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Dramyin
The traditional Bhutanese folk music comprises of three basic instruments, which are Chiwang, Lingm and Dramyen, while Dramyen, which is also called Dramyin, is a kind of lute instrument with seven strings, basically played along with vocal renditions during Drupka Buddhist cultural events, held at Bhutan, Sikkim and Himalayan part of Paschim Bangla, primarily an important musical instrument to be played during the religious functions of Vajryana Buddhists and Tibetan Buddhists.
Dramyin instrument is also used often as an accompaniment while making presentations and telling stories, particularly to provide ambience.
Design
The music instrument dramyin is kind of fretless lute in a shape with long-neck and double-waist, more usually a single piece of wood hollowed out, varying in size of 60 cm to 120 cm length, somewhat different from the contemporary guitar, dramyin is not structured with a round hole in the wooden sounding board, given a rosette-shape like lutes normally made.
Dramyin has seven strings, also calledthags, among which only six are extended to the pegbox, thereby six tuning pegs are planted in the pegbox, while one of the strings is positioned in the neck portion itself, which were earlier made out of animal gut, but presently synthetic material such as nylon are used to make Dramyin strings, while the seven strings occur in several courses, ultimately to become three double courses reaching the pegbox.
As the quality of sound is very important with the Dramyin instrument, the resonance obtained through construction with tough animal skin material, with a single bridge, while earlier forms of Dramyins were provided with sympathetic strings or under-strings to boost the resonance.
Plectrum provided Dramyins are also common, which are found with the base, these plectrums constructed out of bone, this practice has changed now, because plectrums are now possible with plastic or wood, which are beautifully painted with impressive colours, alternatively carved with religious symbols or motifs, the pegbox being one coming curvaceous form in ‘C’ shape, like the sea monster Chusing, tassels hanging from the pegbox sometimes giving a frightening feeling to the onlooker.
Playing Positions
The player having a knack of plucking the middle strings among the triple course of strings, which have half strings on the left part, tuning an octave usually above the middle unison strings, either of the other two courses helping tuning the octaves apart, while the courses are applied in unison during the performance , most of the times single note being played, with tunes of melody not on harmonic music, this instrument is also used for holding the rhythmic sounds during performances, the stroking of the strings done upward and downward to make appropriate sounds of music.
Correct tuning of Dramyen is an important precaution for playing this instrument, the tuning depending upon what song one wants to play, as some suggest that the standard Tibetan tuning goes something like A3.A3.D3.D3.G3.G3 and similar notes and order one should follow to give the right kind of performance.
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