Doubt Regarding thanis

[semmu86]

I have a small but longstanding doubt . Suppose let us assume that a thani is given at an eduppu . For eg , the thani is given for the song "Bantureethi" and the song is at an eduppu of 1.5 beats after the samam (in Adhi thalam 1-kalai) and the thani is given at that eduppu .

One school of thought is that thani ought to be played only for the edam , which means , first a few cycles of chatusram , then thisra nadai only can be played at such an eduppu and then finally the pharans and the mOhrA kOrvai ( most probably in chatusra nadai) ending in that eduppu .

However i have heard in certain artists' thani ( the case is they are playing for the same eduppu) that they play only thisram for the edam , but also play khanda nadai / misra nadai( in some cases both ) , not at the eduppu but from samam to samam , and the final mOhrA-kOrvai which ends at the eduppu .

Is the second case ( i.e , playing khanda nadai and misra nadai at samam , when the thani is given at an eduppu ) accepted and whether is it gramatically correct to play like that ?

[raghavt]

Hi Semmu...

I'm unable to comment on the grammatical correctness of such playing. Even I have heared and even saw one of the top-most VidwAn playing Misram for 1.5 eduppu in Adi tala. When the Misram piece ended in Samam, the main artist gestures with his little finger, when the edam came and looks @ the Mridangam VidwAn. But he played items in the begnning to highlight the eduppu and also, the last mora-korvai was obviously in the eduppu itsefl

My Personal Thought [I may be right or wrong, please correct me ] Logically thinking we need to play in the eduppu of the song, whatever we play... be it the beginning piece, the nadai variations or the ending cadence patterns... all should be in the respective eduppu of the song. Thats what I feel... dunno about the right/wrong aspect

Cheers

[semmu86]

Thanks for the reply , but am also indecisive about this doubt for a long time to say whether anyone is right or wrong . Can we say that this ( playing nadai variations in samam , when thani is given at an eduppu ) is something similar to that of a poetic license which artists give for themselves ?

Because this is not only the case with Adhi thalam alone . Even in misra chapu thalam , when the thani is given , apart from thani at samam , thisram can be played at eduppu only if the thani is given at an eduppu of after 2 aksharas after samam or after 4 aksharas after samam. But when it is given at an odd eduppu of 3 aksharas after samam , thisram cant be played at that eduppu . But i have seen and heard thisram being played from samam- samam when thani is given at that eduppu ( 3 aksharas after samam) .

[raghavt]

Hi...

Let me try to look this from a diff angle... To play korvais or Sollus (as in my school) @ an unusual eduppu... I feel we need to have custom made korvais/sollu patterns. To play a composition that is meant for samam eduppu in an unusual (or difficult) edam is very difficult... and to play something changing the nadai is even more difficult. Its very difficult to maintain the difference of the beats along with the new tempo of the nadai and also, with the base tala in order to maintain the eduppu... I think that may be the reason they play it in samam... again as I said, these are my wild guesses... that are orginating from my empty head.

Custom compositions will fit in the bill. Once we identify the commonly used 'difficult/unusual' eduppus... we can calculate and compose korvais or sollu patterns that will fit to those eduppus... Easier said than done.... right???

This job is left to the great masters... for whom it would be a child's play.....

[semmu86]

Having custom made sollus / korvais are there in all the schools basically depending upon the edam . For eg , in adhi thalam if the thani is after 1.5 beats (i.e , after 6 aksharas) from samam in chatusra nadai , in thisra nadai it will get translated into 9 akshars after samam ( i.e , basically 1.5 times of 6 aksharas) .. So we can play thisra nadai easily in this eduppu . The following points goes to misra chapu thalam also .

If the eduppu is after 2 aksharas from samam in chatusra nadai , in thisra nadai , it becomes after 3 aksharas from the samam .

If the eduppu is after 4 aksharas from samam in chatusra nadai , in thisra nadai , it becomes after 6 aksharas from the samam .

Basically we know that thisram is nothing but 1.5 times of chatusram .

But if the eduppu is after 3 aksharas from the samam in chatusra nadai , then what nadai can you play here ? Can you play thisra nadai by shifting 4.5 aksharas from the samam ? no just not possible .

Now i absolutely agree to your point that playing khandam / misram at this eduppu is really difficult . My opinion is , it is not only difficult ,but virtually impossible to play for this edam . You have to play only for the samam . I hope am not confusing too much and making myself clear .

My query at the end of all this is very simple . When a particular nadai cannot be played at an eduppu , instead of playing a nadai which suits that edam , is it OK or normal to play a nadai from samam - samam which dosent fit into that eduppu ? Have there been any precedence set by past masters ?

My gut feeling is that , since in these types of unusal edams , the possibility for playing an elaborate nadai seems to be cut , artists are taking the liberty to play the nadais from the samam , which gives more flexibility and more room for innovation and more importantly far greater comfort for the mrudangam artiste and the main artiste alike ..

Let me also make sure that these are all also loud thinking coming out of an empty head