Question

Collect information about the musical instrument called Jaltarang and find out how the different notes are produc ed in it.

Answer 1

Jal-tarang finds its first mention in Sangeet Parijaat. This medieval musical treatise categories this instrument under Ghan-Vadya (Idiophonic instruments in which sound is produced by striking a surface, also called concussionidiophones.)Sangeet Saarconsidered one with 22 cups to be complete jal tarang and one with 15 cups to be of mediocre status. Cups, of varying sizes were made of either bronze or porcelain. Today only china bowlsare preferred by artistes, numbering around sixteen in normal use. Cups for Mandra Swar (notes of lower octave)are large while those for Taar Swar (notes of higher octaves) are smaller in size. Water is poured into the cups and the pitch is changed by adjusting the volume of water in the cup. The number of cups depends on the melody being played. The bowls mostly are arranged in a half-circle in front of the player who can reach them all easily. The player softly hits the cups with a wooden stick on the border to get the sound. It's not easy to tune the instrument it needs some skill. During playing fine nuances can be reached if theperformer is accomplished. SangeetSaar mentions that if the player can rotate the water through a quick little touch of the stick, nuances and finer variations of the note can be achieved.