how to name it: Jaladharangam

I leaped out of my seat listening to the Jaladharangam in the prelude of the song - "Kothamalli Poove" - a not so famous song from the movie 'Kallukkul Eeram'. Ever since I heard the Jaladharangam in the song "Dheena Karunakaranae", I have had a fascination towards this wonderful instrument. But blame it on the 'too-many-choices-available' world, I never really had a moment so far to reflect on this instrument... And this song was a trigger to revive my (listening) interest on Jaladharangam..

Contine reading on Jaladharanagam (only) below.
Contine reading on Jaladharangam, Ilaiyaraaja and "Kotha Malli Poove" here..

So a casual browsing on Jaladharangam or Jal Tarang (So its called in the Hindustani music where its been around for longer than in the south) became a temporary obsession and I used the too-many-choices that was available to my advantage..

Firstly it is humbling to know that its one of the very ancient instruments..
Secondly it is alarming to learn that code red is designated on this instrument as there is hardly any mainstream players left :-(

While the conundrum of music found in nature is easily exemplified by Flute - a case where it is believed that the ancient man noted the wind blowing through the holes in bamboo that are made by beetles created music, I wonder why the beauty of sound waves produced by striking a container that's filled with just plain water (another natural element if you missed it) is often drowned. Also in a literal sense that is !!

There are couple of things that immediately strikes me as far as the uniqueness of this instrument is concerned.

Just think about the beauty of sound engineering here.. The proportion of size of the container viz the level of water in them, producing the same musical notes capable of any other acoustic or electronic instrument.. Also the technology scalable to same frequency ratios between successive notes.

Secondly, as far as I can think right now, this is the only (or certainly one of the very few) instrument where a single working atomic piece of an instrument is used to produce only one note (one swara); In fact what you call as Jal Tarang is a collective term used to denote 22 unconnected different cups placed around the artist. So put in perspective, Keyboard or Violin or Flute or Guitar or any instrument that I can think of has one integral piece of instrument, from which all the swaras can be produced. But here, if you want to play all the 12 notes in an octave, you will need 12 disparate instruments placed next to each other.. So from an acoustical engineering stand point, its as digital as possible that music can get ... With no viability of Analog sound (i.e., no possibility of one note "becoming" another through 'Gamakas'), Imagine the challenge that it poses to the artist as an Indian classical art instrument, a genre where usually a note arrives sliding from/to another... Combine with it, the natural short span of the note produced by this instrument (or 'Sustain'-ability as one would like to call it in musical terms).. With almost no reverb, this makes it unsuitable for establishing notes in a Raaga where usually artists hold on to a swara (especially at high pitches) for couple of Thala vottams.. Yet this is a bonafide classical instrument that has survived the test of time like no other.. Isin't this absolutely unique or am I going overboard here..!!

Next, this is in principle a melody instrument.. but the way of playing (by striking the bowl with a cane) and the crispiness of the output is akin to a Rhythm instrument.. just like a Drums or Mirudangam. So the melody played by this instrument involuntarily gets a rhythmic feel to it.. In fact if tastefully used, this instrument can well be used just as a percussion instrument.. Just a crazy thought crossing my mind...

To round up, I came up with couple of interesting references in the net...
- About an 80+ Maami who is apparently a legend..
- And this video... I was really dumbstruck.... She is so nimble that it completely contradicts the persona.. I was thrilled.. really really thrilled to watch this video. Such artists are one of a life time artists. I only hope that the legacy passes on...