History And Playing Techniques Of Morchang Musical Instrument In English

History And Playing Techniques Of Morchang Musical Instrument

History

• The morsing is a similar instrument to the Jew’s veena, used primarily in Rajasthan, in the Carnatic music of South India, and in Sindh, Pakistan.
• It can be classified under lamellophones, a subcategory of plucked idiophones.
• Morchang is a solid instrument made of metal. This Jewish veena is found in Rajasthan. A folk instrument used primarily as an accompaniment in music and dance performances.
• The instrument consists of a metal ring in the shape of a horseshoe with two parallel prongs forming the frame, and a metal tongue in the middle between the prongs, which is attached to the ring at one end and to the other. but is free to vibrate.
• The metal tongue, also called the trigger, is a circular ring bent at the free end in a perpendicular plane so that it can be struck and vibrated.
• Morsing can be traced back more than 1500 years. Even mastodoon tusks were used as morsels during the Paleolithic era.
• They were adapted with a tiburon bone fitted in the middle of a hollowed out tusk inserted in the mouth. He struck the fish bone and a wrong sound was produced.
• Although its exact origins in India are not well documented, most ancient accounts are derived from secondary sources of folk tales.
• It is mainly found in South India, Rajasthan and parts of Assam. In Bengali and Assamese folk music it is sometimes accompanied by Rabindrasangeet, while in South India, it appears in Carnatic music and tabla music.
• In Rajasthan it is known as morchang and is used as a percussion instrument in folk songs (folk music).
• It is often used in Hindi cinema by R.D. Burman and S.D. It was performed by music directors like Burman. Burman, and has re-emerged in the 20th century with street artists such as Varun Jinje playing it in new guises. It is said to be the forerunner of later instruments such as the harmonica and harmonium.

Playing Techniques

• The morsing is placed on the front teeth, with slightly raised lips and held firmly in the hand. It is struck with the index finger of the other hand to produce sound.
• The movement of the player’s tongue is used to change the pitch when making a nasal sound.
• This can be achieved when the syllable ‘naga’ or a variant thereof is recited through the nose while air is pushed out or drawn in through the mouth.
• It aids in the meditative process and thus some players use it as a form of Pranayama practice.
• Others speak into the instruments while they play, thus giving the effect of a slight haunted echo.
• Morsing is held firmly in the hand, usually the frame or ring between the palm and fingers in the left hand. Care must be taken to see that the middle part or the metal tongue is not being touched when idle.
• Then the upper part of the two parallel forks is pressed firmly against the front upper teeth; The lower fork helps maintain contact with the lips against the front lower teeth, so that the metal tongue does not contact the teeth when it moves.
• The trigger is pulled with the tip of the index finger. The sound is produced due to the vibration of the metal tongue which is transferred through the teeth and into the mouth and nasal cavity.
• With continuous plucking the movement of the player’s tongue can produce very rapid patterns of sound. By constricting the space in the mouth, the nostrils can produce different stages of sound, similar to a phaser in electronic music.
• While traditionally made of iron, variants can also be made of brass, wood, bone and even plastic and credit cards.

Tuning

• The original pitch of the instrument may vary very slightly. Significantly, the pitch of the instrument can only be decreased, not increased.
• Wax can be applied to the plucking end to lower the pitch slightly. It can be filed to raise the pitch, although this may damage the instrument.

Notable Player

• Varun Jinje, Sundar N, Minjur M Yagnaraman, Bejjanki V Ravi Kiran, Ortal Peleg, Valentinas, Vyacheslav, Barmer Boys, TS Nandkumar Mahadevan.

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