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title: 'What are the basic mridangam strokes?'
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date: '2026-10-19T14:56:55+00:00'
updated: '2026-10-19T22:09:00+00:00'
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summary: 'Mridangam students learn strokes through spoken syllables; there are at least 12 right-hand strokes and three main left-hand strokes, including the gumki.'
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# What are the basic mridangam strokes?

 Updated 19 October 2026

 Students of the **[mridangam](/instrument/mridangam)** learn rhythm through spoken syllables (sollu) tied to hand positions, without reading notation. Wesleyan counts at least 12 right-hand strokes and three main left-hand strokes: a flat-hand slap, an open bass stroke, and the gumki, in which a wrist slide stretches the skin and raises the pitch. A research dataset distinguishes 10 strokes, including tha, thi, thom and num.



 

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- [   Mridangam The mridangam is the double-headed jackfruit-wood barrel drum of Carnatic music. Its treble and bass heads give the full range of strokes, from the open tha to…     ](/en-int/instrument/mridangam)
 
  

 

 

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