More on fixing mrdanga heads

Amul from New Jersey, USA writes:

i just saw your video where you put silicon on the mrdanga head. I have a question about that. Does it dry smooth? i am asking because if you want to do the "woop woop" slide on the big side of the mrdanga, if its really rough then it wont be possible. please let me know, i am going to do this because this is such a problem, that black stuff just doesn't stay on sometimes!

Dandavats Amul,

That depends on how you do it, and what you use to do it.

You might need to sculpt the edge, otherwise you'll find it come right off the drum head when you apply force to it laterally, instead of perpendicular to the drum head.

Ratnabhusana prabhu, who makes the Balaram mrdangas in LA, explained to me that he uses glue under the rubber mix that he uses on the Balarama heads, in order to get the rubber to bond more fully to the mylar head.

You might want to experiment with the compound that you use on the drum. I used roofing and sealing silicone. Vraja used some other stuff. There are a lot of compounds out there. Let me know how you get on - you have the lead now!

your servant in Brisbane,
Sita-pati das