Languages

Mridangam language:

NAM DHIM DHIM DHIM
(NAM is played with the right pointing finger hitting on the outer circle of the right side of the drum while the ring finger of the right hand is used as a pivot
DHIM is played by hitting the ring finger of the right hand, slightly curved, on the centre of the black dot on the right hand side of the drum)


THA LAM KA THOM KA DHIM
THA LAM KAM THOM KA DHIM
THI DHIM THI THA KI NAM THOM
THI DHIM THI THA KI NAM THOM

My Mridangam exercise book is full of this, and so is my head. I'm supposed to be memorising it all but my brain can't fit it.
NAM is used a lot and my right hand pointing finger is developing a calus. I asked to see my teacher's right hand pointing finger - he has an enormous raised hard lump of a calus.

Tabla language:
Then there is tabla - a different language again.
DHA KIDANAGA DIRIDIRI KITHANAGA THIRITHIRI GIDANAGA

My tabla exercise book is full of this, and (yet again) I'm supposed to memorise this as well. A 45 year old brain is doing not bad but can't manage it all.

Late at night both tabla and mridangam languages swirl around and around in my head.

I'm now learning the skill and conventions of playing mridangam while a singer sings a classical song. There are certain rhythms in different time measures which are played at different times during the song, and then phrases that are played in between stanzas of the song. It's complex and challenging but fun. My teacher sings a song and claps out the hand pattern while I play and try to get the right bits at the right time. He uses his eyes to give me a hint that a change is about to happen. I feel like I'm starting to understand how the mridangam fits with other instruments and the voice in a performance.

Flute lessons with Lucy: 3 of us continue and play Silent Night over and over again. We've been told that the sound can be heard pretty much all around the village so we're driving everybody mad! Lucy is learning Carnatic singing and so she's now started to teach us a Carnatic song on flute.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and the North Americans amongst us decorated the dining areas for dinner last night and made a turkey by stuffing a T-shirt with newspaper (of course no real turkey or such like is allowed as VKV is strictly vego)

Maybe I should decorate the dining area for a special dinner to celebrate Howard's demise (i'm the only Australian here and no-one would really get it) Speaking of which, tomorrow is the day. Is everyone having a "Don's Party"? I'll try to read newspapers online but would appreciate anyone's emails letting me in on the goss.

A small group of us are going on a house-boat this weekend on the famous "backwaters" of Kerala, one of the famous tourist things to do in Kerala. Apparently it's very beautiful, so I'm looking forward to it. I didn't have the chance to go last time and I can't say I've been to Kerala twice without going.

Monsoon has ended, and apart from one downpour it hasn't rained for a couple of weeks. We are now entering the "winter" (not anything like Australians know as winter)

The communist party has been having a local conference and there are posters of red hammer and sickle flags around the village. Also a circus is playing in a nearby town and there are posters advertising this.

Yesterday some of us wer having a discussion comparing what sounds animals make in different languages - I hope you all realise that a cow says moo and a dog says woof only in English. We compared this with French, Hebrew and Malayalam.

MOO WOOF NAM DHIM DHIM