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A double-headed, even-toned precursor of the modern tabla, still regarded as Dhrupad’s premier percussion instrument
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—Shri Manoj Solanke (Chautal)—
“The mother of all North Indian drums, the pakhawaj is a two-headed drum descended from the much older mridangam, which produces a deeper tone than the more popular tabla. Originally made of clay, it is now more commonly made of wood, with two parchment heads each tuned to a different pitch. The treble head is covered with a paste of boiled rice, manganese dust, or iron filings mixed with tamarind juice, and the larger bass side is covered with a paste of wheat flour. Unlike the tabla, these paste centres have to be stripped and freshly reapplied for each performance. The bass drum is played using the whole palm of the hand.” (Darbar: Resonations of Dhrupad)
—More Info—
- Notable performers: Ravishankar Upadhyay (1969-), Mohan Shyam Sharma (1966-), Manik Munde (?-), Bhavani Shankar (1956-), Raja Chatrapati Singh (1919-1998), Dattopant Mangalvedhekar (?-?)
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An open-ended project seeking to bring North Indian raga closer to all who approach with open ears. Combines direct input from dozens of leading Hindustani artists with in-depth insights from music history, global theory, performance practice, cognitive science, and much more besides!
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George Howlett is a London-based musician, writer, and teacher (guitars, sitar, tabla, & santoor). Above all I seek to enthuse fellow sonic searchers, interconnecting fresh vibrations with the voices, cultures, and passions behind them. See Homepage for more, and hit me up for Lessons!
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