![]() ![]() Generally, players apply a lot of pressure on the strings or pull them as a habit, to execute the gamaka (ornamented note), related to a particular rag - am,” says Subramanian. “There should always be a minimum possible gap between the string and the fret. Unlike the violin or the gottuvadhyam where it is more of judgment and the vibrating length of the string that determines the notes, the veena has its positions irrevocably fixed. With the veena, there can be no compromise on the swarasthanam, whatsoever. Ultimately it depends on the player and what he is used to. The round ones are made of bellmetal whereas the square ones are of brass. “Out of long years of experience, I believe the round one puts the player in a comfort zone,” says Subramanian. ![]() Frets, which are used to set the swarasthanas (the faultless place allotted to each special note), is of two varieties - the square and the round. ”The advantage of using wax is that you can continue to play for long hours without feeling any pain at all”. His melam-kattuthal (fretssetting) involves using molten wax, “almost to the consistency of a halwa,” he says jokingly. ![]() He made his debut by setting a whole veena to tune for a concert in Perth, Australia, in 2005. Eventually, Subramanian, having ever so quietly absorbed the intricacies of instrument repair-cum-setting, grew into a master of this job. They did the odd jobs, such as rubbing the in - struments with sandpaper, but in the process, learned the nitty-gritty of this trade. The best the two brothers could do while growing up was act as mute but shrewd observers of their father, when he was at work. Narayana Iyer was with AIR, Pondicherry, and also handled other aspects of the veena, like servicing old ones and making them concert-fit. His father Karukurichi Narayana Iyer and elder brother Karukurichi Balaji were performing veena vidwans. He excelled in the art of melamsetting to a nicety for the veena and exalted finesse in carving the tambura. But his most formidable talent was that of a tunesmith of the tambura and the veena. He could play the ghatam and the drum pad, and has accompanied vainika Rajhesh Vaidhya across the globe for the last 15 years. CHENNAI: Karukurichi N Subramanian’s earliest dream was to become a musician. ![]()
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