Description and textual notation of the Panchari melam

This is the song that the Chenda students in our group studied. It has many segments, of which we learned the first 4 parts. It starts out slow and gradually increases in speed. A full performance of the Panchari melam is 4 hours long.

In addition to the main chenda part that we learned, there is a part for the tala keepers, which is 6 beats (5 hits and a rest). There is also a cymbals part which we did not learn, but some of the Kalamanadalm chenda students played.

Compiled by Charles Lehner.

Notation
x   - right stick
x  - left stick/hand
*   - tala

.   - don't play (just a visual aid)
*/. - play every other time


Part 1 (repeat 5 times)


x       x       x       x       x   x       x
                            x           x  
*               *              */.           
|______________________________________________|
            (A) repeat 10 times


x       x       x       x       x       x x   x
    x       x       x       x       .       x
*               *               .          
|______________________________________________|
           


x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x
  x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x
*               *               *               *               *               *          
|______________________________________________________________________________________________|
                           


x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x   x x x   x   x   x xx
  x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x       x   x      x
*               *               *               *               *               .          
|______________________________________________________________________________________________|



    x   x   x   x   x   x   x xx    x   x x     x   x   xx xx xx        x       x   x       x
x                            x  x     x     x             x  x  x           x           x  
*               *               *               *               *               .          
|______________________________________________________________________________________________|
                               (B)                     


Part 2 (repeat 3 times)



repeat A 10 times


X       X       X       x xx    x       x x   x
    X       X            x  x       .       x
*               *               .          
|______________________________________________|
           

repeat B



                                                     
Part 3 (repeat 6 times)



x       x   x       x   x       x   x       x   x       x   x       x   x 
    x           x           x           x           x           x           x
*               *               *               *               .         
|______________________________________________________________________________|
                             repeat 20 times


X       X       X       x xx
    X       X            x
*               *     
|__________________________|


repeat B