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Musical
Instruments
In India music often emerges from
unexpected sources. An ordinary looking
object will turn into a wind or percussion
instrument, quite suddenly producing complex
rhythms and melodies. Usually, these
instruments are made with locally available
cheap materials and are always bio
degradable! Here are two examples. If you
keep a sharp lookout, you will see a whole
lot more even as you drive along a street
or wander through a busy market place....
fl utes, stringed instruments, drums....see
how many you can record.
The Ghatam
The ghatam is essentially an earthenware
pot. It looks like the pot commonly used in
Indian villages for storing water to keep it
cool. Sometimes you see women walking
down the road with these perched on their
heads! But the ghatam is special. It is one
of the oldest known percussion instruments
and is used most often in the Carnatic music
of South India.
These pots are made by specialist potters because
they need a special mix of clay and an
even thickness. Different thicknesses are made,
depending on the player’s preference. Sometimes
the clay is mixed with metals like brass
and copper to achieve a heavier, metallic
sound.
The ghatam player strikes gently against
the pot with his palm, fi ngers and thumbs
to produce a lovely, soft, low-pitched
sound. He accompanies the music with
a rapid, tapping rhythm. The player usually
has his shirt buttons open...no, not
because he’s all hot and bothered or
he’s a terrible show-off!..but because
when he presses the mouth of the
pot against his stomach at various
angles, he can vary
the pitch of the
sound it produces. Watch a Carnatic music concert and
marvel at the incredible skill of a ghatam player.
The Tarpa
Another unusual instrument is the tarpa.This is a wind
instrument closely related to the Been fl ute used by snake
charmers. The tarpa is made of a dried gourd (a vegetable)
or a small pumpkin shell with an attached palm frond to
give it the appearance of a horn. Usually the instrument is
customised by the maker with his own coloured threads
and decorations. A small bamboo reed is inserted into
the hollow gourd to help the musician produce a droning
sound.
The tarpa usually accompanies tribal dances in Western
India among communities such as the Warlis. The whole
tribe gathers on a moonlit night, join hands in a circle and
dance with intricate steps around the ‘Tarpakar’. The music