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An electronic tanpura is an
electronic instrument
An electronic musical instrument or electrophone is a musical instrument that produces sound using electronic circuitry. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical, electronic or digital audio signal that ultimately is plugged into ...
that replicates the sound of an
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n
string instrument
String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner.
Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the ...
known as the
tanpura
The tanpura (), also referred to as tambura and tanpuri, is a long-necked plucked string instrument, originating in India, found in various forms in Indian music.
It does not play melody, but rather supports and sustains the melody of an ...
(tambura), used to provide a constant
drone
Drone most commonly refers to:
* Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg
* Unmanned aerial vehicle
* Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft
* Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone
Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to:
...
to accompany another's vocal or instrumental melody.
Terminology
It may also be called an electronic tambura, electronic shruti box, or simply shruti box. Now days it is available in mobile phones.
Function
In
Indian music
Owing to India's vastness and diversity, Indian music encompasses numerous genres in multiple varieties and forms which include classical music, folk (Bollywood), rock, and pop. It has a history spanning several millennia and developed ove ...
, the drone is a basic function of the music. The development of a
raga
A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradit ...
, any composition or song within raga presupposes and requires the continuous sounding of the key-note, its octave and another tone, usually the fifth or fourth. Traditionally drone is often provided by one or more tanpura player(s), especially for vocal performances.
The electronic tanpura was created as a marketable, practical solution for instrumentalists, having their hands otherwise engaged, who cannot readily avail themselves of able tanpura players for their long hours of private practice. Generally, the electronic tanpura has one or more dials to control the tone and volume, and may have other switches and buttons that allow a certain pitch and volume to be saved and used again at a later time. The range is usually one to two octaves.
History
The electronic tanpura was first invented by Mr. G. Raj Narayan in 1979,
[ ''The first electronic tanpura was also developed by Mr. G. Raj Narayan in December 1979''] an engineer-flautist from Bangalore, India, and demonstrated at the annual conference of the
Music Academy Chennai
Madras Music Academy is one of the earliest established music academies in South India. Before the concept of infrastructure was introduced to India in the early 1920s, it was a gathering for elite musicians simply called (and is still more ...
in December that year. The products were manufactured by the company he founded, Radel Electronics. The first versions were created with the technology then available, using discrete components and transistors. In the late 1990s, these gave way to models using sampled recordings of the traditional tanpura on a chip. In the 2000s, tanpura
mobile app
A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...
s began to be produced. In 2016, a
mathematical model
A mathematical model is a description of a system using mathematical concepts and language. The process of developing a mathematical model is termed mathematical modeling. Mathematical models are used in the natural sciences (such as physics, ...
of a tanpura was developed at the Sonic Arts Research Center of Queen's University Belfast.
In 2018
Pocket Shruti Box an
Android app
Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software, designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Android is developed by a consortium of deve ...
that implemented this model, was released.
Criticism
For many musicians the electronic tanpura is a practical commodity, delivering a passable substitute for a live tanpura. It is easier and less expensive than maintaining a live tanpura player. However, some musicians consider the electronic tanpura a poor substitute when compared to a good tanpura in expert hands, as the tones it creates lack the
dynamics of a live musician, producing a mechanical, repetitive sound.
[ ''Any model electronic tanpura produces a sound that is necessarily artificial, which is the opposite of artistic. The electronic substitute has no artistic value and has nothing to teach us but repetitive unnatural boredom.''] However, considering the fact that the tanpura itself is used by plucking it in a repetitive manner for the sole purpose of providing the accompanying drone, this argument does not hold up well. Further, with the latest technology making it possible to digitally record the sound of the acoustic instrument, the digital versions are not only accepted but widely used.
See also
*
Sruti box
*
Electronic musical instrument
An electronic musical instrument or electrophone is a musical instrument that produces sound using electronic circuitry. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical, electronic or digital audio signal that ultimately is plugged into ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Electronic Tanpura
Indian musical instruments
Electronic musical instruments
Hindustani musical instruments
Carnatic music instruments
1979 in music
Products introduced in 1979
Indian inventions