The Theory and Practice of Mridanga

From the preface: "Mridanga, a percussion instrument, is the chief Laya Vaadya accompaniment in Karnatic music.

Knowledge a laya or rhythm is acquired by a very few people who undergo rigorous training under a Guru and / or by those who have divine grace. The number of those who have perfectly understood the nature of sound or Naada Tatwa and acquired fame after years of playing on Mridanga can be counted on fingers.

There was no complete authoritative text book on the art of playing this wonderful percussion instrument, Mridanga. The few fundamental secrets learnt by one from the Guru had to be got by heart and exhibited while playing on the instrument. On account of the want of a proper guiding text book, people who practice are forced to follow almost a dark path and undergo difficulties. So we desire to bring forth a text book giving all the details of the play on the Mridanga, the only Laya Vaadya instrument which can produce a wide range of shades and delicacies of sound. With the grace of the Almighty and the Gurus, we wrote this book "Mridanga Thatwam."