Anubhav Thapaliya
“Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit and never dies.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
I have been playing the Nepali madal and other western drums for a few years as a beginner. Right from my babyhood days, I have been listening to music. I was born in Nepal where music holds a substantial value in its culture. Since I was nine I have been playing and learning the madal and other drums here in the USA. I wanted to write about my connection with drums. I am writing this short article to show the worthiness of folk drums from Nepal and to depict how all the folk drums around the world have a strong connection with each other.
Recently, I participated in an online talent show organized by Himalayan Art Language and Cultural Academy by playing many beats on the madal, coming all the way from different parts of Nepali folk cultures. I also tried to play other percussion instruments as well, besides the madal. During this event, I got opportunities to learn about the Madal from different teachers. The reflections of the judges on my performance made me more curious to learn more about this treasure of folk music.
The madal to me is my heartbeat with a musical flow. This does not just apply to the madal alone but also to other folk percussion instruments. The madal is easily accessible but holds a strong value in music from Nepal. It is a drum made out of wood, goatskin, and different spices to make a better treble sound. I have played various percussion instruments like the drum set, madal, bongos, auxiliaries, kahoon, Jambe and others. The madal is played all over Nepal though there is no official evidence to establish when the madal was invented. It is mentioned in many mythical stories that make it a very old and valuable folk instrument. The word ‘madal’ comes from the Sanskrit term ‘mandala’.
The madal is a very essential element to the songs and dance in Nepal. Almost every folk song and pop song you can hear use some variation of a madal beat playing in the background. The madal is such a diverse instrument.
In different parts of Nepal, there are different styles of playing it. Three are also different beats created by different places and regions of Nepal. For example, The Newari beats and tal come from the Newari people who live in the Kathmandu Valley area. Their beats have a strong relationship with different gods, goddesses, and rituals. It holds a strong spiritual connection between the mass culture and the gods and goddesses. Two years ago, I attended the Indra Jatra festival organized by Boston Nepalese community members. During the event I played the dhimi to the Lakhe dance which is one of very popular Newari rituals and dance played during Jatras.
There are many dances in the Newari culture that use the drums but the Lakhe dance is a very well known dance. The Dhime drum is played during the Lakhe dance and it serves a very big purpose. Each beat played on the Dhime is instructing the Lahke dance to step. The dancer has to listen to the Dhime so they could move according to the beat. The crash symbols assist the Dhime on the offbeat so when the Dhime is not being played on the specified beat the crash symbols come in.
Nepal is known for many mountains. Those mountains are beautiful and they hold a very strong presence in the folk industry of Nepal. One example of a beat from the mountain area in Nepal is known as the Tamang Selo beat, which can be played on the madal but also two other percussion instruments. It can be played on the damfoo which is similar to a large tambourine which creates a treble plus bass sound and the Dhime which is a larger madal which amplifies louder sound. One very famous Tamang Selo song played in Nepal is called “Changba hoi Changba”. This song is very heavily relied on the Tamang Selo beat. This was the first real beat I learned because it was an easy beat and it is played in many popular folk songs in Nepal. Like all other beats, the Tamang Selo can be played in double beats as well. You can go from quarter notes to eight notes, six-teenth notes and even more. Another well-known Himalayan beat is called the Shebru tal. The Shebru tal comes from the Sherpas and their beat is primarily supported by heavy bass.
Let’s talk about the main popular Madal beats from Nepal. One of the most well known beats from Nepal which is called the Jhyaure tal. Most of the popular songs are played in this folk beat. The beat goes like this: (Dhin ta nak dhin na). “Beni Ko Bajara” is a famous song where the “Jhyaure tal” is played. Another popular folk beat is known as “Khyali”. The notes for this beat goes like this : (Ghin ta -nak dhin dhina). One popular song that consists of the “Khyali tal” is called “Resham Firiri’”. Another beat played on the Madal is called the Hudka beat which is more bass heavy. It can go fast and slow and it goes along with the Hudka dance from the western part of Nepal. Similarly, in the eastern part of Nepal the Maurini beat is played. It is also used for dances, and both folk dances are completely different to each other. The “Tappa” beat is known as one of the fastest beats played on the Madal. It exhilarates the crowd and when you want to make someone dance the “Tappa” beat is one of the go to beats. There are many ways to play the beat itself but it is more treble relied and one famous Nepali song played in this beat is “Sakeu Nani Skaue Nani” by Pandav Sunuwar and Basudev Munal. One similarity between the drum-set from the western culture and the medal and other folk instruments from the eastern culture is that they all have fills. Fills is a transition beat played in between to go one from beat to beat. In both western and eastern music the fill is played to move on from beat to beat. When the drums are being played while someone is singing the fill can mandate the vocalists to sing again after the fill. When the madal plays a fill it tells the singer to go one with the singing and it resumes the beat of the song.
Music has a lot of variety. You can learn a lot from just listening to other cultures, playing their own beat and their own unique music. Music is a universal language. Other drums played in places around the worlds like Africa, Europe, South America, Asia and North America are all unique in the same way but at the end of the day they are all drums. Drums around the world share similarities and one big similarity that all cultural drums can relate to is that the drum is the heartbeat and the soul of culture. For example in Africa drums hold a very deep meaning. The drums in Africa are even played in political events, social events, ceremonies and religious rituals. It is more than the physical aspect of the drum. It is symbolic. In Africa the drums are used for an alarm. The drum powers up so much sound and even emotion that it is used to alert others. Just like in Nepal the folk percussion instruments are very loud and they amplify the sound to bring people of the community together. Around 2-3 years ago, I was playing in a circle of people and we all were taking lessons on the Jambe which is made out of rope and skin cover. The Jambe is originally from West Africa. One goal I have is to also make a drum circle of Nepalese folk percussion instruments.
In conclusion, folk drums from Nepal are very diverse. A diverse mix of folk beats is what makes Nepali music breathtaking. There are different beats played in parts of Nepal. There are so many Madal beats and Nepalese drums that I could not fit in this short article. Music is a universal language and connects to every corner of the world. It connects to your soul spiritually and it brings us together. The folk drums from Nepal can relate to other drums around the world and that is the beauty of music. Our traditional folk percussions hold the same rich value as other percussion instruments around the world. Now our job is to expose our traditional folk drums to the world’s stage.
[Anubhav Thapaliya is a professional madal player, based in the US. He has gained a lot of popularity in the genre in a young age.]