கடசிங்காரி - இளையராஜாவின் குறிப்பிடத்தக்க இசை ஆயுதம்

For many years I didn't know the name of the instrument whose sound I loved in many IR songs.

I remember even asking in tfmpage the name of the rhythm instrument that produces those unique sounds in a number of songs and unfortunately don't remember anyone responding to my question then.

Recently the "App Jackey" Jayachandran of #MaestrosApp helped me identify the name of this instrument (It's almost an "eurekA" feeling )

Of course, IR talks about this instrument in the youtube where he showcases the native rhythm instruments in a program on a Malayalam TV channel, in a conversation with M G Srikumar and I heard the name of the instrument at that point of time. However, never realized the kind of sounds it produces and in what songs it got deployed etc.

Now I'm aware.

In this thread, I'll be hosting online links / youtubes etc. of some songs where this instrument got used as a terrific "weapon" (ஆயுதம்) by the master to win us over

In this youtube (which is a capture of Amrita TV program a few years back), one can see IR doing a small demo of gata singAri at around 3:25 :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMTI4FpjZa8


இளையராஜா : கட சிங்காரி

எம்ஜி ஸ்ரீகுமார் : நல்ல பேரானு

இளையராஜா : "சிங்காரி"யானது கொண்டு நல்ல பேராயித் தோணுன்னு

I think I posted this elsewhere before:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmFDGFzhbv8

panniapurathar wrote:I think I posted this elsewhere before:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmFDGFzhbv8

மிகச்சிறப்பு!

பகிர்ந்தமைக்கு நன்றி சார்!

தொடக்கமே கடசிங்காரி கொண்டு தான்

IR's percussionist Jaicha says the instrument (a combo of katam with another skin instrument on its mouth) is his father's design / invention (His father's name is Singaram and the instrument got named after him - albeit changing the gender).

Awesome!

In the above video, gata singAri gets featured with the following songs for its variety of rasams (with the interviewer singing the songs and JaichA playing the rhythm instrument) :

pachcha malappoovu
then pANdichchemaiyilE thErOdum veedhiyilE
katta vaNdi katta vaNdi
rAsAvE onna nambi

So, I need not worry about searching out these songs and showcasing how the instrument got featured.

I'll start picking other numbers where I enjoyed this instrument and start catalog-ing some significant ones!

app_engine wrote:

panniapurathar wrote:I think I posted this elsewhere before:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmFDGFzhbv8

மிகச்சிறப்பு!

பகிர்ந்தமைக்கு நன்றி சார்!

தொடக்கமே கடசிங்காரி கொண்டு தான்

IR's percussionist Jaicha says the instrument (a combo of katam with another skin instrument on its mouth) is his father's design / invention (His father's name is Singaram and the instrument got named after him - albeit changing the gender).

Awesome!

App sir!  Another great thread by you!  Looking forward.  BTW, the Paa series of videos by this interviewer (Sridevi) has at least three amazing Raja sir percussionists.  They are all exceptionally talented and have been with our Rasa for decades.

I was wondering if I should do it random or do it like "pick a song or two from each year and showcase".

Let me do it the way I normally do - start from 1976 and that will suit me better
(I'll leave it to other participants to throw in random numbers as they wish - please feel free)

Since JaychA himself mentions annakkiLi in that video, IR's first album should be included in the first set of songs getting featured in this thread

Well, I don't remember spotting or appreciating this sound in the biggest hit "machchAnappaaththeengaLA"  - perhaps IR wanted to showcase "urumi mELam" in that song and made it the main curiosity. He wanted other songs to do the honor for gata singAri

So, he made gata singAri a significant player for the title song, annakkiiLi onnaththEdudhE!

Please look for that sound in the end of the prelude - a sound which is similar to the sound of chembOththu, supposedly the national bird of Thamizh Eezham, as per the wiki article on  செம்போத்து - that used to always arouse my curiosity as to "what instrument was that".

Well, now we know it is gata singAri. IR also deployed it in the background for pallavi. Interestingly, he never "overuses" this instrument. அளவாகப் பயன்படுத்தி அழகு சேர்ப்பது என்பது ராசாவுக்கு எப்போதுமே கைவந்த கலை அல்லவா?

Enjoy the song in this youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnCge4x-df0


Well, the instrument is also featured in sondhamillai bandhamillai of the same album - once again in the pallavi background. It also gets featured in the second interlude.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGKC65dMmMo

The prelude of 'adi rAkkAyi mookkAyi' has this instrument too. It gets thrown in here and there in the song otherwise too, possibly, for some special effects:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do7-snLBYuI

That way, IR started deploying this weapon - a main part of his overall arsenal - right from the first battle

Now over to badhrakALi - that famous super hit 'vAngOnnA' - here IR liberally uses all kinds of country drums that he could think of. (for e.g. uRumi gets featured in both first and second interludes).

That way, how could he miss out his favorite singAri? Though in a limited way but to some special effect, IR deploys it in the 3rd interlude of this song! I could imagine JaychA impatiently waiting to play that part!

kEttELE ingE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWAWdV7sP0w

He freely plays around with gata singAri in the folk duet "oththa roobA onakkuththAREn" (as a background, in interludes etc)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQg5qIFNXrw

When kavingar wrote the first song for IR, welcoming him as "கண்ணா நீ ஓடி வா, ராஜா வா, ராஜா வா", our man happily arranged the background keeping his singAri as mainstay. For the pallavi "kola kolayA mundhirikkA" - this sound is the main background, giving the "zoom, zoom" feeling:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylfCsR4GMx4


As one could see from the above samples, IR appropriately deployed gata singAri for a number of songs in his first year and those became super hits and this sound immediately captured the attention of lot of TN-ers, yours truly included! Unfortunately, all those years (and even during the years spent in tfmpage / mayyam etc) didn't identify this special instrument for me

One could also see that IR didn't use this instrument in a monotonous way - each song uses in different style, showcasing the imagination of the composer!

Now, to conclude this 1976 post, let me feature the rollicking SJ-SPB duet, nenachchadhellAm nadakkappORa nEraththula vAdi  - gata singAri is used in limited quantity - in the second interlude only!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLM5XthTkQQ

kaetelae ange.. and ninechadhellam nadaka pora.. super sweet of kada singari....

endha kaaranamum illamal.. paatu mel affection.. love.., kindness.... varum endral.. adhu IR paatu dhan........ veru vaarthai ilai.. avarin
compositions patri solla...........