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Photo: ?
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All
over India, the spring festivals of Holi provide an opportunity
for demonstrations of great popular rejoicing, where music plays
a preponderant role. In Rajasthan, village songs and dances are
chiefly accompanied by percussion instruments. The chang, a large
frame drum used in the region, is particularly appreciated on
account of the sound range it can produce, owing to its size and
an unusual performing technique. In this instrument, the skin
is glued to a strong circular frame of wood measuring almost one
metre in diameter and is often decorated with painted designs.
The leading hand, beating the head with his other hand while one
(or two) of his acolytes strikes its inner or outer surface simultaneously
with two thin wooden sticks. The piece played here is also accompanied
by a small metal gong and the tinkling of the jingles the male
dancers wear to adorn their ankles.
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