Contextual Associations
The damaru is a rattle-drum membranophone of the Indian subcontinent. It is associated with the Hindu deity Shiva, who, as depicted in statuary, holds a damaru in one of his right hands, its sound symbolizing “the audible space that fills the universe, the sound of creative energy.” (Kippen, p. 110). It is still sounded today by worshippers at Shiva temples and by Hindu ascetics and mendicants. (Dick and Helffer, p. 10) At the same time, this hourglass-shaped pellet drum can be herd in secular folk settings played by itinerant entertainers such as “conjurers, snake-charmers, jugglers, and monkey and bear trainers.” (ibid)
Description
[The damaru pictured here is not in playing condition but will be described as though it was.] The hourglass-shaped body of the damaru is carved from a solid block of wood. Its two heads are attached to stiff circular frames of wood or cane the diameters of which are slightly greater than that of the openings they cover. A multi-colored cotton string is used as lacing to hold the heads in place by passing, in a V-pattern, around the hoop of one head and then the other, back-and-forth around the circumference of the drum. Another length of string is looped around the main lacing above the waist of the shell and pulled tight to increase the tension of the heads. Two further lengths of string, each only about four-inches in length, are tied to the central loop of string, and at the free end of each of these strings is tied a small bead that serves as a beater when it is thrust against the heads.
Player - Instrument Interface and Sound Production
The player holds the damaru roughly horizontally in one hand, grasping its central lacing with his thumb and index finger. To sound the drum, he rapidly rotates it with a wrist and forearm motion in such a way that the pellets, due to centrifugal force, are thrust alternately against one and then the other head to produce a rattle-like effect. By squeezing the central lacing while sounding the instrument, a small range of pitch variation can be achieved.
Origins/History/Evolution
It is not possible to know with certainty when the damaru was created, but some temple statuary and bronze sculptures depicting the god Shiva holding this drum date back to the 10th c. CE (Kaimal 1999). It was not long after this that another hourglass-shaped pellet drum probably inspired by the damaru, the thod-rnga, was introduced into the Tibetan practice of Tantric Buddhism. Therefore, the damaru has been associated with the religious sphere of South Asian life for over a millennium. At what point in history it began to be used in the secular domain of Indian life is not known.
Bibliographic Citations
Dick, Alastair, and Mireille Helffer. 2014. “Damaru.” GDMI v.2: 10-11.
Flora, Ries. 2002. "Classification of Musical Instruments." In The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music v. 5. South Asia. ed. Alison Arnold. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., pp. 319-330.
Kaimal, Padma. 1999. “Shiva Nataraja: Shifting Meanings of an Icon.” The Art Bulletin 81/3: 390-419.
Krippen, James R. 2002. "Hindustani Tala." In The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music v. 5. South Asia. ed. Alison Arnold. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., pp. 110-137.
Miner, Allyn. 2002. "Musical Instruments: Northern Area." In The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music v. 5. South Asia. ed. Alison Arnold. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., pp. 331-349.
Reck, David. 2002. " Musical Instruments: Southern Area." In The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music v. 5. South Asia. ed. Alison Arnold. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., pp. 350-369.
