CHENNAI: The inseparable couple are truly a marriage made in heaven. You might have heard the couple in almost every Hindu marriage and also during importance functions at temples. No one can miss the sound of the nadaswaram and the thavil. The former especially is not an easy instrument to play. Even years of practice doesn’t guarantee you the correct sound, says M Karthikeyan, a music college student who is also a proficient nadaswaram player.
“When you are playing a flute, which is also a difficult intrument to play, you are not digging deep for air like you are when playing the nadaswaram,” he says.
The sound that is emitted from the instrument, like the air, is also equally deep and resonating. “That might be one of the reasons the instrument is not encouraged too much
at sabhas,” opines Karthikeyan. “For some people it is too loud.”
Another physical hurdle while playing the instrument is holding it for a long times. But that, Karthikeyan says, can be done with practice. “That is why it is important to start early. I joined training when I was seven or eight years old,” he informs. “Also, with several years of training, you have to learn to work with thavil players who always accompany you.”
Catch music college students perform nadaswaram and thavil at the Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha on February 27, Saturday.
Factoids about Nadaswaram
Thavil Facts