Nadaswaram- All You Need To Know About This Great Musical Instrument

The classical instrument Nadaswaram is played mainly in the southern states of India. It is the world’s loudest non-brass acoustic instrument. Nadaswaram is known by different names like Nadashwaram, Nagaswaram, Nayanam andNagachinnam. This instrument resembles a snake in its look. Probably because of this reason, it was named as Nagaswaram or Nagachinnam.If you are musically gifted and have started taking Nadaswaram lessons, let us help you know your musical instrument better.

Nadaswaram is a wind instrument which is similar in its appearance to the north Indian musical instrument - Shehnai. It is much larger and has a hardwood body along with a large flaring bell which is made of wood or metal. The word ‘Nada’ is of significance and is literally supposed to refer to music or sound pleasing to one’s ear. Nada is also considered as the path to Mukti or Salvation.

Importance of Nadaswaram:

South Indians consider Nadaswaram to be a very auspicious classical instrument. They make it a point to play it at the time of marriage. It is also played in almost all the major temples of South India. This instrument is usually played in pairs and is always accompanied by a pair of drums known as Thavil. Traditionally, the body of Nagaswaram or Nadaswaram used to be made of the wood of a tree known as Aacha.

Nadaswaram is played in various rituals and ceremonies at temples and marriages. Any individual can easily identify the ritual taking place just by hearing the sound or raga being played on the Nadaswaram. Its popularity is credited to its natural melodious sound that it produces which is easily heard in the immediate locality of a temple or marriage which helps the people to know what is happening. 

Playing the Nadaswaram:

When learning Nadaswaram like any other instrument, the emphasis is to play songs or ragas to match the singing. There are various techniques while playing the Nadaswaram, which include “thu-thukaram”, “thannakaram”, “hum-karam”, “akaaram”. This classification is based on the sound that Nadaswaram produces.

When lyrics are played, the gradient of words used in the song is emulated by a combination of techniques. That one can make out the lyrics of the song while listening to the instrument and the same technique is used in Carnatic flute also. There are 7 playing holes in Nadaswaram and the fingering is similar to the flute. But the semitones are dissimilar to the flute which has the half fingering and they are played with breath control.

The artist who plays the instrument needs excellent breath control to pass through the notes carefully and correctly. Nadaswaram lessons consist of fast Swara rolls and viraladi and they are the characteristic features of Nadaswaram playing. It has a lot to do with the breath control and most of the gamakas are played on the Nadaswaram.