Madal | Folk Musical Instruments


By iMartNepal 6 years ago 39403

Long Black Madal$94.20

Madal is a drum made of a hollowed tree trunk with skins stretched at both ends. It contains a black layer known as Khari in Nepal. It is played with both hands and is very popular in the hills of Nepal. The Madal consists of a cylindrical body with a slight bulge at its center and heads at both ends, one head larger than the other. Madal is a popular folk musical instrument of Nepal. It symbolizes Nepali music and the history of Nepali arts. Especially it is famous in folk songs, events like weddings and welcome parties and recordings of other kinds of music.

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Madal, one of the most popular double-headed hand drums played in Nepalese society and has there been from the early 20th century.

The word Madal has been formed from the Sanskrit word “Mandala”. Madal being a national musical instrument of the country is the essential element of the Nepali folk music industry. Making it as a lead instrument many songs has been prepared by different Nepalese folk song singer.

It has a vital role in forming the bonding of love between family crew and friends and society. It has taken the hearts of people from the hilly area of Nepal and its associated region.

When is Madal played?

Madal is played generally in the festival Dashain, Tihar, and other festivals among the different tribes of Assam, Magar community. Different tribes play Madal on different occasions. Hiking, camping, get together with friends and family are some areas where we can listen to and enjoy music.

Kids, youth, and olds love dancing on the beat of this instrument. It is really creative drum which makes a nice sound and is very fun to listen to. Accompanied by cool tones and really fun to use it. Easy to carry. You can jam up with any musical play. This is a cool percussion instrument and would really enjoy it playing it now. Not only Madal, but people also enjoy the music of sarangi and meditating the healing sound of singing bowls.

What is Madal Body made of?

Earlier, its body was made with the burnt clay but nowadays it is made of wood also. The body of Madal is exact as a cylinder shape leaving hollow at both ends. One end of the structure is smaller named “Daayan” and the next ends in bigger named “Bayan” as compared to another.

The hollow structure formed from the wood is called “Ghar”. The ends of the hollow structure are then covered with the skin of either goat/ox/monkey/buffalo on both sides. It is like the shape of the dish, round in structure.

On the top of that round structure dish we see a black spot layered, this is known as “Khari”. It is made up of iron fillings, flour, and egg which provide it to be black in color and a nice paste to stick to the skin for a longer period of time.

“Khari” adds weight to the skin and helps in producing additional sound. This also acts as a sound controller for the drum. The skid plate on both ends is attached with leather rope and round rings tightly on a continuous loop around the body of the drum.

Why is the additional rope attached to Madal?

An additional rope is added in order for the drum to fit on the performer’s body on a horizontal position either of the waist or on the knees making it comfortable to play with both hands. Once preparation is done tuning is made by leather strands and adjustment of round rings up and down on the body of the drum.

You can buy Madal in our online store. Your dream of playing can just be fulfilled by adding it to your cart and making an order of this cool stuff in simple steps. It can be ordered in different sizes as per your choice.