I was wondering if any of the experts on the forum could help give some advice on how to maintain a good thopi
the only thing i do now is just make sure that its cleaned completely after practicing/concerts
Mridangam Thoppi Care
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mridhangam
- Posts: 981
- Joined: 04 Dec 2006, 13:56
There is absolutely no special care required for maintaining a thoppi. Only thing you have to be careful is not to get ripples on your thoppi due to excessive reduction or improper use. If the thoppi is getting older it is better to change the Thoppi skin alone. You can also remove the thoppi skin and retie the same once in a while. You can apply castor oil for maintaining the thoppi in condition avoiding the Moottu from getting dry. periodically you have to tune the thoppi by reducing or increasing (it is done in cycle) to keep it in concert worthy state. This procedure not only keeps the thoppi in good condition but also avoids from excessively on the increasing or decreasing trend during the concert. This increase/decrease will also tell you the state of your Leather Thread. If due to increase and decrease of the Thoppi the right side of the mridangam gets untuned then you have to take it to the artisan for Proper tightening. Then if you increase of decrease the thoppi it wont have any effect on the right side.
One tip : if suddenly your thoppi reduces during a concert and wouldnt increase even after two or three strikes with the adjusting stone then you have to use a jute thread kept in between the thoppi skin and thoppi outer. this will increase the sruthi and u can play till the entire concert. Hence it is better to have a Jute thread always with you. You may ask why jute thread why not any other material. Jute thread is very light and has got enough thickness to increase the thoppi instantly and more over it will absorb the water that we use for Rava. You can also use a piece of cloth rolled like a jute thread and insert between the thoppi skin and the outer hard moottu. It is better to change the thoppi skin once in three years and thoppi moottu once in 5 years.
For the best clarification if you are in chennai you can contact my first Guru Tanjore Shri R Ramadoss who is one of the best thoppi experts in this field.
Mannarkoil J Balaji
One tip : if suddenly your thoppi reduces during a concert and wouldnt increase even after two or three strikes with the adjusting stone then you have to use a jute thread kept in between the thoppi skin and thoppi outer. this will increase the sruthi and u can play till the entire concert. Hence it is better to have a Jute thread always with you. You may ask why jute thread why not any other material. Jute thread is very light and has got enough thickness to increase the thoppi instantly and more over it will absorb the water that we use for Rava. You can also use a piece of cloth rolled like a jute thread and insert between the thoppi skin and the outer hard moottu. It is better to change the thoppi skin once in three years and thoppi moottu once in 5 years.
For the best clarification if you are in chennai you can contact my first Guru Tanjore Shri R Ramadoss who is one of the best thoppi experts in this field.
Mannarkoil J Balaji
Last edited by mridhangam on 07 Aug 2008, 14:49, edited 1 time in total.
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ganesh_mourthy
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appu
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mridhangam
- Posts: 981
- Joined: 04 Dec 2006, 13:56
The cost of the wood differs between Rs.1500 to 2500 depending on height, weight and other calculations. The Moottu, Thread and Thoppi Moottu Thol will cost about another Rs. 1500-1700/- Approximately you can get a mridangam from anywhere between 3500/- to 4000/-. My sincere suggestion is to take the advice of a good mridangist before selecting the wood. It is also better to buy the wood portion first before doing the other work. Because the wood needs to be conditioned for nearly 10-15 days by applying castor oil all over daily before being given for Moottu work. Not always good to buy a ready made mridangams from shops where most of them are painted or what we call "Velladai". (dont know what to call in english).
J.balaji
J.balaji
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Krishnamurthy RV
- Posts: 4
- Joined: 18 Jun 2008, 01:44
Working with my son Rohan, I have about a decade worth of experience with mridangams. Not the playing part of course! In the early days, Rohan and I learned the art of weaving the mridangam at home, an idea proposed by his first guru Damodharan Srinivasan. This we achieved by spending hours and hours watching professional mridangam makers in Chennai. All we needed then was to get the mootus from India. We were quite successful and self sufficient. I was also young and strong. Before achieving this skill we were forced to take as many mridangams as possible to Chennai, repair and bring back, some times paying excess baggage.
Realizing that better solutions were required, Rohan embarked upon the new design of the mridangam, the so-called ringed design. That has, in my opinion, revolutionized the scene and we are now so independent that even on extended tours, Rohan has to carry only an extra mootu, just in case. Changing the mootus takes about fifteen minutes. Tonality and faithful reproduction of the new design has since been confirmed by laser acoustic spectroscopy and I am sure some of the readers have also heard it from Rohan's you tube site.
Regarding thoppi, as Balaji pointed out, little attention is required. Here again we have started making our own thoppi using frame from India and skin from Mid East company. The skin is of goat and comes from Pakisthan. Rohan's thoppis last years with little damage. He also uses silicone rubber instead of wheat and this means very little water, the enemy of thoppi, is needed. It took us extensive research, trial and error to identify the right skin and technique to make our own thoppi.
How much will a mridangam cost?
Depends on where you are. The Indian scene has been addressed and I concur. In the US, students and practitioners usually buy them from visiting vidwans who sell their instruments before return. The typical price is 300$., give or take a few. Mid East company sells mridangams and have also retained Rohan as a retailer, meaning, buying through him gives substantial discount. He recently helped two people get their mridangams through Mid East and they were as good as one gets from visiting artists. If you need to check it out try this site
http://www.mid-east.com/index.asp
If any one is interested in buying mridangam or any product through Mid East, they are well advised to go through Rohan for substantial discount. They also have a 30 day return policy. In sum, while it is a challenge to nurture and maintain mridangams outside of South India, it is not impossible.
Dr Krishnamurthy
Realizing that better solutions were required, Rohan embarked upon the new design of the mridangam, the so-called ringed design. That has, in my opinion, revolutionized the scene and we are now so independent that even on extended tours, Rohan has to carry only an extra mootu, just in case. Changing the mootus takes about fifteen minutes. Tonality and faithful reproduction of the new design has since been confirmed by laser acoustic spectroscopy and I am sure some of the readers have also heard it from Rohan's you tube site.
Regarding thoppi, as Balaji pointed out, little attention is required. Here again we have started making our own thoppi using frame from India and skin from Mid East company. The skin is of goat and comes from Pakisthan. Rohan's thoppis last years with little damage. He also uses silicone rubber instead of wheat and this means very little water, the enemy of thoppi, is needed. It took us extensive research, trial and error to identify the right skin and technique to make our own thoppi.
How much will a mridangam cost?
Depends on where you are. The Indian scene has been addressed and I concur. In the US, students and practitioners usually buy them from visiting vidwans who sell their instruments before return. The typical price is 300$., give or take a few. Mid East company sells mridangams and have also retained Rohan as a retailer, meaning, buying through him gives substantial discount. He recently helped two people get their mridangams through Mid East and they were as good as one gets from visiting artists. If you need to check it out try this site
http://www.mid-east.com/index.asp
If any one is interested in buying mridangam or any product through Mid East, they are well advised to go through Rohan for substantial discount. They also have a 30 day return policy. In sum, while it is a challenge to nurture and maintain mridangams outside of South India, it is not impossible.
Dr Krishnamurthy
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mridhangam
- Posts: 981
- Joined: 04 Dec 2006, 13:56
@Bhindi
The black spot is a powder made of Manganese Oxide mixed with cooked rice to make it like a black paste. The Black paste is applied layer by layer on to the mridangam and each layer is polished with a polishing black stone at each application.
The process goes on for about 2-3 hours till the desired layering level is achieved for the particular mridangam.
After the black patch is applied there will be insertion of a small piece of wood taken from yellow broom stick cut into two in the centre. This piece is inserted in between the black patch layer and the outermost layer of the mridangam called Kottu Thattu and Vettu Thattu respectively. This type of mridangam is generally called Kuchi Mridangam. some artistes also use a small pieces of stone resembling like Mustard seed. The same is inserted in between the two layers instead of Kuchi. These type of mridangams are called Kappi Mridangams.
UKS, Trichy Sankaran, Guruvayur Dorai, Ramabadran, Tiruvaru Bhaktavatsalam among the popular artistes use Kuchi Mridangams.
Karaikudi Mani, Srimushnam Rajarao, (earlier Upendran Sir), Tanjore Ramadoss among the popular artistes use Kappi Mridangams.
Mannarkoil J Balaji
The black spot is a powder made of Manganese Oxide mixed with cooked rice to make it like a black paste. The Black paste is applied layer by layer on to the mridangam and each layer is polished with a polishing black stone at each application.
The process goes on for about 2-3 hours till the desired layering level is achieved for the particular mridangam.
After the black patch is applied there will be insertion of a small piece of wood taken from yellow broom stick cut into two in the centre. This piece is inserted in between the black patch layer and the outermost layer of the mridangam called Kottu Thattu and Vettu Thattu respectively. This type of mridangam is generally called Kuchi Mridangam. some artistes also use a small pieces of stone resembling like Mustard seed. The same is inserted in between the two layers instead of Kuchi. These type of mridangams are called Kappi Mridangams.
UKS, Trichy Sankaran, Guruvayur Dorai, Ramabadran, Tiruvaru Bhaktavatsalam among the popular artistes use Kuchi Mridangams.
Karaikudi Mani, Srimushnam Rajarao, (earlier Upendran Sir), Tanjore Ramadoss among the popular artistes use Kappi Mridangams.
Mannarkoil J Balaji
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Krishnamurthy RV
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- Joined: 18 Jun 2008, 01:44
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sankirnam
- Posts: 374
- Joined: 07 Sep 2006, 14:18
Anyone know where I can get the very smooth stone required for polishing the black "saadham" after application? Not the general rock for tuning, this is the special black stone specifically for polishing, it will be very very smooth. If I could I would have asked Johnson 
but I can't so I am asking here...
Also, I have heard Raja Rao mama use kuchi mrudangams as well, in fact I think he prefers to use them when on tours in the US.
But to get back to theme of the thread, a few years ago I bought a mrudangam from Raja Rao mama, and that had a phenomenal thoppi! What was so special about it was the extra "layers", meaning the outer mootu was much thicker than in other thoppis. Over the years I have replaced the vaar with the black nylon/polyester and the saadham multiple times, but that thoppi has remained as is. No real special maintainence is required, just make sure you remove the ravai thoroughly when you are done playing, dont let it crust up on the thoppi. Also occasionally clean the thoppi once in a while, removing dried up rava over time that will build up and muffle the true sound.
but I can't so I am asking here...Also, I have heard Raja Rao mama use kuchi mrudangams as well, in fact I think he prefers to use them when on tours in the US.
But to get back to theme of the thread, a few years ago I bought a mrudangam from Raja Rao mama, and that had a phenomenal thoppi! What was so special about it was the extra "layers", meaning the outer mootu was much thicker than in other thoppis. Over the years I have replaced the vaar with the black nylon/polyester and the saadham multiple times, but that thoppi has remained as is. No real special maintainence is required, just make sure you remove the ravai thoroughly when you are done playing, dont let it crust up on the thoppi. Also occasionally clean the thoppi once in a while, removing dried up rava over time that will build up and muffle the true sound.
Last edited by sankirnam on 09 Aug 2008, 03:11, edited 1 time in total.
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mridhangam
- Posts: 981
- Joined: 04 Dec 2006, 13:56
Member Sankirnam
You are right. The stone is generally or mostly Black in colour and it is polished and not the raw one tht mridangists use for tuning. It is polished by the artisans themselves by using some method of which i am not aware. Actually the stone i use has both polished portion and the non-polished portion in it so that i can use the same stone for tuning as well as for polishing after "Meettu-Chaapu" corrections that we mridangists generally do at home after getting repaired. Melkis is one of my mridangam repairers who has done this partial polishing on my black stone.
As you said whether you change the black patch or do some tightening of the moottu, if the thoppi is set in the first moottu itself then it generally doesnt change its tone and tenor. You are right in this sense. Also the circumferance makes a difference. I have heard Neyveli Shri.Venkatesh increases the circumferance from the normal to add to the tone of the Bass.
J.Balaji
You are right. The stone is generally or mostly Black in colour and it is polished and not the raw one tht mridangists use for tuning. It is polished by the artisans themselves by using some method of which i am not aware. Actually the stone i use has both polished portion and the non-polished portion in it so that i can use the same stone for tuning as well as for polishing after "Meettu-Chaapu" corrections that we mridangists generally do at home after getting repaired. Melkis is one of my mridangam repairers who has done this partial polishing on my black stone.
As you said whether you change the black patch or do some tightening of the moottu, if the thoppi is set in the first moottu itself then it generally doesnt change its tone and tenor. You are right in this sense. Also the circumferance makes a difference. I have heard Neyveli Shri.Venkatesh increases the circumferance from the normal to add to the tone of the Bass.
J.Balaji
Last edited by mridhangam on 11 Aug 2008, 13:45, edited 1 time in total.