Modifications to the instruments

[vasanthakokilam]

I was reading this Hindu review article http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/04/18/stor ... 080500.htm and I bumped into a phrase the reviewer had throwin in: "If the present day veena was modified by the Nayaks to facilitate greater shifts in the swara passages....".

That brought to surface some thoughts I have had on modifications to instruments that have taken place over the centuries. I thought we can discuss them here if there is interest.

I heard in one interview that Rajarathnam pillai modified one of the nadaswaram hole position to correct a long term problem with one of the swaras. That seems to have become the standard now. Of course, Sri. Chowdiah's modification to Violin is the most well known modification of all.

What other such modifications have taken place to Carnatic instruments in general over the centuries and decades?

I am also curious if people have thoughts on what modifications can be made to make things better : possibility of playing gamakas correctly and easily, proper swara positions, ease of playing, heaviness or lightness of tones etc. By modification, here I am not referring to deviating from the CM tradition but stay within the mainstream tradition.

Consider the flute: It is a wonderful instrument, so amazing it can produce such music out of the simplest of constructions. Each flute has its own personality and tonal color etc. But some of the gamakas that are so near and dear to CM ragas are quite tough to pull off in a flute. Flute artists have developed their own sauce through experimentation for these gamakas ( either through breath and blowing control, tilting the flute and complex maneuver of the fingers etc. ). One of the problems is in the transition from Ga, Ma to higher swaras where it is a bit abrupt. Smoothening it out requires some technique. We visited this topic with Uday demonstrating how to do this for Mohanam gamakam on Ga. Such gamakams as the Begada Ma, Darbar Ga etc. require some special skill. For the amateurs, executing them while playing a song in normal or duritha kalam is quite a challenge.

I would like to see a modification to the flute which will make the flute versatile in its potential to produce all the gamakas that Violin and Veena artists pull off. Though I would like the modification to make gamaka production easy, that is a secondary goal. The primary goal is to produce the gamaka in its true form without much approximation.

In some circles this may be a sensitive topic since instruments are already considered perfect. I thought I will gather courage since the Nayaks seemed to have changed even the ancient Veena for the purposes of music production and post this for some feedback and ideas.

[srikant1987]

Funnily, just yesterday I met one of my friends who informally plays the flute and learns the violin. He also mentioned this g-m problem (though that was in the context of thodi). He said that in order to get it flautists need to shake their heads, breathe harder and don't know what not. I can't even blow a flute, so I didn't understand.

That inspired me to get a flute for myself and try blowing — it seems we can't verbally instructed on how to blow, and we just have to keep trying various things till we hit upon it.

In some circles this may be a sensitive topic since instruments are already considered perfect.

Perfect in what sense?

My belief is that each instrument — club voice into the list — produces some phrases easily, while some phrases are harder to play on it. Therefore, even ignoring the tone (I think that's something done to change music into "art music"), there will still be a difference between the instruments.

In order to both use the instrument well, and avoid excessive strain, an artist should construct music comprising more of phrases easier to play on the instrument — but there should be no compromise on the quality of music, when a tough phrase naturally occurs in the musician's thought.

But all this will hold to a very limited extent in Carnatic music, where there is great emphasis on vocal music. Therefore, instrument modification should be welcome in Carnatic music.

[rajesh_rs]

Interesting discussion. Naturally, some instruments are better suited for certain sounds than are others. I have been playing guitar for a year now and can think of a few changes right away:

1. Introducing scallops for the frets for microtones (gamakas)
2. Infinite sustain (it exists on some electric guitars made these days) could be made standard
3. The fretboard could be made wider or more tapered, because in carnatic, the emphasis isn't always on speed
4. Lower the tension on all strings and use lighter strings to facilitate dexterity, using the amplifier to modify the quality and tone of the sound

Any other guitarists and those who play stringed instruments, do comment.

[cienu]

This is a nice topic VK.

In this connection I would like to mention that Shri AKC Natarajan, by his pioneering efforts, made a lot of modifications to the Clarinet, thus making this "western" instrument more amenable to Carnatic Music.

You may find the link below quite interesting

http://www.williamepowell.com/pdfs/Samp ... ecture.pdf

[vasanthakokilam]

Thanks cienu for the link. It is quite informative. The PDF stops at the point of Sri. A.K.C. Natarajan's talk. I am curious what modifications AKC has done to the clarinet to bring out the raga swaroopas.

Regarding the flute, many oscillating gamakas that involve G, M and P in a smooth fashion is a challenge ( like RMRM, GMGM, GPGP, MPMP, DM etc. ). Some such maneuvers are needed for Thodi, Bhairavi, Begada, Durbar, Kanada and a whole host of other ragas. It is quite remarkable that flute vidwans can bring out those gamakas so well through various techniques. When done well with continuity, they sound wonderful (especially with Thodi on the flute. )

I do not have any clues ( yet ) on how to make them easier for the flute except just for the observation that only 7 fingers are actively used in normal playing. The little finger of the left hand and the two thumbs are not usually used ( the two thumbs of course help in folding the flute ) and the last hole to the right is left open most of the time.

[uday_shankar]

vk
I share your goals. I'm working on a design and a "plan" . Let's see if it pans out.

[vasanthakokilam]

Uday, Excellent. That is great to hear. Looking forward to learning the details once you are ready to reveal them. Thanks.

[arasi]

While you great minds are at it, here is something which might interest
some of you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Hb7cWAVTXs john abercrombie single string improvisation

[martin]

Speaking of guitars earlier up, immediately brings up a word that says it all: the guitar-modification-syndrome, which is a well- accepted term among the afficionados..
This basic idea has ever been a hotbed of modifications by brand, makers and users all, it is probably the most adapted form of all instruments that's been around for quite some time actually - the Iberian vihuela, Italian- and French baroque guitar (even Louis XIV played it, it was quite the thing) going on to the classical guitar in Schubert's time, Spanish Flamenco, Jazz-guitar, then Les Paul with the electric guitar and then they really came loose and started really doing severe make-overs of the classic concept. Just think of all those guitars with added strings, tarabs, double necks etc. etc.

[inopeek]

Very interesting topic. I hope someone in this chain can comment on how to modify a clarinet for carnatic music.

[twister]

Any other guitarists and those who play stringed instruments, do comment.

I did (and sometimes still do) think in the direction of adding symphatetic strings set to the acoustic guitar. Is there anyone experienced with this on the forum?

As for electric guitar, yes - I guess a sustainer is the must..

My frets are scalloped, but - until you're using the really loose strings, it is almost senseless to use it in means of veena. But, there is a great sence in it, only concerning the playing experience - the fingers really FEEL it with a tip - nothing except but just the note, sigh, a swara..

As for the gamakas, I guess it is the challenge for each and every instrumentalist to explore the instrument the one plays, meaning that it is not required to imitate say violin or flute gamakas on the guitar completely. I guess, just another dialect can evoke.. A certain dialect of a certain instrument. Why not to change the CM glides by the rhythm-based chains of distinct swaras? May sound disgusting, but...

[srikant1987]

1. Introducing scallops for the frets for microtones (gamakas)
2. Infinite sustain (it exists on some electric guitars made these days) could be made standard
3. The fretboard could be made wider or more tapered, because in carnatic, the emphasis isn't always on speed
4. Lower the tension on all strings and use lighter strings to facilitate dexterity, using the amplifier to modify the quality and tone of the sound

Except for 2, the other changes are just likening the guitar to the veena. Why not make a veena with this infinite sustain instead?

[ardhanariswar]

Interesting discussion. Naturally, some instruments are better suited for certain sounds than are others. I have been playing guitar for a year now and can think of a few changes right away:

1. Introducing scallops for the frets for microtones (gamakas)
2. Infinite sustain (it exists on some electric guitars made these days) could be made standard
3. The fretboard could be made wider or more tapered, because in carnatic, the emphasis isn't always on speed
4. Lower the tension on all strings and use lighter strings to facilitate dexterity, using the amplifier to modify the quality and tone of the sound

Any other guitarists and those who play stringed instruments, do comment.

It beginning to sound like a veena. My issue with the traditional veena, is how the frets are set. I live in New England, where we do have seasonal extremes. The wax on the frets can't handle that and the brass frets adjust slightly overtime, which is really annoying. Also, the wood is not meant for this kind of climate, and there's a lot of tiny cracks.

I guess I could switch over to the electric veena, which is more suited for travel and such, but ... it doesn't have the same sound.

Sympathetic strings would sound really cool. I've asked my guru about this and she said that its too time consuming to tune each string to each note of the ragam. Thoughts?

[Nick H]

Mohan Bhaat (spelling?) has modified a guitar into something he calls a veena. I think sympathetic strings are there.

[rajesh_rs]

Firstly, sorry for the late reply. Thanks to srikanth, twister and ardhanariswar for the replies. Indeed the intent behind the changes I suggested is to make it similar to the Veena in tone. An electric guitar with delay and reverb effects can produce, with the right tone, a mesmerizing sound. Sympathetic strings were used by John McLaughlin I believe, in his extensively modified guitar.

[gee]

A new type of mridangam exists...colloquially called the "screw mridangam"

[gee]

I'm not really sure how long its been around though...at least for the last several years...but definitely a noticeable difference from the standard...wouldnt you agree?

[Nick H]

It's been around more than ten or fifteen years(that I know of: it was probably being tried long before I heard of it. It is an adoption of head fastening method used by some other drums.

The saying is that there is nothing new under the sun. Where mridangams are concerned, it is probably true that there is nothing new that has not been experimented with by TVG or UKS!

[Radhika-Rajnarayan]

Rajesh_rs says:

Except for 2, the other changes are just likening the guitar to the veena. Why not make a veena with this infinite sustain instead?

Rajesh, Infinite sustain, and 3 other lower levels available on the Digital veena!

Ardhanarishwar says:

I guess I could switch over to the electric veena, which is more suited for travel and such, but ... it doesn't have the same sound.

listen to the recent postings on youtube, of the electronic veena concerts - specially Jeyaraaj and Jaysri on this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knaoOe7yoPs

You might change your mind. And the adjustable frets are really convenient.

[mojolang]

I did (and sometimes still do) think in the direction of adding symphatetic strings set to the acoustic guitar. Is there anyone experienced with this on the forum?

As for electric guitar, yes - I guess a sustainer is the must..

My frets are scalloped, but - until you're using the really loose strings, it is almost senseless to use it in means of veena. But, there is a great sence in it, only concerning the playing experience - the fingers really FEEL it with a tip - nothing except but just the note, sigh, a swara..

As for the gamakas, I guess it is the challenge for each and every instrumentalist to explore the instrument the one plays, meaning that it is not required to imitate say violin or flute gamakas on the guitar completely. I guess, just another dialect can evoke.. A certain dialect of a certain instrument. Why not to change the CM glides by the rhythm-based chains of distinct swaras? May sound disgusting, but...

No need for sympathetic strings, but Mclaughlin did this in the 70s.

Sustainer is a must? I have no idea what you are talking about. Scallops are not good for carnatic guitar. They slow the jaru gamakas.

Interesting discussion. Naturally, some instruments are better suited for certain sounds than are others. I have been playing guitar for a year now and can think of a few changes right away:

1. Introducing scallops for the frets for microtones (gamakas)
2. Infinite sustain (it exists on some electric guitars made these days) could be made standard
3. The fretboard could be made wider or more tapered, because in carnatic, the emphasis isn't always on speed
4. Lower the tension on all strings and use lighter strings to facilitate dexterity, using the amplifier to modify the quality and tone of the sound

Any other guitarists and those who play stringed instruments, do comment.

Google "sustaniac" for infinite sustain.

The fretboard mod you speak of is useless.