The pakhavaj , pakhawaj

The pakhavaj , pakhawaj,
mridang, pakuaj , pakhvaj
or pakavaj is an Indian
barrel-shaped, two-headed
drum, [1] a variant and
descendant of the mridang .
It is the standard
percussion instrument in
the dhrupad style and is
widely used as an
accompaniment for various
forms of music and dance
performances. The
pakhavaj has a low, mellow
tone, very rich in
harmonics. Set horizontally
on a cushion in front of the
drummer's crossed leg, the
larger bass-skin is played
with the left hand, the
treble skin by the right
hand. The bass face is
smeared with wet wheat
dough which acts as the
kiran and is the cause of
the vivid, bass sound the
pakhavaj produces.
Etymology
The word pakhāvaja or
pakhavāja is of Prakrit
origin, whose Sanskrit
equivalent is pakṣavādya.
This instrument is always
known as pakhavaj and not
pakshavadya. This word is
derived from the words
pakṣa ("a side"), and vādya
("a musical instrument").
[2]
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Technique
As with the tabla , the
pakhavaj rhythms are
taught by a series of
mnemonic syllables known
as bol . The playing
technique vary from that of
tabla in many aspects: in
the bass face, the artist hits
with his whole palm
instead of the finger tip
hitting which is done in
tabla. In the treble face,
the artist hits his whole
palm with the fingers
properly placed on the skin
to produce different bols.
In traditional pakhavaj
styles a student would
learn a number of different
strokes which produce a
specific sound. These are
remembered and practiced
with corresponding
syllables.
The very basic capacity is
to play a theka in a
particular tala or rhythmic
cycle, as for instance
chautala in 12 beats:
| dha dha | din ta || kite
dha | din ta | tite kata |
gadi gene |