Tabla, Mridangam Jugalbandhi - Alla Rakha and Palghat Raghu

My respects to Palghat Raghu who passed away in June this year and the late Ustad Alla Rakha also

Category:

Music

Tags:

• mridangam
• tabla
• jugalbandhi
• jugalbandi
• palghat
• raghu
• mani
• iyer
• alla
• rakha
• zakir
• hussain
• classical
• hindustani
• carnatic
• karnatic
• drums
• percussion
• india
• indian
• eastern

[arjunadasa108]

Carnatic drumming is more black/rap and Hindustani drumming is more white/rock. Carnatic has a little more "umph" but both systems are invaluable.

[sonofthedestroyer]

@arjunadasa108,

So called white rock music was created by black people. But they slowly discarded and whites adopted it fully. I actually prefer Hindustani concerts because they are easier on the ears.

But when it comes to the drums, Carnatic is ahead. Mridangam is by far my favourite though i like all drums from across the world

[operadood]

sonofthedestroyer i must respectfully disagree with both of your contentions. There is absolutely no evidence to show that carnatic instruments are more complex than tabla. their technique may be more difficult on some bases, but they are not more complex. to say it is a "well-known fact" is misrepresentation of the highest order.

i find that Ustadji and Raghu approach the laya differently, neither one is superior. You can clearly hear the hindustani and carnatic approaches here. Both great!

[sonofthedestroyer]

@operadood,

My friend there is no use arguing over this. Carnatic drums are kings of laya the world over. To argue over this is just plain silly. I remember watching an interview where even Zakir Hussain admitted that the real complexities of Indian classical percussion evolves in the South. Others like Aloke Dutta also admitted this and said tabla must experiment with laya and not be so stuck with Hindustani performance system which has restricted the tabla.

[navale1973]

@sonofthedestroyer

Could you please elaborate on what exactly is "laya" and what is it about the HIndustani performance system that has restricted the tabla?

As one untrained in the art of percusion, I personally find the mridangam to be a far more earthy instrument evoking deeper aural senses than the tabla, but that is not to say I have any sort of disrespect for the tabla, which I enjoy immensely as well.

[sonofthedestroyer]

@navale1973,

I have sent you a personal message regarding this

[ponnsiva]

Appreciate the clarification. I can see how rasikas can stay divided like the patrons of this youtube threads here.

[ponnsiva]

@navale1973t would be muchh eaier piece to listen to if Raghu sir kept it basic but at the same time play the nadai's and let Alla rakha expand on that. The misra nadai piece was translated as thisram by Rakha in certain areas. operadood

[ponnsiva]

From listening to many jugalbandhi sometimes it seems like the artists are trying to one-up on the other one. We all know that the korvais and mathematical complexities of a mridangam is no where near what a tabla artist can portray. This is not way to imply that tabla isn't complicated to master.

[123neel]

This is akin to comparing apples and oranges. Carnatic music and mrudangam are masculine. Hindustani and Tabla are feminine. Performers in CM rely on outsider keeping the count. HM depends on the tabla player to keep the count. So the tabla player not only has to accompany but also has to keep the rhythm. If there is a handicap that should be it. It is akin to something like CM hanging on to one pole that is Thala and HM hanging on to tabla player for Thala. Comparing the 2 giants is silly.

[opus88888]

Outstanding audiovisual of rhythm emperors.