Tambura - role and status - Indian Music Forums.
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).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. It consists of the front of the tanpura, called the soundboard (tabli.Tambura is an Indian music instrument, which is known by the name of Tanpura in North India. It is unfretted and round-bodied, with a hollow neck and four or five (rarely six) wire strings.
I'm troubled by the status of the tambura, and, related to that, its role in Indian music, particularly Indian Classical. The general attitude to the tambura player seems to relegate them to a very low status, and I wonder if this has any wider significance for attitudes to how Indian music is played and experienced. On one occasion (at least.The tambura is a stringed instrument that is played as a folk instrument in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, and Serbia (especially Vojvodina ). It has doubled steel strings and is played with a plectrum, in the same manner as a mandolin. 1 The Bulgarian tambura. 2 The Macedonian tambura. 3 Playing technique.
Defining a Raga. A raga is a musical mode in the Indian classical music tradition used in an improvised performance.Modes are collections of musical notes coupled with rules about how those notes.
