The Rudra Veena
The Rudra Veena is an instrument that is rarely heard on the concert stage now, although just two centuries ago it reigned surpreme, and was regarded as the king of all instruments. It has a hollow tubular body called the dandi, on which are placed 24 frets, usually glued to the tube with beewax and resin, although some players also use frets tied to the dandi as in the sitar. There are four main playing strings and three to four drone strings. Attached to the tubular dandi are two hollow resonators made of dried and seasoned pumpkins.
Traditionally the veena was played with the player sitting in the vajrasana posture with his legs folded under him, and one of the two gourds placed on the left shoulder. Ustad Asad Ali Khan and Ustad Shamsuddin Faridi Desai are the only reputed players of the traditional veena in India today.
Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, son of Ustad Ziauddin Khan of Udaipur, developed a large and heavy veena that he played in a different posture because it was simply too heavy to be played in the traditional manner. His son Bahauddin Dagar is the sole performer today who plays on this variant of the instrument.
The Rudra Veena is the ideal instrument for Dhrupad because its sound has the same richness of overtones that the voice acquires with the practice of Nada Yoga. The instrument, especially in the traditional posture, also responds to the flow of prana or vital breath.
The Rudra Veena is meant for a music that is perhaps too subtle and refined for the modern industrial age although it is together with vocal Dhrupad experiencing a revival especially in the west where there are now many serious students of this instrument.
The Rudra Veena is an instrument that is rarely heard on the concert stage now, although just two centuries ago it reigned surpreme, and was regarded as the king of all instruments. It has a hollow tubular body called the dandi, on which are placed 24 frets, usually glued to the tube with beewax and resin, although some players also use frets tied to the dandi as in the sitar. There are four main playing strings and three to four drone strings. Attached to the tubular dandi are two hollow resonators made of dried and seasoned pumpkins.
Traditionally the veena was played with the player sitting in the vajrasana posture with his legs folded under him, and one of the two gourds placed on the left shoulder. Ustad Asad Ali Khan and Ustad Shamsuddin Faridi Desai are the only reputed players of the traditional veena in India today.
Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, son of Ustad Ziauddin Khan of Udaipur, developed a large and heavy veena that he played in a different posture because it was simply too heavy to be played in the traditional manner. His son Bahauddin Dagar is the sole performer today who plays on this variant of the instrument.
The Rudra Veena is the ideal instrument for Dhrupad because its sound has the same richness of overtones that the voice acquires with the practice of Nada Yoga. The instrument, especially in the traditional posture, also responds to the flow of prana or vital breath.
The Rudra Veena is meant for a music that is perhaps too subtle and refined for the modern industrial age although it is together with vocal Dhrupad experiencing a revival especially in the west where there are now many serious students of this instrument.
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