Mrdanga
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The Mrdanga is a finger-played, double-headed barrel drum from India. Its distinctive buzzing beat comes from split reeds trapped between the layers of animal skin that form the drum head. What makes the mrdanga unusual is its tuning : the drum maker mixes a paste from iron filings and rice and spreads it on the smaller of the two drum-heads. When dry, the paste controls the drum's pitch.
| Family |
| Percussions |
| Pitch range |
| None. |
| Material |
| Wooden body, with animal-skin drum heads. |
| Size |
| About 20-30 in (50-75 cm) long. |
| Origins |
| Indian performers have played the mrdanga for more than 2,000 years. Records show that it was used in ancient Indian theater and religious ceremonies. The modern mrdanga is still played in temples and concerts. |
| Classification |
| Membranophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of a stretched skin. |
| And also... |
| There are many legends surrounding the mrdanga. One story tells how a Hindu god created the tabla by cutting the mrdanga in half-the right half became the tabla ; the left half became the baya. |
