The tambura or tanpura is a plucked drone instrument used to accompany instrumental or vocal performances. The four strings are played open rather than being depressed to alter the note. This example is considerably smaller than the typical tambura. A very small version is sometimes known as a tamburi.
tambura, long-necked fretless Indian lute. It has a hollow neck, measures about 40–60 inches (102–153 cm) in length, and usually has four metal strings tuned (relative pitch) c–c′–c′–g or c–c′–c′–f. Precision tuning is achieved by inserting bits of wool or silk between the strings and lower bridge and by adjusting small beads attached to the strings. In southern India the body of the tambura is made of a hollow piece of jackwood (wood from the jackfruit tree), while in the north it is fashioned from a gourd. It is held in a vertical position, and the musician plays the instrument by plucking the strings while seated behind it. The tambura supplies a drone accompaniment for both classical and folk music of South Asia, and it provides an essential tonal foundation from which a singer or instrumental soloist develops the raga (melodic, modal, and rhythmic framework for Indian music composition and improvisation). It resembles the tanbur, the Middle Eastern lute from which it derives.
Tambura diagram
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Tambura known for the alignment of sruthi individual music can be given by
veena & violin, flute, mirudangam as accomplice for thalam are some of the musical
instruments which we are going to discuss here.
TAMBURA
One most useful instrument for setting sruthi is tambura. It makes the music
concept more presentable, audible with the oneness of sruthi. In a music concernt,
it draws the attention of all the observers in Indian sruthi instruments, tambura
takes the lead. The aligned sruthi of a tambura makes and brings out of beauty of
the concert and make if a grand success. Naradhar muni always has tambura with
him.
Tambura is made of jackwood. It has bowl, dandi, neck, four birudai, one
horse, and four strings. The bowl is hemispherical in shape and the top portion is
covered with a thin plank. Over the plank, in the centre there comes a wood part
horse. Long cylindrical dandi is also covered with a light plant. At one end of
Tambura bowl is tightened with four strings and it passes through the wooden horse
moves through neck portion and fastened to four Birudais separately.
The first string is aligned with manthrasthai panchamam, second with
Madhya Sthai shadjamthird string with Madhya Stai Shadjamand the
fourth string with mandhra sthai shadjam. As sarani & Anusarani are both in
the same sruthi, there evolves seven vibrations and it makes one to synchronise
with it efficiently. It makes the sound more melodic and pleasant.
The Swambu swarangal, Sarani, Anusarani and the parivu sabbtha vibrations
from the forth string are the specialties of Mandhra Shadjam. If Manthrasthai
shadjamam sruthi, aligned manthra string is vibrated, we get tharasthai Anthra
Kantharam. They are the basic (Swayambu) Swaras. The silk thread bundle
(Mundu) which gives, jeevan, sweetness, for the sound & music arising from
thanthi (strings) is kept in between the horse & strings and it can be moved
sufficiently. It is called “GEEVALI”.
In general, in Tambura, for panchama thanthi, 29th Number, for Sarani
Thanthi 31st Number, for Mandhra Thanthi, 26th Number strings are used.
For various sruthis strings of different numbers are used. Right hand Index
finger and middle finger are used for getting sruthi over the strings. In Tambura,
Panchama, Sarani & Anusarani are made of alloy of Iron. Manthra Strings are
made of Brass or Bronze mixed with Iron.
Tambura is otherwise known as Tambura Tamburi, Tamburr. To get it
decorated, the edges of Tendu & sides of bowl are embedded with flowered Ivory or
flowered Deer horns. In the centre Idols of Ganesha, Lakshmi, Saraswathi are
encrypted. This is called lotus work (Kamala Work).
Tanjore Tamburas are known for its decorative works and sweet melody.
Famous tamburas are made from mysore, Trivandrum, vijaya nagar, Rampur.
They
are known as miraj Tambura Hindustani Musicians use two tamburas for sruthi.
Nowadays electronic tamburas. Digitial tamburas sruthi boxes are very
famous. As these devices are easily portable, tambura may become a piece in
museum in future.
