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Saraswati Veena, an
instrument associated with
Goddess Saraswati – the
presiding deity of learning
and arts, is an important
instrument in Carnatic
Music. It is said that the
present day Veena developed
from the Raghunatha Mela
Veena, developed by Shri
Govinda Dikshitar in the
16th century, who provided
details of its design and
playing techniques in his
book ‘Sangita Sudha’.
Structure : The body
of the instrument is made of
wood, generally jackwood. The
Veena of the best quality is
made out a single block
of wood, others are carved
out of in three sections
(namely the resonator, neck
and the head), from different
blocks of wood. There are 24
frets made of brass set on
the fret board by wax. The
fret board is about 2
½
feet long. One end of the
fret board joins a large
wooden resonator on the
right. This resonator is
hollow and helps in
amplifying and sustaining
the notes for a longer time.
There is a small resonator
on the left side that is
mainly used as a stand to
facilitate the placing of
the instrument when it is
being played. This is made
of acoustically neutral
material like paper mache
etc. This resonator is
highly decorated. The left
end of the fret board is
generally carved. The Veena
has four main strings that
are tuned as follows:-
Apart from the main strings,
there are also three drone
strings that are struck to
denote the rhythm or the
tala. The resonator has
a bridge, the top of which
is made of brass and
supports the four main
strings. The side of the
same bridge holds the
three drone strings. The
tuning of the main strings
is done with the help of
tuning pegs called baradai
located on the two sides of
the left hand end. The three
pegs for the drone strings
are located on the inner
side of the left end, before
the pegs for the main
strings. Finer tuning of the
strings is done using small
tension controls, that also
attach the strings to the
body of the instrument.
The artist sits cross
–legged on the floor, the
instrument resting
horizontally on the floor in
front with the large
resonator to the right,
while the small resonator is
kept on the thigh to the
left. The main strings are
plucked using two metal
plectrums worn on the index
and middle fingers of the
right hand. The end of the
little finger is used to
strike the drone strings.
The left hand moves on the
fret board, the playing done
by the ends of the middle
and index fingers.
Although Veenas are made in
different parts of South
India, those made in Tanjore
are of the best quality.
Originally the Veena was used to
traditionally accompany
vocal concerts before the
Violin took its place.
Some famous Veena players
are:- Veena Dhanammal,
Chitti Babu,
K.S.Narayanaswamy, S.
Balachandar, E.Gayathri |
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