The taanpura... now available on your iPhone

KARACHI: A 5,000-year-old instrument is available at the flick of a finger. Musician Saffia Saleem Beyg spoke to The Express Tribune about the classical musical instrument which is used as a tool for meditation and is now also available as an iPhone application.

“The taanpura is an instrument that helps a vocalist sing to any given raag,” says Saffia Saleem Beyg, a classical singer who uses taanpura while singing any classical tune.

“The instrument is used in Indian classical music to provide a background drone against which the rest of the music is performed. The traditional version of the taanpura is four-stringed instrument with cured pumpkin gourd base and a wooden stem,” Beyg added.

The classical Indian taanpura is more than just a musical instrument today; it is also used to meditate. Talking about Taanpura Meditation, a relaxant often used as a part of yoga equipment, Beyg said, “Taanpura Meditation captures the sound of a real taanpura to maintain the pitch while continuous sound waves, generated by a well-tuned instrument, help the brain to relax by generating alpha waves that naturally push the listener into deeper states of meditation.”

While the instrument is at least 5,000 years old, the taanpura is now available on iPhones as well.

“The latest application for the iPhone and iPod Touch is iTaanpura Lite. It uses stereo digital sound to simulate a set of two taanpuras, each of which can be tuned with a different string combination using sample sounds from real Hemraj tanpuras.

The technology provides beautiful yet realistic audibility. The sound quality is beyond amazing and has to be heard to be believed,” said Beyg.

Beyg highlighted the importance of the instrument, “The taanpura is considered as an essential instrument in India.  Ravi Shankar carries a miniature taanpura along with the sitar wherever he goes.”

“The instrument is unfretted, round-bodied, with a hollow neck with four or five wire strings. The strings of the taanpura are plucked one after another in a standard pattern, in order to create a tonic resonance field for Indian classical music. The instrument comes in two standard sizes; the larger ones known as the ‘males’, and the smaller ones known as ‘females’.”

Beyg says that a typical taanpura is designed to fit three varying versions: Miraj, Tanjore and Tamburi. “The Miraj style is the most popular of taanpuras for the Hindustani music performers. Tanjore is famous in the southern states of India and is preferred by the Carnatic music performers. The tamburi is still in its teething phase and is gaining popularity because of its small size and portability. It is two to three feet long and has a shallow resonator,” says Beyg.

Beyg explains why it is as famous in Pakistan, “We are losing out because we are unable to learn or listen to music and deconstruct it to its sur and taal.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th, 2010.