what is Gottuvadyam?

Answer 1

The gottuvadhyam (also known as gottuvadyam, chitravina, chitra vina, or mahanataka vina) is a Carnatic music string instrument played mainly in South India. It is usually used as a solo instrument in Carnatic music.

The Gottuvadhyam is made of a broad, fretless, horizontal arm or crossbar (dand) around three feet long and six inches wide, with two large resonating gourds (tumba), which are inlaid with ivory and attached underneath at either end. The narrow ends of the instrument are fashioned into peacock heads, the national bird of India.

The Strings
There are four main playing strings and five secondary strings (chikaris), which are played openly with the little finger for a drone effect. Underneath them are 13 sympathetic strings tuned to the notes of the appropriate raag. The veena has a five-octave range. Two plectrums (mizrab) identical to those used for sitar are worn on the middle and index fingers of the right hand to pluck the strings, and a glass ball (batta) is moved with the left across the main strings to create melody (there can be a distance of up to two inches between notes). Olive oil or butter is put on the strings to ease the playing action.

The veena was often used to accompany the Dhrupad style of singing and this did not allow for much intricacy or embellishment around the notes.

N. Ravikiran an young exponant is the undisputed master of the instrument. The gottuvadhyam was popularised in South India by Sakharam Rao of Tiruvidaimarudur. It was later taken up and further popularised by Narayan Iyengar, who was a palace musician of the old state of Mysore.

It is supposed the sound comming our of the instrument is to be the nearest to the human voice and playing by a good artist will bring out sounds similar to human voice-

Answer 2

The gottuvadhyam (also known as gottuvadyam, chitravina, chitra vina, or mahanataka vina) is a Carnatic music string instrument played mainly in South India. It is usually used as a solo instrument in Carnatic music.

The gottuvadhyam resembles the Saraswati veena in its general form. It is a complicated ancient instrument with twenty-one strings. Unlike the traditional veena or sitar, it is fretless. The fretless nature of the instrument makes it the closest instrument to vocal standards. There are six main strings used for melody that pass over the top of the instrument, three drone strings, and about twelve sympathetic strings running parallel and below the main strings.

The approach to tuning is in some ways similar to the sitar; in other ways it is similar to the Saraswati veena, but in many ways it is unique. It is played with a slide in a manner somewhat like a lap steel guitar. The fingers on the right hand are usually used with plectra to pluck the metal melody strings while a cylindrical block made out of hardwood (often ebony), water buffalo horn, glass, steel, or teflon held by the left hand is used to slide along the strings to vary the pitch. Appropriately, the name gottuvadhyam literally means "block instrument."

N. Ravikiran (b. 1967) is the undisputed master of the instrument. The gottuvadhyam was popularised in South India by Sakharam Rao of Tiruvidaimarudur. It was later taken up and further popularised by Narayan Iyengar, who was a palace musician of the old state of Mysore.

Answer 3

Gottuvadyam: is similar to the veena, but without the frets - is played by gliding a stick on the strings

Answer 4

a type of musical instrument in kerala

Answer 5

now where's the dictionary...