Ghatamघटम

A ghatam is a clay pot that musicians play as a percussion instrument in the Carnatic music of south India. The player strikes it with the fingers, the palms and the heels of the hands.

The player changes the pitch by pressing the open mouth of the pot against the stomach. The ghatam has one opening, its mouth. The udu, a clay pot drum from Nigeria, has a second hole in its side, which the player strikes with the open palm for a bass tone.

For the north Indian hand drums, see What is a tabla?

You can learn the ghatam with KalaSudha online and in workshops, and as a beginner you start at Foundation level. Foundation sets the pot in your lap and teaches its three primary tones, from the metallic finger strike to the bass at the mouth. We teach children as well as adults; ask us about a starting age and about a pot size for a younger learner.

After a long break, start again where you left off. Our courses are set out in levels, and your teacher first hears where you stand.

A ghatam starts as clay. In one Manamadurai workshop, makers mix pond clay with fine sand from the Vaigai river, shape the pot on a wheel, then beat the walls thousands of times with a wooden paddle against a stone held inside. The pot drops from about 16 kg to about 8 kg, dries in shade for about two weeks and fires for about 12 hours.

A ghatam's pitch, or shruti, stays essentially fixed once it is made, so professional players keep several pots and choose the one nearest the soloist's shruti. Size governs pitch: larger pots sound lower. Players can lower the pitch a quarter to half a note with plasticine or clay on the outside, or by wetting the pot.

To play the ghatam, the player sits cross-legged with the pot on the lap and its mouth towards the stomach. Fingers, thumbs, nails, palms and the heels of the hands strike the neck, shoulder and base for different tones. Changing the pressure of the mouth against the abdomen varies tone and pitch. Players can also turn the pot so the mouth faces the audience and play the neck.

The age of the ghatam is disputed. P. Sambamoorthy wrote that the Ramayana mentions the mud pot as a time-keeping instrument, but a 1984 Sruti writer found no ghatam reference in classical Tamil literature. Concert use is better documented: Palani Krishna Iyer (1876 to 1908) brought it to the Carnatic stage, and before that the pot served mainly as a folk instrument. Later players include T. H. Vikku Vinayakram, Sukanya Ramgopal and Giridhar Udupa.

Manamadurai ghatams, from Tamil Nadu's best-known ghatam-making centre, are the heaviest and thickest type. They need more finger force and give a sharp metallic ring that some players prefer. Ghatams from Chennai (Madras) and Bengaluru are lighter and thinner, and the Madras type is described as easier to play and better suited to beginners.

When choosing a ghatam, start with pitch. Size sets pitch, and larger pots sound lower. A pot's exact shruti is known only once it is finished, so test it with a tuner or with your accompanist against the music you will play. Check that the tone stays consistent around the neck, and weigh the heavier Manamadurai type against lighter pots.

KalaSudha sells the ghatam to players outside India, by quote or made to order, and we deliver worldwide. We pack every pot for international shipping; ask us about cases and insurance.

We service and repair any ghatam, wherever you bought it, in any country: ask us. Ask us for a spare part or a case, too. For help with your ghatam after the sale, write to [email protected] or use the chat on any page. For gift vouchers, class sets for schools or a flight case for travel, ask us too.

The Manamadurai ghatam has a Geographical Indication (GI) application, number 1986 in the handicrafts class, and the GI registry shows its status. Two bodies applied: the Process and Product Development Centre in Chennai, part of India's Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, and the Tamil Nadu Handicraft Development Corporation. Manamadurai is a town near Madurai in Sivaganga district, Tamil Nadu, and the best-known centre of ghatam making. Its pots are the heaviest and thickest type of ghatam.

A ghatam is sturdier than it looks. One professional player reports only a couple cracking across his career; he carries them in padded Rexene bags with tough exteriors and uses sturdier cases for international travel. Chips, pitting and uneven colour are common on handmade pots, and sellers treat them as cosmetic. A ring base or cushion keeps the pot steady.

Yes: KalaSudha can book a ghatam player for your concert, event or recording. A ghatam player can join the mridangam in a Carnatic concert or take the solo stage. Ask us through our page to book Indian classical musicians, and hear our artists in KalaSudha's recordings and concert videos.

Well-known ghatam players include Vikku Vinayakram, born in 1942, and his brother T. H. Subash Chandran. Vinayakram played in Shakti from its 1975 debut and took the solo ghatam worldwide; Subash Chandran extended its solo technique.

The first ghatam player with a dated concert record is Palani Krishna Iyer (1876 to 1908), in Madras in 1897. Umayalpuram Kodandarama Iyer later raised the instrument's concert standing.

Both are clay pots played with the hands, from different traditions. The ghatam belongs to Carnatic music in South India. The udu comes from the Igbo people of Nigeria, where it began as a water jug with an extra hole in its side.

They make their bass differently. A ghatam player seals and releases its single mouth against the abdomen for the deep gumki. An udu player strikes the large hole for a bass note. The Metropolitan Museum of Art classes its udu as both an aerophone and an idiophone; the ghatam, with no membrane, is an idiophone.