillai was the first Nadaswara Vidwan to experiment with Tambura , Violin and Mirudangamfor all concerts and he was quite comfortable.
Thanjavooran
21 04 2014

[Radhika-Rajnarayan]

Dear rasikas-members, just a clarification - the term 'electronic sruti box' is used loosely to indicate electronic tamburas. A better option would be 'electronic tambura box', since there is a separate classification of an electronic sruti box, which produces the sound of a bellows-type sruti-petti.
As many rasikas-members don't seem to be aware of the history of these electronic sruti instruments, I would like to explain.
The very first electronic sruti instrument was an electronic Sruti box, invented in 1971 by Raj Narayan. This was a sruti box that produced the sound of a bellows-type sruti-petti. Over time, Radel produced several models of this, and in fact, one model was exclusively for the use of Nadaswaram artistes. many did use it for several years. Lately some Nadaswara vidwans have started using electronic tamburas.
I too personally feel that the 'otthu' or a constant sa-pa-sa sruti is ideal for the Nadaswaram. It may interest you all to know that the late Vid. M S Gopalakrishnan initially preferred an electronic sruti box to an electronic tambura. So did Dr N Ramani and the late T R Mahalingam.
It was much later that the electronic tambura was created - and demonstrated at the Annual Music Academy Conference in Dec 1979.
At Radel, we always ask the customer who comes looking for an 'electronic sruti box' whether they want a 'tambura type sound' or a 'harmonium type sound'. Simpler to call it an electronic tambura,isn't it?

[Sivaramakrishnan]

Thanks Radhika for the details. Happy to know that the electronic sruti box is still available.
I advocate instrumentalists to go in for the box as done by many stalwarts in the past.

[srikant1987]

The continuous bellow seems to have a capacity to "dissolve" a sa or pa played on the instrument, which gives an OBE . I'll try to present a track demonstrating this, but wonder if others on this forum (such as Uday ) have also experienced this.