kaalam concept in chenda

"Kaalam" is a degree of geometric speed. A "Kalam" starts with an "Onnam Kaalam" or the first degree of geometric speed. Which is the "thalam"  or the basic rhythm throughout the percussion performance (melam). Once the "Onnam Kaalam" is practiced the students learn to exercise the "Randam Kaalam"  or the second degrees of geometric speed, then the "Muunaam Kaalam"  or the third degrees of geometric speed Then the "Naalam Kaalam" or the fourth degree of geometric speed and so on. Depending up on the practice and experience a Chenda performer can perform in 7, 8, 9 or even 10 "Kaalam".


If a performer starts with a 3 beat and completes these beats in 4 seconds (geometric speed), it is called an "Onnam Kaalam"  of 3 beats. So the "Randam Kaalam" beats would be multiple of "Onnam Kaalam", 6 beats completed in 4 seconds. "Muunaam Kaalam" would be multiple of "Randam Kaalam", 12 beats completed in 4 seconds, "Naalam Kaalam"  would be 24 beats completed in 4 seconds and so on. Similarly if the performer starts with 4 beats and completes the beats in 4 seconds, then "Randam Kaalam" beats would be multiple of "Onnam Kaalam", 8 beats completed in 4 seconds, "Muunaam Kaalam" would be multiple of "Randam Kaalam", 16 beats completed in 4 seconds. If the performer starts with the same 4 beats and completes the beats in 2 seconds, then "Randam Kaalam" would be 8 beats and should be completed in 2 seconds, "Muunaam Kaalam" would be 16 beats and should be completed in 2 seconds.
The time to complete one "Kaalam" is called the "Thalavattam"  and the "Onnam Kaalam"  is called the "thalam" or the basic rhythm of the whole percussion performance.

  mattannoor sankarankuty

mattannoor sankarankutty (M. P. Sankara Marar) is an Indian percussionist who plays the chenda (a traditional Kerala drum), Thayambaka, Panchari melam, and Panchavadyam. He was born in Mattanur, near Thalassery, in the Kannur district of Kerala. He was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2012.

Mattannoor Sankarankutty's first guru was his father Kunjikrishnan Marar. Having learned the first lessons from his father, little Sankaran started playing chenda by the age of seven. Sankarankutty's talents were first recognized by one of his cousins, who took him to Gandhi Sevasadanam, Peroor, for taking lessons in Kathakali chenda.

There he underwent rigorous training in thayambaka and Kathakali chenda under Pallassana Chandramannadiar and Sadanam Vasudevan. The former helped him imbibe the quintessence of tradition, while the latter kindled in him a spirit for experimenting. But very few know the fact that he has also been trained in edakka under Pattarath Sankara Marar at the Thiruvambadi Temple in Thrissur. When he stepped out of Sadanam, Sankarankutty had become an expert in almost all the temple music rituals like sopanasangeetam (a form of Indian classical music that developed in the temples of Kerala).

Chenda – The Kerala Drum.

Chenda – The Kerala Drum.

Chenda is a percussion drum that is part of Kerala’s culture and tradition. (It is also used in a few other parts of South India.) Many writers seem to consider this instrument as a part of temple festivals. But it is very common at church feasts and other functions as well.The instrument is hung on the neck of the artiste. Only one face of the chenda is beaten, with sticks.

Usually the performances are by a group, but there are solo presentations also. Two popular ensembles are Panchari melam and Pandi melam. Usually the sound of chenda is loud but an expert can play it with great sensitivity.

famous practitioners of chenda

1. peruvanam kuttan marar

peruvanam kuttan marar is a chenda artist. He leads several popular traditional orchestra performances in Kerala. He is a recipient of Padma Shri award in the year 2011 for his contributions in the field of art.
Kuttan Marar features in prominent temple festivals of Kerala including Thrissur Pooram, Peruvanam pooram, Kollam Pooram and those at Guruvayur Temple. He leads the famous Ilanjithara Melam of Thrissur Pooram. Kuttan Marar started performing at the Ilanjithara Melam from 1977 and has been its Pramani since 1999.
 listing of famous temples where Peruvanam Kuttan Marar has performed :

1. Puthur Thirupuraikal Bhagavathy Temple
2. Panangad Sri Maha Ganapathi Temple
3. Thripunithura Poornathrayeesa temple
4. Vaikom Mahadeva temple
5. Guruvayur temple
6. Ilankunnapuzha temple, Ernakulam
7. Kuttanelloor temple, Thrissur
8. Manalaarukaavu temple, Thrissur
9. Puzhakkarakkavu temple, Moovattupuzha
10. Paramekkavu temple

learning of chenda

A Chenda is taught in a traditional way, the students have to practice on a stone or wood using a strong and thick stick usually made of tamarind tree bark. The learning stick would be 29cm in length, 3 cm in diameter on one side and 2.5cm on other side of the stick. Once the learning on stone is finished, students learn on Veekku Chenda  or the Valam Thala  part of the Chenda which is made of multiple layer of skin. The "Valam Thala Chenda" is played using a long and thin stick. Once the students master to play on "Valam Thala Chenda", the students start learning on the Uruttu Chenda or the Edam Thala  part of the Chenda which will have only one layer of skin.

In Kerala a traditional Chenda learning always start and end with a "Ganapathi Kai" , it is a prayer and dedication done to the Hindu god Ganapathi.
A "Ganapathi Kai" consists of 37 beats.
Gi...... Kam...
Na.Ka. Tha.Ra. Kaam...
Dhi.Ri. Ki.Da. Tha.Ka. Tha.Ra. Kaam...
Na.Ka. Tha.Ra. Kaam...
Dhi.Kka. Nna.. Nna.. Kaam...
Du...... Du......
Dhi.Ri. Ki.Da. Tha.Ka. Tha.Ra. Kaam...

Here the letters starting with "G" (ഗീ) and "K" (ക) are beaten using left hand and others by right hand.
ഗീ.... കാം......
ണ ക ത ര കാം
ധി രി കി ട ത ക ത ര കാം
ണ ക ത ര കാം
ഡ് ക്ക ണ ണ്ണ കാം
ഡ്...........ഡ്.........
ധി രി കി ട ത ക ത ര കാം
 Once the students learn how to do "Ganapathi Kai" , the master starts teaching Chenda "Sadhakam" (സാധകം) or repeated exercise. Usually a "Sadhakam" starts with a three beat Sadhakam called "Tha Ki Ta" Sadhakam (ത കി ട സാധകം).
 For a "Tha Ki Ta" Sadhakam the "Onnam Kaalam" is 3 beats in a geometric speed. So the "Randam Kaalam" (രണ്ടാം കാലം) beats would be multiple of "Onnam Kaalam", 6 beats. "Muunaam Kaalam" (മൂനാം കാലം) would be multiple of "Randam Kaalam", 12 beats, "Naalam Kaalam" (നാലാം കാലം) would be 24 beats and so on. While doing a "Randam Kaalam", 6 beats should finish by the time taken for the 3 beats of "Onnam Kaalam". Similarly the "Muunaam Kaalam" (12 beats) should finish by the time taken for the 3 beats of "Onnam Kaalam". For a "Naalam Kaalam", 24 beats should finish by the time taken for the "Onnam Kaalam". That is the reason the "Onnam Kaalam" is called the "thalam" (താളം) or the basic rhythm (time taken to complete a cycle of beats, here for "Tha Ki Ta", 3 beats).

Types of chenda melam

The Chenda is used as a percussion instrument for almost all Kerala art forms like Kathakali, Kodiyattam, Theyyam etcChenda melam is the most popular form in Kerala, for more than 300 years. A Chenda melam is an integral part of all festivals in Kerala. There are 7 types of "melangal"  Panchari melam, Champa, Chempada, Adantha, Anchadatha, Druvam and Pandy melam. The earlier 6 melams are called "Chempada melangal". Other than these seven "melams"" two more melams are there in Kerala "Navam" and "Kalpam".

1. Panchari Melam is a percussion ensemble, performed during temple festivals in Kerala, India. Panchari Melam (or, simply, panchari), is one of the major forms of chenda melam (ethnic drum ensemble), and is the best-known and most popular kshethra vadhyam (temple percussion) genre. Panchari melam, comprising instruments like chenda, ilathalam, kombu and kuzhal, is performed during virtually every temple festival in central Kerala, where it is arguably presented in the most classical manner. Panchari, however, is also traditionally performed, with a touch of subtle regional difference, in north (Malabar) and south-central Kerala (Kochi). Of late, its charm has led to its performance even in deep-south Kerala temples.

2.Pandi melam is a classical percussion concert or melam  led by the ethnic Kerala instrument called the chenda and accompanied by ilathalam , kuzhal and Kombu.
A full-length Pandi, a melam based on a thaalam  with seven beats, lasts more than two-and-a-half hours, and is canonically performed outside temples. It has basically four stages, each of them with rhythmic cycles (thaalavattam) totalling 56, 28, 14 and seven respectively.
The most celebrated Pandi Melam is staged inside a temple compound at the Vadakkunnathan shrine's precincts in the central Kerala town of Thrissur. For the last several years, Peruvanam Kuttan Marar is the lead conductor for this symphony of drums known as Elanjithara Melam.

3.Thayambaka or tayambaka is a type of solo chenda performance that developed in the south Indian state of Kerala, in which the main player at the centre improvises rhythmically on the beats of half-a-dozen or a few more chenda and ilathalam players around.A thayambaka performance on the chenda has thus its focus on the stick-and-palm rolls produced on the itantala (treble) of the chenda, while the rhythm is laid by his fellow instrumentalists on the valanthala (bass) chendas and ilatalam^. Thayambaka, believed to have flourished during the feudal era, spans an average of 90 minutes. It begins at a slow pace before scaling on to a medium tempo and eventually culminating in high, frenzied speed. It has a skeletal pattern on which the performance progresses, but the main performer has the liberty to improvise and innovate to showcase his grip of rhythm, finesse of techniques and cerebral brilliance. In fact, thayambaka is one chenda concert that allows maximum individual freedom to the main player.

making of chenda

1. jackfruit logs are used for the making of chenda,convert the wood into cylindrical shape

    The wood is dried for at least a month and then chiseled to make it hollow

 2.the skin of buffaloes and cows spread out for drying under the sun

 3.The skins are washed, stretched and pegged to small poles on the ground to be dried in sunlight for weeks and to be scrubbed and smoothened later. While two pieces are cut to cover the mouth of the hollow log, the rest is cut into long strap-like pieces that are used to tighten the cover.

4.scrubs buffalo skin and, applies black paste on the leather covering one side of the chenda and taps it to test the tone.

. Dry areca nut leaves are burnt and the ash is ground with cooked rice to form a paste that is applied on the skin to make it smooth. It is this that gives the quality of tone to the instrument.

5.both the coverings of the cylindrical wood willl be tied with a rope tightly in a vertical manner.