A ghatam is a.percussion instrument, used in South Indian Carnatic music. It is an earthenware pot; the artist uses the fingers, thumbs, palms, and heels of the hands to hit the outer surface of the ghatam. An airy low-pitch bass sound, called "gumki", is created by hitting the mouth of the pot with an open hand. The artist sometimes presses the mouth of the pot against their bare belly, which deepens the tone of the bass stroke, and is another way to produce the "gumki" sound. Different tones can be produced by hitting different areas of the pot with different parts of the hands. Ghatam usually accompanies a mridangam. A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound by being hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration. ... South India is a linguistic-cultural region of India that comprises the four states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the two Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry, whose inhabitants are collectively referred to as South Indians. ... Carnatic music, also known as is one of the two styles of Indian classical music, the other being Hindustani music. ... The mridangam is a percussion instrument from South India. ...

Although the ghatam is the same shape as an ordinary Indian domestic clay pot, it is made specifically to be played as an instrument, the tone of the pot must be good and the walls should be of even thickness all around to produce an even tone. In fact, there are two types of ghatams; Madras and Manamadurai. The Madras ghatam is a light pot which requires less force to play, thus is suited for extended fast patterns. The Manamadurai ghatam is a heavy, thick pot with tiny shards of brass mixed into the clay. This type of ghatam is harder to play but produces a sharp metallic ringing sound which is favored by some players.

Ghatam Exponents

Bangalore K. Venkataram is one of the oldest and most respected players in South India, who also founded the Percussive Arts Centre in Bangalore. One of the modern virtuosos of the ghatam is T. H. Vinayakram affectionately known as Vikku. His younger brother T. H. Subhashchandran and son V. Umashankar have followed him in playing the instrument. Ghatam Udupa is another stalwart who is often compared to Vikku Vinayakram. A list of other contemporary players may be found here.Ghatam Sukkanya Ramgopal - Popular lady Carnatic Ghatam artiste ,Sukkanya by her GHATA THARANG concept has brought Ghatam, which has been an accompanying instrument in carnatic music concerts, to the main platform. South India is a linguistic-cultural region of India that comprises the four states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the two Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry, whose inhabitants are collectively referred to as South Indians. ... , Bangalore (Bengalūru) (Kannada: ; pronunciation: in Kannada and in English) is the capital of the state of Karnataka in [[India]. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore has an estimated metropolitan population of 6. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Ghatam Giridhar Udupa (born 1980) (Kannada:ಘಟಮ್ ಗಿರಿಧರ್ ಉಡುಪ) is a leading percussionist from India. ...

External Links

• South India Percussionist Page by N. Scott Robinson