Right Hand Techniques (plucking)

Theoretical treatises on Carnatic music mention a large number of diverse plucking styles (meettus), with terms that are as varied as they are unusual in practice. We shall avoid the use of these often misunderstood terms to discuss the principles for plucking the strings on this instrument. According to the schools, the significance accorded to right hand techniques varies greatly and in general, greater emphasis is laid on the ornamentations with the left hand. However on the veena, plucking is the first (and practically the only) source of sound energy and its execution depends on such decisive factors as the dynamics, the tone, the rhythm, the length of the melodic phrases and even certain types of effects or ornamentations.

Plucking of Melodic Strings

The veena has two sets of strings – the melodic strings, whose length or tension can be changed with the left hand techniques, and the tala strings that serve as a drone, tuned up according to the tonic and the fifth and plucked on open strings. For these two categories, there are two corresponding plucking techniques that are totally distinct although they can be simultaneous.
The melodic strings are plucked with the index finger or the middle finger of the right hand. Depending on the schools and the required tone, there are three options: 1) the use of a metallic plectrum made of an iron wire, 2) plucking with the natural nail, and 3) with the fingertip. The plectrum enables the most powerful and sonorous rendering but it may be accompanied by a little metallic sound that could be unpleasant to the ears. It is particularly useful when the musician wishes to minimize the number of plucking motions and to produce long phrases for each of them. It is therefore systematically used in schools that are closest to the vocal model. Furthermore they enable a wide dynamics of important “forte” as well as “pianissimo”.
Playing with the nail is lighter than playing with the plectrum. It is suitable for styles that use several quick and successive plucking motions. It is more suited for an even playing than for strong strokes. It is particularly popular in the Mysore tradition. Plucking with the fingertip is hardly practiced anymore, despite the refined sound it produces. This was the characteristic timbre of Veena Dhanammal’s style.
The plucking is always done downward. In this regard, the veena playing technique is different from that of the sitar, which uses plucking motions in both directions. This is the reason why the plectrum is held differently on these two instruments, even though they are crafted in a similar manner.

Position of the plectrum to play the veena

Position of the plectrum to play the sitar

Either the index finger or the middle finger can be used to pluck any string (however most of the music is played on the higher string, called sarani). They are mainly alternated during fast passages. There is a also a special and quite rare technique called katri meettu (“scissor” plucking) which involves plucking the string with the two fingers successively but at very close intervals, thereby producing only a double note. During slow alapanas, only one finger – the index or the middle finger depending on the musicians - is used most often.
The plucking can be followed by a more or less immediate muting of the string, executed with the same finger or with the other. This very important technique, called pattu meettu is used by all the schools although in a different context. This enables a staccato playing style or the incorporation of occasional silences like breaths to punctuate the melody.
For the Carnatic musician, the vocal equivalent of the plucking of a string is the utterance of a syllable. This comparison is particularly restrictive while interpreting a kriti, a form that is always based on a text. Some artists do not hesitate in the least to use the number of attacks they deem necessary to interpret the song as clearly as possible, whereas others are loathe to incorporate any additional plucking motion that could disrupt the fluidity of the original melodic curve. Hence the relation between the number of plucking motions and the number of syllables could be an indication of how faithfully the vocal modal is reproduced. However no artist is a rigid adherent of this principle and it is always possible to find a specific context where the rule is disregarded in order to maintain a coherent technical execution. On the other hand, no musician will completely ignore the restriction of the attacks and play the melisma sections in a staccato style.
The study of alapanas enables a close observation of all the varieties of plucking employed by each style and each musician. Here they have the utmost liberty and there is no rule to hinder the musician’s natural playing style. The dynamics, the length of the phrases, the muting of strings, all these techniques can be appreciated objectively. The tanam is more of a consensus on the part of veena players and except for some very exceptional cases, an “instrumental” playing style is practiced most often, using a continuous staccato where each note is played with a distinct plucking motion obtained by alternating the index and the middle finger.

Plucking of the tala strings

The three tala strings are drone strings and are plucked upward with the little finger of the right hand. This plucking is called kanistika meettu in theoretical treatises. Usually the nail of the little finger is used to execute this plucking motion but some musicians use a little metallic plectrum, which is similar in shape to those used in the west to play the guitar.
We come across three types of plucking motions depending on the styles and the musical requirements: 1) The simultaneous attack of the three strings in a “block chord”, 2) plucking of the same strings slowly, one after the other, in a “broken chord” and finally 3) the selective plucking of only one of the three strings. Furthermore the kanistika meettu can be executed alone or together with the plucking of a melodic string with the index or the middle finger.
The tala strings owe their name to the fact that their primary purpose is to be plucked, generally together, based on the strong beats of the rhythmic cycles, marking its smooth flow. These strong beats are the first beats of the laghus, drutams or the anudrutam. In Adi tala this corresponds to the first, fifth and the seventh beats. This is a widespread practice not specific to any particular school. However, how strictly the marking of the beats is maintained throughout the piece varies from one artist to another. The tala strings owe their name to the fact that their primary purpose is to be plucked, generally together, based on the strong beats of the rhythmic cycles, marking its smooth flow. These strong beats are the first beats of the laghus, drutams or the anudrutam. In Adi tala this corresponds to the first, fifth and the seventh beats. This is a widespread practice not specific to any particular school. However, how strictly the marking of the beats is maintained throughout the piece varies from one artist to another.
The other functions of the tala strings in the alapana sections are to act as punctuation or even a drone. It is mainly in this improvised form that the wide range of plucking styles (block chords, broken chords or single string stroke) and uses is evident. Some schools hardly ever use these strings during the alapana, others use them very subtly between the melodic phrases and yet others use them at all times.
These strings are of great significance for the execution of the tanams. It is undoubtedly their presence that enables the veena to be the privileged means to interpret this form. They can then be plucked simultaneously or alternating with the melodic strings.
Thus the set of tala strings has three functions – punctuation, drone or maintenance of the rhythmic beat, but it is rarely used to produce the melody. Therefore its relation with the voice may seem to be less. However it includes the two actions that every singer carries out constantly with each of his two hands – regular marking of the tala and the slow plucking of the tampura strings.

(Page translated by Sandhya Krishnakumar)