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Thread: Indian mandolin

  1. #26
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Indian mandolin

    Try looking up Aravind's user profile and sending him a private message. If you can get a Tulsi sent to the United States for only $200, that seems like a pretty good deal to me. It's about the same price as the GoldTone, or a little less.

    I've heard of Carnatic singing teachers in the U.S.; is there anyone here teaching Carnatic mandolin?

    Srinivas is coming to Portland, Oregon in May, so watch out for other possible tour dates.
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

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  2. #27
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    Default Re: Indian mandolin

    Sure thanks. I am not aware of anyone in US teaching carnatic mandolin, but did find out that I can get someone to teach me thru skype from India. One of my buddies is learning carnatic violin thru skype for past few years and have made significant progress

  3. #28
    Registered User jmp's Avatar
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    Default Re: Indian mandolin

    Srinivas pretty much invented carnatic mandolin not that long ago in the scheme of things, so I don't think there is critical mass out there for carnatic mandolin teachers yet. However since it is basically a vocal tradition that can be transferred to musical instruments such as tabla, sitar, etc., and since there are a number of carnatic music schools and music teachers around, it is possible to learn the traditional musical vocabulary and realize it via mandolin, as indeed Srinivas did. What is exciting is that the "how to" for carnatic mandolin is still being invented.

  4. #29
    Brentrup Evangelist Larry S Sherman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Indian mandolin

    Aravind is very active on Facebook...might be best to look for him there. He's a great guy.

    Larry

  5. #30
    music with whales Jim Nollman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Indian mandolin

    I'm in India until march first, and I fly home out of chennai. And I made the mistake that I could live without a mandolin for six weeks, since there was no way I'd travel here with any of my own instruments. I should have bought a Kay or some such inexpensive instrument. I can feel my muscle memory dwindling along with my callouses.

    I've stepped into every instrument store I've seen on my journey. Most of the shop keepers know what a mandolin is, and one even mentioned Srinavas, but I have not seen any mandolins for sale yet. If I find the school mentioned here, I'll report back.
    Explore some of my published music here.

    —Jim

    Sierra F5 #30 (2005)
    Altman 2-point (2007)
    Portuguese fado cittern (1965)

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  7. #31
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Indian mandolin

    Hi Jim! I don't know about the rest of India; it seems Chennai would be the place to find a mandolin if you're going to find one. Maybe Aravind can help you out as well. Check here for contact info for Tulsi Venkobasha, who makes Carnatic 5-strings similar to the one Srinivas uses:

    http://www.emando.com/builders_active/Madras.htm
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

    Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!

    Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls

  8. #32

    Default Re: Indian mandolin

    There is one like it on eBay. "Carnatic mandolin"

  9. #33
    ISO TEKNO delsbrother's Avatar
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    Default Re: Indian mandolin

    Weren't some of the pix in that ad taken directly from the Cafe discussions?

    In any case, if it's similar to the one I purchased (and returned) off of eBay it really isn't anything special - and certainly not $500-special. YMMV

  10. #34
    music with whales Jim Nollman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Indian mandolin

    The most interesting instrument I've seen on my trip, so far, is a mandolin sized sitar.
    Explore some of my published music here.

    —Jim

    Sierra F5 #30 (2005)
    Altman 2-point (2007)
    Portuguese fado cittern (1965)

  11. #35

    Default Re: Indian mandolin

    I had one made by Lahore House. Fairly loud mandolin of average quality. It was a proper "Indian mandolin". Not just mandolin that was made in India, but a mandolin family instrument in between of mandolin and mandola in size. Tuned differently. I tried to tune it GDAE, but strings broke, so had to tune it lower.

    http://www.lmhindia.com/str_instrument/index.htm

    My mando was an old stock branded St. Louis in black paint on a soundoard. But it was also bearing Lahore House label inside. Now they brand their mandolins "Givson". Ha ha, smart marketing, they think. I've recently seen a pic of reasonably attractive emando under that brand, probably made by the same mob.

    Click image for larger version. 

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  12. #36
    ISO TEKNO delsbrother's Avatar
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    Default Re: Indian mandolin

    Considering the popularity of U. Srinivas in India (certainly on par with the best mandolin players in the US), it's surprising to me how few Indian mandolins there are - at judging by their scarcity online. Though I suppose you could say there aren't many US-made sitars around either.

  13. #37

    Default Re: Indian mandolin

    I may be going to Chennai on business later this year... thanks for the info above.

  14. #38
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    Default Re: Indian mandolin

    I ordered the carnatic mandolin from Chennai from Sapthaswara Musicals.

    The address is

    Mylapore Showroom

    No :165, R.H Road,
    Opp. Sanskrit College and Anjaneya Temple,
    Mylapore, Madras - 600 004.

    Tel : +91-44-2499 64 98 / 4214 64 98.
    Fax : +91-44-2498 64 98.

    Email : saptaswaramusicals@gmail.com

    website : http://www.saptaswara.in

    Will get it by this week.

  15. #39
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    Default Re: Indian mandolin

    The maker is Tulsi. I called Tulsi's Madras Musicals and heard that they opened another showroom Crimson Musicals near Anna Flyover. Shipping was a problem for them and the only other place that was ready to ship was Sapthaswara Musicals. There was not much price difference between them

  16. #40
    music with whales Jim Nollman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Indian mandolin

    Just returned from India. I heard lots of carnatic music on fiddle and flute, but none on mandolin. In Mysore, I visited three music stores, one of which had two mandolins by the Givson company. They were nothing i wanted to buy, or even try out.

    In Chennai i visited a very large music store that stocked the same kind of gear you find in any store in the States, including keyboards, sound systems, and Fender and Gibson knockoffs. I saw one of those mandolins with the "rhino horn" upper bout. It had been there quite a while, was not in tune, and once again, it didn't interest me very much.

    I spent so much time in music stores, mostly trying to locate a Sarangi, which is an ancient north Indian bowed instrument with 26 strings. I was ready to buy. Surprisingly (for me at least), i couldn't find one anywhere, and some of the music store people didn't even know what i was talking about. It seemed a bit like visiting a large US store looking for a psaltery or a krumhorn. I was told that I'd do much better looking in a few classical instrument stores in Mumbai or Delhi.

    The Indian stringed instrument you see most often in the stores, even more often than sitars (which were low quality in all the stores i visited) , are veenas. They are generally gorgeous with double bowls, and a deep whiny tone.
    Explore some of my published music here.

    —Jim

    Sierra F5 #30 (2005)
    Altman 2-point (2007)
    Portuguese fado cittern (1965)

  17. #41
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Indian mandolin

    My friend Sue went to Chennai recently and took a lesson from Srinivas!

    I was hunting around recently and came up with some old LP covers that show the evolution of Srinivas' instrument:

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Here you can see he's playing a conventional 8-string electric mandolin that still has 8 tuners on it, although it appears that he's not using the top 2 tuners.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    A little older here -- same instrument but he's removed those top 2 tuners altogether.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    A little older still -- now with a Sahmax. It's a copy of the previous instrument except for the shortened headstock, with room for only 6 tuners. And he's used an instrument like this one more or less ever since.
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

    Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!

    Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls

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  19. #42
    Ursus Mandolinus Fretbear's Avatar
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    Default Re: Indian mandolin

    Those are born musicians' fingers....
    But Amsterdam was always good for grieving
    And London never fails to leave me blue
    And Paris never was my kinda town
    So I walked around with the Ft. Worth Blues

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