3. TOOLS & EQUIPMENT
The tools and equipment required to make the drums include a saw to cut the log to size, and a lathe to shape the outer structure and to scoop out the centre. Knives are required to cut the hides to shape.
4. PRACTITIONERS & CRAFT LOCATIONS
- A village by the name of Kuragala in Udunuwara in Kandy district has - over the past 50 years - grown into a flourishing drum-making centre. There are about 33 families here who are involved in this craft and over 200 artisans produce the drums required for schools besides providing for the special needs of temples and Kandyan dancers.
- Another village known as Kuragandeniya in Menikhinna situated very close to Kandy town is also a drum-making artisans' settlement. There are about 15 families here involved in this craft. The artisans here face problems like a scarcity of raw materials, especially of deer, goat, rabbit, and iguana hides; they also face shortage of the right types of wood at times.
- Another group of drum-makers are from Weliganaga, Kotmale; they are displaced craftspersons, yet they have continued their craft without a break.
- There are various other groups of craftspeople who have organised themselves into units for making drums and other instruments. These groups are found in the districts of Kandy and Kegalle where certain traditional drum-makers reside whose descendants have taken to making certain special types of drums desired by the practitioners.
- Another group of craftsmen in Matara district in the southern part of the country have built for themselves a very solid reputation over the years for making and repairing drums and musical instruments. This group's skills of craftsmanship are grounded in professional experience and they are also involved in making Indian-style dholaks and tablas for professionals.
5. INNOVATIONS
Toy drums are now in great demand in the handicrafts market. Most of these are miniature versions of the big drums like the
udekki and
rabana. These are used mainly by children for playing. There is great market-potential, both local and foreign, for the drums if the available resources are well-exploited to give a boost to the craft by expanding its production capacity.
WIND & STRING INSTRUMENTS
1. INSTRUMENTS
The critical role of wind and string instruments in music enriches has ensured that special attention has been paid by the craftspeople to this category of instruments also.
Flutes, trumpets, and horns are made locally to satisfy the needs of the local musicians. The flute - made of reed - is used by the rural folk of Sri Lanka. Flutes made for professional purposes are crafted by experienced craftspersons.
Other stringed instruments made by the craftspeople include violins (of the Western kind),
sitars, and
esrajs, (from the southern part of India; mainly used in Indian classical music). Guitars, mandolins, pianos, banjos, and
dilrubas (a north-Indian instrument) are made. Some combined instruments - innovative pieces that produce the music of more than one type of instrument when played - are also being made.
For many years such instruments were imported into the country; however local artisans have acquired expertise in the craft. There are many craftspeople who have made a mark in making such instruments in Sri Lanka over the years. Initially these craftspeople began making simple instruments; later on they adopted newer and more sophisticated techniques.
2. RAW MATERIALS
All the materials that are essential for the making of such instruments are available locally. Some of the wood-types for making instruments in this category are
halmilla,
tuna,
nedun (
Pericopsis Moomana or a type of hard-wood), and ebony.
3. INTERVENTIONS
The
Department of Small Industries of the Government of Sri Lanka have had a successful violin-making project at
Moratuwa in Colombo district where the processed maple and pinewood pieces are supplied from Italy regularly. The artisans who form a part of the project are involved in planing, shaping, designing, and assembling the parts. Both the classical types of violins are made - the Stradivarius and the Guarnerius. These violins also have locally made ebony fingerboards with some intricate carving done on them. As the last stage in the process, these pieces are then polished.