I was wondering if anyone can explain how closed jawari differs from open. Is it the string vibrating just on the tip of the bridge, or is there acually a flat space under the string like in open.
I would like to try and grind a new bridge in this style, but I'm not an expert in jawari, and I'm assuming that the closed- style is a bit easier than open?
The following is from How to do Sitar and Tamboura Jawari from the Silver Bush World Music web site.
Jawari Styles
There are three main styles of sitarjawari which can be heard in the playing of the following sitarists:
Open jawari (Khola)--Ravi Shankar.
Medium jawari--Nikhil Banerjee.
Closed jawari (Bhand)--Vilayat Khan.
The surface curves in the diagrams below are exaggerated by about 50% so the differences can be seen.
Looking at those "exaggerated" diagrams, we can see a bit more the difference between the shapes of the surface of the bridge and their related physics of the sound they produce.
Before attempting to do any jawari, one must understand the physics of the multi- oscillations when a string vibrate at a particular note, say MA. There are places on the string that oscillate less than others which are called "nodes". They divide the string in equal parts which produce what we call "harmonics".
So the 1st NOD divides the string in 2 parts producing the harmonics MA one octave higher (2 harmonics, one of each side of the nod). The 2nd series of nods divides the string in 3 parts producing the harmonics ShA one and a half octave higher (3 harmonics, one on each outside of the 2 nods and one in between). The 3rd series of nods divides the string in 4 parts producing the harmonics MA two octaves higher. And so on. The higher the series of nods, the closer to the bridge the last NOD is.
Now, the ingenuity of the sitar bridge is to amplify the highest harmonics by friction in a fashion so it produces the same tone all the way up the neck AND all the way along each fret for the meends.
Just to make things "easier", each sitar string has its own particular bending properties, so what did work to jawari one string will not necessarily work for the others.
Well, we shall keep an eye on them who are in the process of making a series of videos of the repairs for all Indian musical instruments.
Ahhh. . . . .the elusive repair videos and books, we'll all look forward to that!
In regards to closed jawari, don't know if it's easier. It's a pleasant tone though, I have one sitar that's very closed. I prefer half and half myself. Good luck on your project!
Lars
Hey- I was talking to John from Buckingham awhile back and he said that the jawari will open over time. So if you start out with a Vilayat jarawi will you end up with a Shankar-like jawari later on, after it has "opened up"?
I think if you can play for 4 hours aday then the closed Jawari will open up, but for those of us who can't play that much we're stuck needing to ether lean how to perform jawari, or find someone nearby to do it for us. . . . . .peace
