Is tambura a Chordophone?

Is tambura a Chordophone?

The tambura is a plucked box lute chordophone used as a drone instrument in both the Hindustani (northern) and Karnatak (southern) classical traditions of Indian music. Both men and women play the instrument, and vocal soloists often play it themselves while performing.

How is the tambura sound produced?

The repeated cycle of plucking all strings creates the sonic canvas on which the melody of the raga is drawn. The combined sound of all strings, each string a fundamental tone with its own spectrum of overtones, supports and blend with the external tones sung or played by the soloist.

What is the difference between tambura and tanpura?

Tambora, tambura, tumbura or tamura all are synonyms of the Tanpura, which is relatively a new nomenclature given to it in Northern Indian music, wheras in Carnatic music it is still called tambura. The tanpura has a hollow body. The body is a carefully designed soundbox.

What is tambura made of?

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.

What is the simplest type of chordophone?

Chordophone, any of a class of musical instruments in which a stretched, vibrating string produces the initial sound. The five basic types are bows, harps, lutes, lyres, and zithers. The name chordophone replaces the term stringed instrument when a precise, acoustically based designation is required.

Has a shorter neck compared to the guitar with 14 strings and 16 frets?

The Philippine harp bandurria is a 14-string bandurria used in many Philippine folkloric songs, with 16 frets and a shorter neck than the 12-string bandurria.

Who invented Tambura?

Tambura (detail) The one standing below Brahma is Narada, who holds a vina, a musical instrument which he is said to have invented. He also wrote a treatise about music and was the chief of the gandharvas or heavenly musicians.

Who is the famous player of Tanpura?

Gowrishankar Gurusawmy, Soman Pillai, Prasanna Athele, Nellai Krishnan, Indira Sheshadri and Helen Francis are some of the famous tambura players that have given the instrument a worldwide recognition.

Is sitar a veena?

In modern times the veena has been generally replaced with the sitar in North Indian performances. The South Indian veena design, used in Carnatic classical music, is a lute. It is a long-necked, pear-shaped lute, but instead of the lower gourd of the North Indian design, it has a pear-shaped wooden piece.

Is Tanpura made from pumpkin?

Tanpuras are not made of garden-variety pumpkins – each pumpkin used for the instrument weighs 40-45 kg and has to be sun-dried just so to retain its shape. In Agrawal’s photos, visitors can see the pumpkins still on the vine, only vaguely resembling the final musical product.

How is the tambura used in the Britannica?

Encyclopaedia Britannica’s editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree…. The tambura providing a drone for a vocal rendition of a raga.

How big is the neck of a tambura?

Tambura, also spelled tamboura, tamburi, or tandura, 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.

How are the strings on a tambura tuned?

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.

What kind of music does the tambura play?

Tambura. 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).