The thavil (Tamil: தவில்) or tavil is a cylindrical percussion instrument from Tamil Nadu. It is also used in many South Indian states, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Telangana, as well as in parts of Sri Lanka where many Tamil people live, known as Tamil Eelam. The thavil is played in temple music, folk music, and Carnatic music. It is often played along with the nadaswaram. The thavil and the nadaswaram are important parts of traditional festivals and ceremonies in South India.

In folk music, a pair of wider and slimmer sticks are sometimes used. In Tamil film music, thavils are commonly used. Examples of movies that include thavil music are Thillaanaa Mohanambal, Paruthiveeran, and Karagattakaran.

History

Thavil is a traditional musical instrument from the ancient city of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. It is an important part of Carnatic music in Thanjavur. The instrument is usually made in Thanjavur and Valayapatti.

Physical components

The thavil is made from a hollowed-out cylinder carved from a solid block of jackfruit wood. Animal skins are stretched across the open ends of the shell using hemp rings attached to the shell. Water buffalo skin covers the larger opening and produces a high sound, while goat skin covers the smaller opening and produces a low sound. The right side of the instrument has a larger diameter than the left side. The right drum head is stretched tightly, and the left drum head is kept loose to allow the pitch to change. The larger side produces a higher pitch than the smaller side.

In modern thavils, the body is surrounded by a steel ring covered with plastic. The two skins are attached to the ring using metal straps. Each skin can be adjusted separately to change the pitch.

Methods of use and posture

The instrument is played while sitting or hung from the player's shoulder using a cloth strap called nadai. The right side of the instrument is played using the right hand, wrist, and fingers. Players often wear thumb caps on all fingers of the right hand, made from hardened glue derived from maida flour. The left side of the instrument is played with a short, thick stick made from portia tree wood. Some left-handed players use their right hands to play the left side. Some nadaswaram groups include both right-handed and left-handed thavil players.

Veteran thavilists

Expert Thavil Players:

• Thirumulaivayil Muthuveer Pillai
• Thirumulaivayil Shanmugavadivel Pillai
• Valangaiman A. Shanmugasundaram Pillai
• Kalaimamani Thirucherai T.G. Muthukumaraswamy Pillai
• Valayapatti A. R. Subramaniam
• Haridwaramangalam A. K. Palanivel
• Vellore Dr. P.R.M. Venkateshan
• Dakshinamoorthy from Jaffna, Shri Lanka, or Yaazhpaanam, Shri Lanka
• Needamangalam Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai
• Thirunageshwaram Subramanian Pillai
• Bhusurapalli Adisheshaiah
• Iluppur Panchami
• Kumbakonam Thangavel Pillai
• Natchiarkoil Raghava Pillai
• Perumpallam P. Venkatesan
• Needamangalam Shanmugavadivel
• Valangaiman Shanmugasundaram Pillai
• Thiruvalaputhur T. A. Kaliyamurthy
• Tanjore T. R. Govindaraj
• Shanmugam Thavil from Puducherry
• Thiruppungur T. G. Muthukumarasamy
• Mannaarkudi Thiru M. R. Vasudevan
• Thirumaignanam Narayanasamy Pillai
• Valiyambakkam V. M. Ganapathy
• Gurumurthy Pandithar from Adelaide
• Thirurameshwaram T. B. Radhakrishnan