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Bulbul tarang, also known as the "banjo",
is a common instrument in India. The name bulbul tarang literally translates
to "waves of nightingales". It is made of a number of strings passing
over what resembles a finger board. However, instead of directly fingering
the keys, they are pressed with a series of keys like a piano. Sometimes the
keys are similar to a piano keyboard, but more often they resemble typewriter
keys. The instrument is common for folk musicians and children because of
its very low price.
Tuning
the bulbul tarang is very easy, however we must not forget that there are innumerable
variations in size, number of strings, gauge of strings, etc. Therefore, we
will just go over the general principles and you can work out the details.
The first step is to familiarise yourself with the strings. There are two types
of strings; there are the drone strings and the melody strings. The melody strings
run directly under the key-plate and are fretted by the keys. The drone strings
run beside the key plate and are not fretted. This is illustated below.
Tune
the melody strings to anything that is convenient. The strings themselves will
tell you what this should be. If they are too tight, you may break the strings.
If they are too loose, they will sound dull. Through experimentation you will
find what the useful range of your instrument is.
The gauge of the strings is chosen according to ones convenience. In India,
most people would use the bulbul tarang to accompany their singing. Therefore,
the strings are chosen such that the pitch of the instrument matchs the key
that one sings in.
You will probably wish to tune all the strings to the same note. In most cases
the strings will be the same gauge, so this is a natural thing to do. If they
are all the same, you can perform an interesting trick. Try tuning some of them
to the same note, but others you can slightly detune, so the are a wee bit high
or a wee bit low. The should not be too high or low, or the instrument will
simply sound out of tune; however if you keep them within about 5 to 10 cents,
everything will be just fine This range of tunings will produce a very rich
tone.
Next, you orient yourself to the keyboard. It is immediately apparent that the
bulbul tarang's keyboard is reminiscent of the harmonium keyboard. The arrangement
(i.e., whole-step; whole step; half step; etc.) is the same, but the whole will
probably be transposed up or down to some arbitrary key. Decide which key is
going to be your tonic. In India it will usually be either the "C"
position or the "B" position. When you have decided what your tonic
is going to be, you then tune the drone strings to the first (Sa) or the fifth
(Pa). Ideally you will wish to tune to both of them. (for more information on
the Indian scales go to Swara)
Now it is quite likely that at some point in this process things are not quite
working out. When instruments are sold in India, there is a randomness in the
choice of strings. It is understood that the user will replace certain strings
with either higher or lower gauges. Many times bronze or brass will be added,
especially to the drone strings. This opens up a bass quality to the instrument.
It is also possible to take some of the melody strings and change the gauge
/ material, to set them an octave apart. Do not feel afraid to experiment with
different strings. This ability to customise the instrument is one of the strengths
of the bulbul tarang.
Now your bulbul tarang is in tune. Play away to your heart's content
TUNING THE BULBUL TARANG
