Nadaswaram
(नादस्वरम्)The nadaswaram is South India's principal double-reed instrument, for temple music, weddings and Carnatic concerts: aacha or jackwood body, circular breathing, tavil accompaniment.
£350 - £2,000
Basic student nadaswarams start around £350; mid-range instruments with good bores and tuning cost £700 to £1,200; professional instruments from master craftsmen in Tiruvarur or Kumbakonam, with matched reeds and adjustable vent holes, cost £1,200 to £2,000. Choose bari or timiri first, and ask us whether the body is aged aacha.
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Meet the musical tradition, its practitioners and ways to learn.
History & Origins
What is the nadaswaram?
The nadaswaram (also nagaswaram) is the principal double-reed instrument of South Indian music, one of the loudest acoustic instruments in the world, and ours suits the temple musician and the concert player. It belongs to the mangala vadya, the auspicious instruments, and sounds at dawn and dusk rituals, weddings and festivals across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. It carries across temple courtyards and processions.
What makes a great nadaswaram
The body is turned from one piece of aged aacha wood, the traditional timber, or from blackwood or jackwood, with a conical bore widening to a flared bell. Seven finger holes run down the front, with a row of lower holes that players stop with wax to tune. A double reed of grass or cane sits straight in the top, with no mouthpiece. The larger bari sounds lower, the smaller timiri higher. Narasinghapettai's nagaswaram holds a Geographical Indication, and makers in Tiruvarur and Kumbakonam build to order.
How it is played
Players use circular breathing, drawing air through the nose while the cheeks keep the reed sounding, and shape gamaka by shading each hole with the finger pad. A recital runs alapana, kritis and improvised passages in tala. With it play the tavil, a barrel drum played with a padded stick and bare fingers, and a second nadaswaram or an ottu drone pipe held by a supporting player. In the temple it leads the periya melam.
The nadaswaram belongs to the old family of double-reed instruments called shennai or shankha-nada, and its name joins nada (sound) and swaram (note). Stone carvings of the Chola and Pallava periods (7th to 13th centuries CE) and temple records from Chidambaram, Madurai and Tirupati tie it to ritual, and Vijayanagara grants of the 1400s name the nagaswaram. Its hereditary players in the Thanjavur region came from the Nattuvar and Melakkarar communities.
In the 20th century it moved from temple forecourts to sabha stages. T. N. Rajarathinam Pillai (1898–1956) of Thiruvaduthurai led those who adapted it, giving full raga recitals as singers and vainikas did, and received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1955; Karukurichi Arunachalam (1921–1964) carried it further for a generation of players.
Sheik Chinna Moulana (1924–1999), a Telugu-speaking Muslim from a hereditary family, succeeded in a field the Isai Vellalar of Thanjavur dominated, recorded widely, took it abroad and founded an ashram at Srirangam. Hereditary families, fewer than before, keep its oral tradition of temple repertoire and concert technique; urban students now learn it. It still plays at most major temple festivals in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, with makers in Tiruvarur, Kumbakonam and Chennai.
Construction & Craftsmanship
Construction Process
The body is turned from one piece of aged aacha wood (Hardwickia binata), sometimes salvaged from old buildings, or from jackwood (Artocarpus heterophyllus) or blackwood (Dalbergia latifolia), all chosen for density, stability and a warm-bright tone in the bore. It runs about 60–65 cm, more on a large bari, with a conical bore widening from reed to bell for full overtones and outdoor carrying power; a cylindrical bore would sound narrower, like a clarinet. The exterior is lacquered, often with painted bands; a brass or copper bell flare adds projection and upper-octave brightness, and some bells are wood.
Seven finger holes and a thumb hole are spaced for the twelve-semitone Carnatic scale. Below them a row of small unfingered holes, five or seven, shapes the lower register; players plug some with wax to tune.
The double reed, seevali in Tamil, is Kaveri-bank grass or cane (Arundo donax), dried, soaked, scraped to a flat oval and bound to a metal staple that sits straight in the bore. Hardness, width and opening set pitch stability, brightness and ease of circular breathing; players make their own or buy from reed-makers, and carry several with a clearing needle. Narasinghapettai Nagaswaram holds a Geographical Indication.
Maintenance & Care
- Reeds: Soak the reed a few minutes before playing. Carry several, adjust each for tone and response, and clear saliva with the small needle tied to the instrument. Store reeds ventilated and out of sun, never force a dry reed onto the staple, and discard cracked or mouldy ones.
- Bore: Swab it after each session and let the instrument air-dry 30 minutes before casing, or moisture breeds mould, softens the wood and warps the bore.
- Tuning holes: Check the wax in the lower holes before each performance and clear any that has crept into a neighbour with a pin.
- Finger holes and wood: Rough edges spoil partial covering and tuning: we re-bore and smooth them. Wipe the body dry and avoid sudden moves between dry outdoor and humid indoor air, which crack the lacquer and, at worst, the wood.
- Bell: A loose bell rattles and loses projection: re-wrap the joint with waxed thread.
Technical Specifications
Detailed specifications for the Nadaswaram
Physical dimensions
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Total length | 60–65 cm |
| Bore type | Conical; widens from reed end to bell |
| Bore diameter (narrow end) | Approximately 7–9 mm |
| Bell diameter | 10–14 cm (metal flare) |
| Weight | 0.6–1.0 kg |
Body & construction
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Body material | Aacha wood (Hardwickia binata), jackwood (Artocarpus heterophyllus) or blackwood (Dalbergia latifolia) |
| Bell material | Brass or copper flare, press-fit or thread-wrapped; wood on some instruments |
| Finger holes | 7 main + 1 thumb hole, plus a row of small lower holes |
| Vent hole tuning | Selected lower holes plugged with wax to adjust tone and the pitch of individual notes |
| Finish | Lacquered exterior; painted bands at the joints; thread wrapping and tassels at the top on some |
Reed system
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Reed type | Double reed (seevali) of Kaveri-bank grass or cane (Arundo donax), scraped and bound to a metal staple |
| Reed length | Approximately 6–8 cm including staple |
| Mouthpiece | None; reed inserted directly into bore |
| Reed life | Typically a few sessions; players carry several, some hung below the top of the instrument |
| Reed preparation | Soak in water 2–3 minutes before playing to restore flexibility; cut to pitch by the reed-maker |
Playing technique
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Breathing technique | Circular breathing, essential for sustained alapana |
| Gamaka method | Partial and three-quarter hole cover, shading with the finger pad, with breath and embouchure |
| Playing position | Seated or standing; instrument held at 45-degree downward angle |
| Pitch range | Approximately 2.5 octaves |
| Register change | Achieved by increased lip pressure and breath support, not a register key |
Acoustic characteristics
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Tonal character | Bright, penetrating, rich in harmonics, with a full overtone series from the conical bore |
| Volume | Among the loudest acoustic instruments, piercingly loud; 100–110 dB at source outdoors |
| Ensemble role | Lead melody, with the tavil for rhythm and the ottu for drone |
| Optimal setting | Outdoor temple courtyards, processional routes and open sabha stages |
| Microphone use | Distance mic preferred in concert settings; close-micing overloads at forte |
Available Instruments
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Embouchure and reed control
Circular breathing
Hole coverage and gamaka
Raga alapana and kritis
Ensemble and temple repertoire
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the nadaswaram of South India?
The nadaswaram is a South Indian double-reed wind instrument with a conical bore. It leads the periya melam, the South Indian temple ensemble, with the tavil drum. It belongs to the mangala vadya, the auspicious instruments, and is played at most South Indian Hindu weddings and temple rituals. It is described as one of the world's loudest non-brass acoustic instruments.
What wood is a nadaswaram made from?
The body of a nadaswaram is traditionally turned from aacha wood, identified as Hardwickia binata. Makers prefer old, well-seasoned wood, sometimes salvaged from old buildings. The flared bell at the foot is wood on many instruments and metal on others, and a catalogued instrument has a wide brass band wrapped below the finger holes.
What is the nadaswaram reed made from?
The double reed of the nadaswaram is called seevali in Tamil, aku in Telugu and peepi in Kannada. It is cut from a dried grass or cane found on the banks of the Kaveri, then soaked and shaved to the required pitch. Players keep spare reeds and a small ivory or horn needle tied to the instrument to clear the reed.
How many holes does a nadaswaram have?
A nadaswaram has seven finger holes on the front of the body. Below them are five further holes, called brahma swaram in one catalogue, which can be stopped with wax to adjust tone and tuning. No source describes a thumb hole on the instrument. On a catalogued bari instrument, a wide brass band is wrapped below the finger holes, above the five lower holes.
What are the bari and timiri types of nadaswaram?
The two main types of nadaswaram are the bari, also written pari, which is larger and lower-pitched, and the timiri, which is smaller, higher-pitched and closer in size to the shehnai. A catalogued bari instrument measures about 91 cm long, with a bell about 16 cm across. Other sources give typical lengths of 76 to 95 cm.
What instruments play with the nadaswaram?
The nadaswaram leads the periya melam, the South Indian temple ensemble. The ensemble traditionally consists of nadaswaram, tavil drum, ottu, a drone reed pipe, and talam cymbals, organised around the lead nadaswaram player. The nadaswaram and tavil are mangala vadyam, instruments considered auspicious, and are heard together at temple rituals and Hindu weddings in South India.
Where are nadaswarams made?
Narasingapettai, a village near Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, is home to nadaswaram makers; in 2015 four families there still made the instrument by hand, PARI reported. They turn it from aacha wood that must be at least 75 to 100 years old, often taken from the lintels and pillars of old homes. Each piece needs three people to make.
Who are the best-known nadaswaram players?
T. N. Rajarattinam Pillai, known as the Nadaswaram Chakravarthy, modified the nadaswaram's structure and gave it a prominent place on the concert stage; he died in 1958. Sheik Chinna Moulana, from a hereditary family of players in Karavadi, Andhra Pradesh, studied with Rajarattinam Pillai's disciples at Nachiarkovil and settled in Srirangam. Scroll describes him as the first nadaswaram artiste to travel to the West.
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