Mrdanga
Encyclopedia
A mrdanga is a double ended East Indian drum
similar to the South Indian mridangam. It is used predominantly in Gaudiya, or Bengali
Vaishnava devotional music
, and especially in kirtan
.
Its name is from the Bengali
meaning "mud body', referring to the fact that it is made of clay
.
The larger end of the drum produces a bass sound, and the smaller end produces a high pitched sound.
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
similar to the South Indian mridangam. It is used predominantly in Gaudiya, or Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
Vaishnava devotional music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, and especially in kirtan
Kirtan
Kirtan or Kirtana is call-and-response chanting or "responsory" performed in India's devotional traditions. A person performing kirtan is known as a kirtankar. Kirtan practice involves chanting hymns or mantras to the accompaniment of instruments such as the harmonium, tablas, the two-headed...
.
Its name is from the Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
meaning "mud body', referring to the fact that it is made of clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
.
The larger end of the drum produces a bass sound, and the smaller end produces a high pitched sound.
See also
- KholKholThe khol also known as a mrdanga or mridanga is a terracotta two-sided drum used in northern and eastern India for accompaniment with devotional music...
- Mridangam
- TablaTablaThe tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
- ThavilThavilThe thavil or tavil is a barrel shaped drum from South India. It is used in temple, folk and Carnatic music, often accompanying the nadaswaram. The thavil and the nadaswaram are essential ingredients of traditional festivals and ceremonies in South India.The thavil consists of a cylindrical shell...
- KaratalasKaratalasKaratalas , pronounced "kartels", are a percussion instrument played by striking two discs attached by a tether together, often used within the traditions of Hinduism to accompany kirtana or sankirtan...
- maddaleMaddaleThe maddale is a percussion instrument from Karnataka, India. It is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in a Yakshagana ensemble along with Chande. Maddale used in Yakshagana looks similar to Mridangam but is markedly different in structure, acustics, playing techniques and the rhythm system ....
-- an instrument used in YakshaganaYakshaganaYakshagana is a musical theater popular in the coastal and Malenadu regions of Karnataka, India. Yakshagana is the recent scholastic name for what are known as kēḷike, āṭa, bayalāṭa, bayalāṭa, daśāvatāra . It is believed to have evolved from pre-classical music and theatre during Bhakti movement...