Musical
instrument is the inseparable part of any kind of song. Such as, the main
instrument used for Baul song is Ektara, for Kirtan is Kartaal and Khol etc.
The main instrument without which Bhawaiya
song is incomplete is Dotora or Dotara. There are some other musical
instruments that are also used in Bhawaiya. Some of those are Sarinda,
Byana, Ar Banshi, Mukha Banshi etc.
Dotora
or Dotara :
It is about 2 to 2.5 feet long log usually of
Jackfruit wood or Neem wood or Saitan wood with the circumference of about
13/14 inches at the bottom end and about 4/5 inches close to the top end. The
bottom portion which is about 6 inches length is made hollow and crescent
shaped with the help of chisel and covered with the animal skin in order to make
the sound resonating. From the upper end of the hollow starts the middle
portion of the instrument.
From
here the instrument is made thinner and vertically flat; upper surface of this
portion made hollow facilitating the skin cover to continue for a stretch of
about 6 inches. The rest of the middle portion gradually becomes thinner and
takes the shape of half round with the upper surface slightly flat for a
stretch of about 6 inches. After this the shape is like a small chignon
(topknot) where a hollow is made to facilitate the fixation of the ears made of
small pieces of wood for rolling the strings at this end of the instrument.
Four ears - two from each side are fixed through the holes made to roll four
strings.
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Dotora / Dotara |
After
this portion comes the top end portion of the instrument which is horizontally
flat for a length of about 5 inches. At the extreme bottom end a very small
chignon is carved out from the log to facilitate tying of a rope or thread to
support a 1.5 inches long stick in which the strings are tied. Four strings of
the instrument are thus tied with a stick placed over the skin cover at the
bottom end rolled on the ears at the top end. For tension, the strings are
placed on a bridge made of bamboo, wood or buffalo horn over the skin cover. Strings
are tightened or loosened by twisting the ears. Strings are usually of muga
spin or nylon.
The
primary words (Bol) of Dotora lesson are – Dolodong Dolodong.
Sarinda
:
Sarinda
is crude form of the classical instrument Sarengi. It is made of a wooden log
about 2 feet in length usually of Neem wood. The shape of the instrument is
almost like the animal Iguana.
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Sarinda |
Sarinda has three strings. The strings are
rolled on the ears at the top and then taken along the length over a bridge
fixed over the skin cover and then tied on a little stick, which is again tied
back on a very small chignon carved out at the extreme bottom end. Stings are
tuned by twisting the ears as in Dotora.
The instrument is played with the help of bow and not stroke. The bow is made
of thin bamboo piece with the horsetail hair fixed with it. Strings of the
instrument are made of spun thread or tufted horsetail hair.
Byana
:
It is a
1.5 feet long string instrument. This instrument, however, is not made of one
piece of wooden log like Dotora or Sarinda. Three parts of Byana are made
of three different materials. The bottom portion is a very small coconut shell
cut halfway and covered by Goat skin or Iguana skin. Middle portion is a thin
hollow bamboo is fixed with the coconut shell. At the top end is 4-5 inches
long wooden log of almost equal circumference about 4 inches, which is fixed
with the hollow bamboo. An ear made of bamboo or wooden piece is fixed
horizontally through a hole made at the joint of the bamboo and wood. Byana has
only one string made of a small tuft of horsetail hair.
Ar
Banshi :
Flute
made of thin hollow piece of bamboo about 1.5 feet long is commonly used in Bhawaiya. The buffalo-keeper, Maishal used to play the flute in
addition to Dotora to get rid of
loneliness and melancholy feelings and also to attract his ladylove who was
expected to come to the river-step for bath or water.
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Ar Banshi |
The structure of the
commonly used flute is as follows. A small hole is made at a point about 2
inches below the top end and sound is produced with the blow from the mouth on
this hole. Another 6 holes, sometimes 7 holes are made on a straight line with
gap of about 1.2 inches in between two holes, starting from a point about 4/5
inches below the upper-most hole.
Mukha
Banshi :
The
main characteristic of this flute is its big mouth. The flute is made of a
comparatively fat hollow bamboo about 6-7 inches circumference with the joint
intact at top end. A piece of 1.5 inch length of a fatter hollow bamboo, whose
inner circumference just fits the outer circumference of the main bamboo piece,
is fixed on the top end. An aperture like a cap is made just below the joint of
the two pieces and immediately above the hole, a thin flat hole is made through
the cap to allow the wind to pass through. As in Ar Banshi, 6-7 apertures are made on a straight line starting from a
place about 3 inches below the top aperture at equal interval of about 1.2
inches.
Beside these instruments there are some other instruments used in Bhawaiya. These are : Kartaal, Khol, Kansi, Dhak, Dhol, Dhulki etc.
Reference (text):
- Bhawaiya____ Dr. Sukhbilas Barma
Reference (image):
- Google Images
Please send an email I can send you a photo of Mukha Banshi.
ReplyDeletebandopadhaykoushik@gmail.com
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