Pakhavaj
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| Percussion instrument | |
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| Developed | 14th century, during reign of Akbar |
| Related instruments | |
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| Hindustani music | |
The pakhavaj, pakhawaj, mridang, pakuaj, pakhvaj or pakavaj is an Indian barrel-shaped, two-headed drum,[1] a variant and descendant of the mridang.
It is the standard percussion instrument in the dhrupad style and is widely used as an accompaniment for various forms of music and dance performances. The pakhavaj has a low, mellow tone, very rich in harmonics. Set horizontally on a cushion in front of the drummer's crossed leg, the larger bass-skin is played with the left hand, the treble skin by the right hand. The bass face is smeared with wet wheat dough which acts as the kiran and is the cause of the vivid, bass sound the pakhavaj produces.
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Etymology [edit]
The word Pakhāvaja or Pakhavāja is of Prakrit origin, whose Sanskrit equivalent is Pakṣavādya. This instrument is always known as pakhavaj and not pakshavadya. This word is derived from the words pakṣa ("a side"), and vādya ("a musical instrument").[2]
Technique [edit]
As with the tabla, the pakhavaj rhythms are taught by a series of mnemonic syllables known as bol. The playing technique vary from that of tabla in many aspects: in the bass face, the artist hits with his whole palm instead of the finger tip hitting which is done in tabla. In the treble face, the artist hits his whole palm with the fingers properly placed on the skin to produce different bols.
In traditional pakhavaj styles a student would learn a number of different strokes which produce a specific sound. These are remembered and practiced with corresponding syllables.
The very basic capacity is to play a theka in a particular tala or rhythmic cycle, as for instance chautala in 12 beats:
| dha dha | din ta || kite dha | din ta | tite kata | gadi gene |
Advanced students learn reelas that are virtuoso pakhavaj compositions.
Players [edit]
Notable pakhavaj players include: Durga Lal, Akhilesh Gundecha, Arjun Shejwal, Bhawani Shankar, Pratap Patil, Kunal Patil, Talib Hussain, Dalchand Sharma, Partha Ghosh, Manik Munde, Mohan Shyam Sharma, Ravishankar Upadhyay, Ramashish Pathak, Prakash Shejwal, and Chitrangana Agale-Reswal.
Mahapurush Misra played the pakhavaj on the George Harrison Beatles song The Inner Light.[3]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ James Blades (1992). Percussion Instruments and Their History. Bold Strumme. pp. 138–. ISBN 978-0-933224-61-2. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
- ^ Sir Ralph Lilley Turner (1975). Collected papers, 1912-1973. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
- ^ Peter Lavezzoli (24 April 2006). The Dawn of Indian Music in the West. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-8264-1815-9.
