Raga Hamir - Alap, Jor on the Sursringar - Arnab Chakrabarty

[Ani429]

Thnx Arnab-da :) and as it is glass,i think dt its absolutely flat unlike our steel plate in sarod...

[Ani429]

Hello Arnab-da....I am Anirban....this instrument is really a good 1 n has excellent raagdari mijaz !!! jz two things i wd lyk to kno that by which material is the drum made of ?? another thing is dat if glass plate is used instead of metal plate in our Sarod,then wat u think it wud be good ??

[arnabsarod]

@Ani429 Dear Anirban, Thanks for your compliments. The body of this instrument is made of wood, like a regular sarod, but the back is joined separately. This allows us to carve the insides in a finer manner, giving more accurate resonance to the body. About glass -- I tried this without doing any acoustic measurements. Its advantage is that it is smoother than metal, but the disadvantage is acoustic impedance. Check the Jaunpuri rec for an improved tone. We can discuss this over email. Cheers!

[shankyxyz]

the metallicity needs to come down a little. little more of woodiness. just my 2/c. but beautiful sound even now. are u intentionally playing hameer in the style of gaud sarang?

[arnabsarod]

@shankyxyz Thanks. Could you please point out where the Gaud phrases are? I have consciously avoided throwing around the G M R G M (N)D cliché every five seconds. It is a device adopted when other, equally important areas of the raga are under-explored by a musician.

[arnabsarod]

@shankyxyz I refer you to a newer video of Raga Jaunpuri posted by "tothszabi". You might like it better. :)

[buesy12]

What a pleasant surprise finding this clip. I love this experiment and will follow it with keen interest. I love the sustain and twang of this instrument and your technique seems so effortless. Fantastic rendition of Raga Hameer

[arnabsarod]

@buesy12 Thanks!

[adityanemlekar]

A stunning rendition of Hamir! The instrument is beautiful, no doubt...but infinitely accentuated by Arnab's touch and technique. Great stuff!

[arnabsarod]

@adityanemlekar Thanks!

[shahanakannada]

Why such gimmicks? The sound of this instrument is way too "jangley" Just play a custom one piece Hemen (MAIHAR STYLE) and nothing will beat the sound quality and sustain. After 2:09 it sounds like a sitar! I don't understand what the point is?

besides gimmick factor! Listen to the clean sound of Alam Khan or Tejendra Majumdar, they don't have to resort to such gimmicks

[arnabsarod]

@shahanakannada Thanks for your comments. This instrument is a work in progress, and its sound is far from perfect. However, it is not a gimmick, but a labor of love, and I don't seek to copy a sarod sound, because the sarod I play on is acknowledged by many to be one of the best instruments in the world, and Hemen cannot hold a candle to it. I don't mind the fact that my music offends you. There's a solution to this -- just don't listen to me. :-)

[vinaypande]

@shahanakannada --shahana kanada is such a beautiful raag. to hear it mentioned in association with tuneless maihar types ( the honorable and highly infrequent exception apart) is like hearing a sharp object trailed across a sheet of glass. but any mention of that fat fool tejinder narayan mozumdar's "clean sound" has to be a joke! forget shahana, maihar is a saazish, an ISI planned terrorist assault on music.

[vikramshrowty]

@shahanakannada . Your attitude is typical of many conservative listeners....and of many fellow indians, unfortunately. If it was't for people like Arnab the sarod would still be the twangy rhabab-like staccato instrument of a few decades ago. You may dislike the result of the experiment, but an attitude that discourages experimentation and potential progress is fundamentally flawed.

And I for one, like this experiment.

[GatoradeIsNotJuice]

wonderful playing, as usual! Thanks for a beautiful Hamir.

[andeshpandesh]

Most beautiful sound! It is both bold strong metallic and poetic soft.

[ts73]

Fantastic! The sustain is much longer, displaying the subtleties of ornamentation better, especially on long meend. I'd imagine the whole design allows for a lower action, and more stable tuning. The glass fingerboard was a great idea. For one, it allows for a very consistently straight board at a reasonable cost, and no flex.

The next step would be to make the body more comfortable. And of course the wooden top allows a whole world of experimentation with internal bracing and sound-holes.

[arnabsarod]

@ts73 - You seem knowledgeable about luthiery. I would appreciate it if you send me more feedback (do not hesitate to be critical) through channel email, and then we can take it to the domain of personal mail. Thanks! :)

[MrDjthakur]

How come your Sursringar resembling a sarod whereas Joydeep's sursringar resembles a sitar. This sound quality will out class Dagari Veena if you start playing dhrupad and dhammar ching-tiaon on it, what do you say ?

[arnabsarod]

@MrDjthakur - I will refrain from making any comments on the acoustic efficiency of the Rudra Veena, as that will open a can of worms. I do enjoy Ustad Asad Ali Khan's music immensely, though. D/D ching-tiaon shall be played, recorded and uploaded soon. :-) JG's sursringar is built more along traditional lines than mine, excepting the fact that its tabli is shaped like a large sitar tabli. I have no idea why.