National Music large C3
The shrutibox National Music large C3 has a very balanced, warm, full sound, long breath and extra feet.
The large bellows allows very precise air supply, making it easy to keep the sound constant, even when up to three notes are played at the same time. In addition, the volume can be varied very widely and finely - from evenly soft and gentle to persistently powerful and loud. The large resonance chamber produces a somewhat fuller overall sound than smaller shrutiboxes.
The Shrutibox National Music large C3 has swivelling wooden feet. They make it particularly stable and easy to play with a Bowring foot pedal.
All National Music shrutiboxes have one or two small blemishes - e.g. a scratch, a dent, a small hole in the wood or a nib in the varnish. These individual features are the result of typical Indian handcrafted manufacturing - not defects. They do not affect the sound and playability.
The arrangement of the notes in two rows corresponds to the white and black keys on a harmonium, piano or keyboard. Each of the twelve semitones can be used as a root note. Combined with a fifth or fourth, the result is a full, carrying overall sound.
- octave in C major scale
- three-note chord C-E-G
- 13 chromatically tuned notes from c to c' (C3 to C4 in scientific notation)
- side wings made of plywood with silk-matt laminate surface
- frame, reed base, air intake and feet made of solid teak with matt finish
- handle and transport latches made of metal
- key levers made of plastic
- cardboard bellows with leather seals
- sturdy bag included
National Music India was founded in the 1980s by Parvaze Chowdhury, the son of a harmonium craftsman. Initially, he worked with 2 employees as a subcontractor for well-known harmonium brands in Kolkata. Over the years, the business grew and Parvaze Chowdhury expanded the team and spread the work over several locations. Eventually, the company's own brand National Music India was founded in Balipur, a 3-hour drive west of Kolkata. Today, Parvaze's son Helal Chowdhury runs the company as a large manufacturer of harmoniums and shruti boxes with around 200 employees at 6 locations. Apart from high quality instruments and favourable prices, sustainability and fair pay for employees are also important to him.
This shrutibox model has 13 chromatic notes from c to c' (C3 to C4 in scientific terms). Each of the twelve halftones occurs at least once in this range. To achieve a full sound, an additional fifth or fourth up or down can be played together with each note, offering multiple possibilities of tonics and harmonies.
In India, this shrutibox model is tuned in equal temperament to Western standard pitch with a' = 440 hertz. However, due to lower average air temperatures, it may sound slightly higher at a = 441 to 442 hertz in Europe. The difference is so small, that even trained ears do not necessarily notice it. Nevertheless the difference may create problems in studio productions or when playing together with instruments with a tuning that can not easily be adjusted. Therefore we offer manual tuning to a = 440 hertz on request. We can also supply custom-made shrutiboxes with considerably different tunings (e.g. a = 432 hertz) and ranges. Please contact us if you're interested in that.
Measure: 41.5 x 33.5 x 7 cm, weight 5.16 kg
Each instrument is individually hand-crafted and might differ from our description.