Kundalika: Deep Shenoy's Music

INSTRUMENTS

Deep is currently playing the navhaat, an innovative Indian classical instrument. For many years his guruji has been the sarod maestro Soumya Chakraverty. In the past Deep has played a number of stringed instruments, as well as the tabla.

Navhaat

"New hand" in Konkani

After an injury prevented Deep from playing plucked instruments, he started adapting the Navhaat. It combines an Ipad-based synthesizer (Geoshred) with a realistic physical model of the sarod (Naada sarod). He and Shivali Shah designed and built a custom physical interface that allows Deep to use techniques friendly to playing raga music.

Indian Dobro

Deep has set up a resonator guitar to accommodate playing raga-inspired music. He calls this style of playing Hindustani guitar. He frets with the tips of long-grown finger nails on his left hand so he can make sarod-style glides. He's restrung a sitar guitar to have open strumming (chikari) strings to play the classical presentation style of jhalla.

See a sample

Sarod

The sarod is a North Indian classical instrument. Deep's guruji is the sarod maestro Soumya Chakraverty. Sarod has 23 to 25 strings. It is fretless, allowing long slides called meends. Sarod is played with a jabba, a plectrum made of coconut shell. Similar to a sitar, it has open strumming strings and sympathetic strings.

Tabla

Tabla is a North Indian classical drum. There are two pieces, a larger drum made of brass or aluminum, and a smaller drum made of wood. The leather heads are held in place and given tension by adjustable leather straps down the sides. Listen to a sample.

Mohan Veena

This is an Indian slide guitar invented by Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt. It has 3 main playing strings, 5 chikari (open drone) strings, and 12 taraf (sympathetic) strings. I use a brass bottleneck slide on my first finger, finger picks and a thumb pick to play it. Listen to a sample.