Neat video on making mridangams

[mri_fan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_t5CL_jM38

I've never seen a video that's been this comprehensive in how mridangams are made. Starting from a tree all the way to a nifty thani.

[mahavishnu]

Great video. thanks mri_fan.

Not sure if you have seen this short documentary featuring the famous mridangam maker Johnson from Mylapore: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAxvf2Qbnqg
We discussed this in another thread many years ago.

[VK RAMAN]

thanks mri_fan

[Nick H]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_t5CL_jM38

I've never seen a video that's been this comprehensive in how mridangams are made. Starting from a tree all the way to a nifty thani.

Fascinating. A little low on detail, and definitely no trade secrets given away there but still most enjoyable and informative. The production idea of just showing images to the accompaniment of a thani, rather than narration or interview, was brilliant and really works well.

Asian Music Circuit is a London organisation which has, over the years, done a great deal for Indian music in UK. It looks as if they have produced a wonderful series of videos, answering some of the basic how-is-that-done? questions that we all have.

Good for them. I've bookmarked their You-Tube page, and will certainly be working my way through it.

Many thanks, mri_fan, for posting this. The reminder of the Johnson video is really valuable too. I remember us discussing it, but had forgotten the content. Nice to see it again

[veeyens3]

Just curious. As the initial operation of giving the peculiar shape to the log involves turning in a lathe. I presume this industry was mainly confined to regions already having infrastructure for heavy duty works such as brass bronze utencils such as KumbakonM SWAMI MALAI as chiselling a log to that shape involves lot of human labour and the cost would be prohibitiv Am I correct?

[Sam Swaminathan]

Thanks Mri_fan for sharing this with us. My memory goes back to my early life ( 8 or so) when I first visited Sri Venkatesan in Mathala Narayana St. in Mylapore. I was facinated by his work skills and every time the family went for shopping in Mylapore, I would beg my mother to leave me in his mridangam shop. A tall gentleman, ebony in colour, his dexterity in working the mridangams used to amaze me. I was always attracted by the "nadham" his fingers produced when he was tuning various units which had been given to him for repairs and wondered as to why he was not providing accompaniment to artists!

Another place which used to attract me was Panruti, near Neyveli. That is the place for Pala Marams out of which they make mridangams. Any one who has visited this little town can see a number mridangam makers with their sophisticated lathes etc which shape out the raw tree trunk.

To a carnatic enthusiast this is a must place to visit. Next time on your way to Chidambaram or mayuram don't miss this place.

Sam

[veeyens3]

I too have seen this place in Mylapore.While my early (silly) question has indirectly been answered by Sri Sam Swaminathan, I have another (silly) question born out of my ignorance of the technology involved in making this apparent simple instrument.The video is not clear whether the inner opening is a straight cylinder or it follows its external contour? The shape of the inner space will have a definite influence in the nadham

[pks]

The artist playing in the video (towards the end) is a young Trichur C. Narendran.

[Sam Swaminathan]

Veeyen sir..the interior follows the curvature on the outside. Before they put on the leather components, the artison will put on some sort of oil, both interior and exterior and leave it in the morning and evening sun for maturing. If this is not done, when they do the "mootu", the edges will crack. More matured the wood, better sound it produces. It is just like seasoning a cricket bat!

[veeyens3]

Sri Swaminathan, Thanks for the clarification. I thought the assymetrical form in the longitudinal axis may produce conflicting beats. Ravi Nagarajan told me about your interest in music and your efforts to popularise it among the expatriate Indians in NZ May Sri Rama bless you