Mridangam Repair and Other Mridangam Aspects

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Topic started by Rohan Krishnamurthy (Rohan_Krishnamurthy) (@ pm533-26.dialip.mich.net) on Mon Jul 16 15:47:14 .


As many of you may know, I am a 14 year old mridangist who is a student of Sri. Guruvayur Dorai. I have played extensively throughout the USA and India, for leading artists like N. Ravikiran, "Flute" Ramani, R. Vedavalli, and many more.

Though this is not the first topic of its kind created, I noticed nothing on mridangam has been discussed lately.

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Old responses (http://forumhub.com/indcmusic/21196.23149.15.47.14.html)

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Kumar,

I will let you know in detail about it. As far as I know, U K S used copper wires instead of kutchi. It produced stunning nadam because it metalized the sound and the copper pieces were more rigid. But U K S did not use this technique in his mridangam, that is in his concerts because he cosidered it artificial. It ws just his innovation. This is what I heard from him in his interview on TV. I will get you more details - maybe something like what type copper was used and how it was performed. My friend knows a lot about such things. He is not here at the moment. So, WILL LET YOU KNOW SHORTLY.

BTW, how do the Desadi and Desiaksi thalams go ? How many aksharakalam?

Bye.

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MANY THANKS RAJU! LOL

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Kumar,

B is Pitch 7.

C - 1
D - 2
E - 3
F - 4
G - 5
A - 6
B - 7
C - 8

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I have to disagree. I mean the guy who sang for my arangetram, Sangeetha Vidwan Kutralam Shri. Nagarajan(Who sings at 3/4 for dance), my guru, Nathamani Shri. Muthu Sivarajah, and many other i know. All say that B is 3/4. (Because it is lower than C-1).

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Nobody there?

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Someone give me a briefing on how to put on mridangam heads!

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Kumar,

Which part of South India are you from?

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Raju,
I am actually a British citizen residing in London. However, i am coming to Chennai on the 17th of August.

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Kumar,

From your name, I thought you would be an Indian.

Okay, so has anyone listened to the famous 'Nair' cousins Mavelikara Krishnankutty and Velukutty play. 'TERRIFIC' is my opinion. Krishnankutty is no more. Velukutty is still an active accompanist though he is old.

Well, have you seen the various techniques of Gumki ARUN PRAKASH employs? Superb!

I got the valanthalai, edamthalai and vaar of my mridangam changed in India. (Well, that is practically everything except the wood section)
The wood section is 24 inch but it was initially set to female pitch of F#. The repairer has now set it to D. Well, the nadam is stunning and sharp. The best part of it is how the sound sustains - i.e. upto 4 seconds after a stroke. Now, is this good or bad? About the thoppi, he's just bleached the old one and returned it. Bad Luck.

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Raju, My parents both actually come from Sri Lanka.

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My mridangams as i said once before are rather big. I have one now which im taking to India which was set to D at almost 28 inches. The others were approximately 24-25 inches in size.

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Raju are you from Madras? If so you may know my mridangam maker. His name is Murugananthan.

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Kumar,

I am from Ernakulam in Kerala. I got the mridangam repaired at Sangeeth Mahal Musicals. And my father was the one who got it done.

And 28 inches is MIGHTY BIG!!! How much does it weigh?

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Kumar,

I am from Ernakulam in Kerala. I got the mridangam repaired at Sangeeth Mahal Musicals. And my father was the one who got it done.

And 28 inches is MIGHTY BIG!!! How much does it weigh?

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I finally got to see some layers of the karini being applied in a mridangam workshop!
OK; they make it look easy, but I guess brain surgeons make that look easy to. Actually it is obvious that it is not at all easy. I'm sure that many 'trainee' attempts must end up being scraped off again.
It is also very time consuming. each layer is polished with the stone for several minutes, and they told me that it takes 25 to 30 layers.

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Nick!!!! Your back! I got back from India recently and my father managed to get some karani from our mridangam maker. He knows how to make the mixture but he is all to aware of the time (3 hours for a low pitched mridangam) and the skill needed to apply it.

Nick i need a crash course on how to change mridangam heads!

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Kumaran,
It might be worth your while talking to my guruji. He is always keen to get help with the physical labour involved in changing the heads on his mridangams (it really is hard on the hands) and you'd be learning while doing. Not sure of the protocol, as you're someone else's student ...but you could always ask!
India was wonderful, and I'm feeling very inclined to go and live there. Sorry we didn't meet.

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What i have heard of your guruji reminds me certainly of mine. If that is the case he should be willing to let me help or even do something for me.

India was a quick 6 day trip for me. Just to get mridangams really. I went to Sri Lanka so time was short.

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Nick, It was the greatest dissapointment of the summer when news came of the postponement of the kumbabishekam of the Murugan Temple.

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Kumaran... Too right! I could (and would have been) still be in India!

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Someone tell me what an ideal material as a kutchi replacement would be as i have changed heads on my mridangam and have no kutchi. i was thinking experimenting with some old violin string.

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Kumaran; You Have Mail !

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Nick You missed a stunning program yesterday!!! Sharna played out of her skin. The crowd weren't clapping they were cheering!!!!!!

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Glad to hear it; sorry I missed it!

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Actually, if you are free you can come down and watch us to the same program on friday. Nagapooshini amman temple.

I have found a new way to change sruthi quickly with less power. I have tried copper wire as a kutchi replacement and boy does it work.

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copper wire, eh?

Raju

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Copper wire, eh?

Raju

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With some time to see results, I will give you another replacement for kutchi. Shortly!

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Kumeran, sorry I missed the program. What kind of copper wire are you using? eg what diameter etc. Do you flatten it at all? Copper is very flexible; I would have thought that something a bit more springy would give good results. Perhaps we could get together one day soon and discuss these experiments.

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Yes no problem Nick. Maybe during the navaratri period.

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Tightening the vaar of a mridangam! How does one do it????

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1.Sit on backside on floor.
2. place feet on mridangam above centre line (yes, *feet* !-) ) or as comfortable.
3.Use a hook or tool to pull the 'strand' away from the body. Then get hand around it and tug.
4. Get hook under next strand.
5. Tug on hook as you prevent the last strand loosing it's tension.
6. repeat from 4.

That's how it is done, but showing would be a lot clearer than my description: I'll demonstrate for you any time.

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I omitted to say that the mridangam should be standing upright on its left end. Obvious probably, but it is hard to know what is obvious with something like this!

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*What is your opinion?*

Who do you think is the best mridangist alive today?? Tell us (really it should be me) your views!

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I'm sure we've been there before!
Anyway; I just couldn't answer that question; it's not just that I don't have nearly enough experience or knowledge, it's also that I don't really like trying to rank people like that.
My very personal favourites, at this moment in time is easier: Trichy Sankaran, Guruvayor Dorai and TVG.

Did you get your vaar tightened?

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WELL i haven't had a chance to yet. Its a real real race against time considering navaratri is coming up and i have been booked for 7 programs already.

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Samolina!
How much does one put on the mridangam and in what shape? Im one that believes the samolina applied should be flat and take up a high surface area on the thoppi. It gives the thoppi reverberating sound which reminds one of Mani Iyer's thoppi! What are your views?

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It should be round and small! Imagine the skin virbating in 2 dimensions, cut through the centre. The ravai is supposed to make that vibration as even as possible to give true musical note.
There is stuff on the web about acoustics of Indian instruments but I have no understanding of the maths.

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Oh and another thing.....

Where should one wet it?
On the skin or on the ravai itself....

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If the ravai dries it will harden and loose flexibility. It must be flexible to give good sound.

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Often when a mridangam is brand new the thoppi is often very high and tight. Is this normal? and is it normal for it lose this natural as it used over many concerts?

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Often when a mridangam is brand new the thoppi is often very high and tight. Is this normal? and is it normal for it lose this natural tension as it used over many concerts?

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KR... I was hoping that one of the more experienced players would answer, but THey're probably all busy playing navaratri programs.

My experience same as yours! Maybe it needs a little loosening (tuning with stone & stick, this got discussed earlier in this thread.

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I have obtained the title Sangeetha Kalajothy!!!

(Nick send me a pic showing the amount of ravai you put on your thoppi)

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Once one has put on the mridangam heads and they need to do fine tuning do they use a polished stone to reduce the pitch by rubbing it on the black part of right side?

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Kumaran: you should find an excusae to spend time with my guruji! (I met your guruji at his house the other day, BTW).

The kind of fine-tuning that you are talking about is to make chapu and meetu exactly the same note.

A little black can be removed by EVER_SO_SLIGHTLY dampening it and scraping a little away. It can then be polished.

I've seen my guruji do this a number of times, but would be very reluctant to try it.

BTW I'm off back to India. I might have some mridangams for sale!

Oh, and I don't use ravai, I use TVG paste. But I'm always surprised at how little my guruji uses.
Maybe because he uses a lot of gamuka it keeps the skins loose, I don't know

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Oh! Congratulations, but tell us more. Who awards Sangeetha Kalajothy?

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the OFAAL award after one has done the Diploma exam. I passed with Distinction!!

TVG paste??? explain..... i am rather intrigued...

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Well done! You have huge interest and dedication and play great. I'm sure you'll win a whole load more

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What is it that makes UKS' mridangams ring more than other kutchi mridangams. I got this from his album Garland of Rhythm.

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His fingers!

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To be honest, I've played one of his types of mridangams. There is distinct difference in the sound my mridangam makes and his.

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Hello everyone.
I am a percussionist, music critic and writer
As a mridangam player, the most common problem is the ripping of the graphite "karini" at the initial stages and even balance of the top head./
Is there a way to curtail this problem.
sarma donepudi

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Nick,

Can you give me the exact composition of TVG paste please?
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[kumaranraven19]

TVG Paste is a secret ;)

[unni]

can i have step by step instructions on how to remove and replace the heads of a kutchi mridangam? it was damaged on it's way from india..i am in the U.S now..desperetly needed a mridangam so i take to class but all were too expensive here in U.S so i had one shipped from india and it was very carelessly handled by DHL shipping and now the bass and tennor both sound like your tapping on a bucket. please help me on how to remove the heads and replace them with newer ones..any special tools needed?

[unni]

if anyone knows someone in the U.S that'll sell their mridangam for cheap price please let me know. i'm desperately searching for a kutchi mridangam to play.

[Nick-H (UK)]

Unni: I guess you got your mridangam by now, I certainly hope so. It may not be damaged but may have become slack: could you see damage?

Anyway, you have a teacher so you will be guided in this.

SR: No. There is no way other than high quality manufacture in the first place. And even then it cannot be guaranteed.

The black is simply glued to the skin; if the glue gives it falls off. That is all there is too it. The more carefully it is applied the longer it should last.

[unni]

yeah it was actually very damaged. the bass side had a huge hole right in the middle of the innermost skin where u play tha. and the tennor side had completely caved in...so the replacement heads have arrived safely from india. and it took many hours but i finally got the laces off the damaged mridangam and removed the old heads now it's putting the new heads on and replacing the laces that i need help with.

[Nick-H (UK)]

Oh dear.

It is very hard work to put the new heads on.

You can put some small string to loosely hold the heads in place then start threading, following the way that it was threaded originally.

Are you going to use the original leather (vaar) or replace with nylon/polyester rope?

Better if DHL had agreed to finance replacement.

Was it packed properly? they usually put tin plates to protect the heads.

[unni]

i was planning on reusing the same leather straps. no the shipper didnt save the paper for the insurance agreement of the shipment. he had never shipped a musical instrument before. i've left that in the hands of my teacher to work on that when he gets time..soon i hope he hasnt started yet...i found one that is old but it's got some water damage..but it's good to practice on.. i havent had much luck in finding a good mridangam that i can play..one main problem is that i dont know many ppl in U.S that plays mridangam..i've even put out one of those random posts on GER on merchandise search for mridangams for sale in U.S Price between $100 - $250..hoping in the future someone will help.. i wont be able to go to india till next summer so until then or until i find a good mridangam in the U.S..i'll do with the one i have now. the main thing is that no one can repair it here either..sending it back n forth to india is too costly and risky..no risks since it's the only mridangam i have..only problem is that you cant hear the "chappu" or the "thin" other than that... the only structural problem with the one i have is that some weird fungus growth has damaged the bass side a little where we play "thom"...ebay's prices for south indian mridangams ($400 are almost twice the price of what i paid for the mridangam to be shipped from india ($250)..