Journey of the Tanpura

Journey of the Tanpura

For a student, it takes time to procure a good Tanpura and, more importantly, tune the instrument perfectly in order to practice. For children, this may be a difficult task to perform. Hence, the electronic Tanpura was innovated by Radel Electronics. Though the reception to this instrument was slow initially, the idea picked up among the students who travelled for work or studies. They found it an easy replacement to carry around. Practice could be done anywhere, anytime!

In this era of Smartphones and apps, the idea of an electronic Tanpura took no time to upgrade into an app. These apps are auto-tuned, hence demand no skill from the student. Students only need to choose the right key, and they can find a perfectly tuned Tanpura playing for their practice. The Tanpura is in one’s pocket, and using earphones and playing it to oneself could be a good option to practice sometimes. Though apps cannot replace the feel of the original Tanpura, the apps are used at concerts and sometimes in order to maintain an accurate reference even to the real Tanpura. Real instruments are often affected by weather and strong lights, but the apps perform accurately.

Tanpura Playing Technique

1. Be seated in a cross-legged posture on a mat.
2. Place the Tanpura on your lap
3. Rest your right arm in parallel to the stem of the Tanpura. Thumb rests on the stem. Your fingers need to be almost parallel to the strings.
4. Strum using the left edge of your fingers. For Pancham, use the middle finger. For the three Sa strings, use the forefinger.
5. For Hindustani style, play all four strings at equal intervals.
6. For Carnatic style, play Pancham for 2 counts.
7. You could also play the Tanpura keeping it horizontally. The seating would be a cross-legged position.

Tanpura tuning Technique

There are different Tanpuras available to suit a male voice and a female voice. The male voices are generally in the Shrutis between C, C#, D. The female voices are in the range of G#, A, A#. Children’s voices are in the same range as female voices. The male Tanpuras are larger in size, and the gauge of the strings used is suitable for the male Shrutis. The female Tanpuras are constructed with strings suitable for specific Shrutis ranging from G# to A#. Tanpura strings can be customised to one’s Shruti. Using different gauge strings.

1. Choose the Tanpura of your Shruti
2. Use a reference of a standard-tuned Harmonium/Shruti box/Electronic Tanpura/Tanpura app for tuning the Jodi strings.
3. Tuning is done by tightening or loosening the strings using the knobs or Khoonti. Tighten the string to increase the pitch. Loosen the string to reduce the pitch.
4. Use the beads or Mankas provided at the bottom of the strings below the bridge. Pulling the Manka down tightens the string. Pushing it up loosens the string. Adjust the placement of the Mankas while simultaneously playing the string.
5. Notice the threads placed below the strings on the bridge. These threads can be slid up or down till you achieve the desired tone. Do this as you are continuously playing the string.

Using the Radel Tanpura

The electronic Tanpuras by Radel or any other company are auto-tuned. To use the device, follow the steps given below after switching on the device:

• Choosing your pitch

Select from G, G#, A, A# for a female voice and C, C#, D for a male voice. A child’s voice could range from G# to B. Use the increase and decrease arrows to choose your pitch.

• Setting Octave

Make sure that your Tanpura is in Octave 3, this is presented by the suffix - A3. In a real Tanpura, strings of different gauge are used for a female voice Tanpura and a male voice Tanpura.

• String Selection

For the first string of your Tanpura – 3 options are given - Pa , Ma , Ni. By default the Tanpura is in Pa. You may change it to Ma or Ni when you are required to sing Ragas which do not include Pa in the Aaroh Avaroh. For general purpose, make sure that your first string option selected is Pa.

• Hindustani and Carnatic Pluck

In the Hindustani pluck style, the Pancham is played for a shorter duration of one count sustain. The four strings are played at uniform intervals. In the Carnatic pluck, the first string Pa is played for a longer duration of 2 counts sustain. The Sa strings are played for one count. Choose your pluck style by pressing and holding 2 arrow switches as indicated on the device.

OM Riyaaz with the e-Tanpura

The OM Book (Online Music Book - learning material for Shankar Mahadevan Academy students) has an inbuilt electronic Tanpura for practising; it helps in acquiring clarity of voice, focusing on the stability of the note and matching the student’s pitch perfectly with the Tanpura.

The e-Tanpura allows you to select the scale you’d like to practice in.  

OM Riyaaz Recorder in the OM Book is an integrated practice tool which allows students to:

• Record their voice
• Play back and listen to the recordings
• Submit the recordings for expert feedback.

Want to sing in perfect pitch? Find out about it in our next post. Stay tuned!