for students and lovers of Carnatic music
Martin Spaink (Amsterdam) earned a name for himself as a leading tanpura expert. Read more on the finer points of tanpura playing, stringing, tuning, maintenance, restoration and playing techniques. Read his article on fine-tuning of a tanpura >>
Aparna Karthikeyan, The Hindu, April 11, 2015 | To read the full story and view more photographs, click here >> It takes many days to make a block of wood sing. And it takes exceptionally talented craftsmen to do it. The four families who still make the nadaswaram by hand in Narasingapettai (a village near Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu) … Read more
In his recent book, A Southern Music: The Karnatik Story, T.M. Krishna reflects on those misconceptions and stereotypes that stand in the way of truly appreciating South Indian music. He reiterates the unique role played by the (acoustic) tambura / tanpura which is all too rarely heard ‘live’ in Indian concerts today. For this eminent singer “it … Read more
N. Manu Chakravarthy, The Hindu, September 22, 2011 It [2011] is the centenary year of the legendary Jaipur-Atrauli musician Mallikarjun Mansur. Unravelling the individual genius of the maestro is also the study of a living tradition It is not easy to locate the greatness of Pandit Mallikarjuna Mansur and understand his relevance in our times. The … Read more
One of the earliest attempts to make the British appreciate Carnatic music was initiated by Gayan Samaj. Had the Madras Jubilee Gayan Samaj been around, it would have been 125 this year, though it began at least four years earlier under a different name. That certainly makes it the mother of all Sabhas that have … Read more