String Instrument – Guitar / Mandolin (கிட்டார் / மாண்டலின்) Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A Tamil Nadu solo guitar or mandolin item, played for up to five minutes and marked out of 100 on sruti, laya, bhavam and improvised notes.

The guitar and the mandolin are both fretted string instruments, which means the metal frets fix the pitch of each note and the player’s job is to press cleanly, pluck in time and shape the sound. The guitar has six strings and is strummed or picked; the mandolin has pairs of strings tuned together and is played with a plectrum, which gives it a bright, ringing tone and a habit of repeating a note quickly to sustain it.

In the Tamil Nadu government and government-aided school arts festival, String Instrument – Guitar / Mandolin is a single on-stage entry in which the pupil chooses either instrument. It is open to boys and girls together, in two bands: classes 9 to 10 and classes 11 to 12. Each performer has up to five minutes, no warning bell is rung, and no language applies. The panel marks out of 100 on four equal rows of 25: sruti (pitch), laya (rhythm), bhavam (expression) and kalpana swara (improvised notes).

Because the scheme is the same classical-style set used for the violin and veena items, a strong entry plays a melody in a chosen raga or familiar tune with clean fretting, keeps a steady rhythmic cycle underneath, and then adds a few improvised phrases before a planned ending. A pupil who only strums chords will have little to show on the improvisation row.

Organisers run the item because guitars and mandolins are common in school music clubs, so it draws pupils who would not otherwise enter an instrumental class. The template does not say which pieces are expected, whether an accompanist or drone is allowed, or whether instruments are supplied, so confirm those conditions with your own festival before the day.

Where String Instrument – Guitar / Mandolin (கிட்டார் / மாண்டலின்) is run

In eTalenter’s data this item appears on one template: the Tamil Nadu government and government-aided school arts festival, where it is an on-stage solo item for classes 9 to 12. This page only asserts what the template data records about the competition.

• India – Tamil Nadu (government and government-aided school arts festival, classes 9-12)

Key facts

• Solo entry, boys and girls together, in two bands: classes 9-10 and classes 11-12.
• The pupil chooses guitar or mandolin; both are judged on the same four rows.
• Five minutes per performer with no warning bell; no language applies.
• Marked out of 100: sruti, laya, bhavam and kalpana swara (improvised notes), 25 marks each.
• Improvisation carries a quarter of the marks, so strumming a memorised song alone cannot score full marks.
• Idea starters, not rules: a simple raga-based melody with a short improvised ending, a film or devotional tune played note by note, or a slow opening followed by a quicker second half.

On eTalenter, String Instrument – Guitar / Mandolin (கிட்டார் / மாண்டலின்) is filed under On Stage and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.

Across the templates that use it, String Instrument – Guitar / Mandolin (கிட்டார் / மாண்டலின்) is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 5 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in String Instrument – Guitar / Mandolin (கிட்டார் / மாண்டலின்)

What a String Instrument – Guitar / Mandolin (கிட்டார் / மாண்டலின்) panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Sruti, pitch (25): the instrument must be in tune with itself and with any base note, and each fretted note must ring clean; buzzing or dull notes from weak finger pressure lose marks.
• Laya, rhythm (25): an even pulse through slow and fast passages; on the mandolin the quick repeated plucking must stay level, and on the guitar the picking hand must not rush.
• Bhavam, expression (25): dynamics, slides, bends and phrasing that give the piece a mood, instead of a flat run of correct notes at one volume.
• Kalpana swara, improvised notes (25): new phrases built inside the same scale or raga that return to the theme; repeating one pattern earns little.
• Time: a finished piece within five minutes with no warning bell, so the ending must be planned and rehearsed against a stopwatch.

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for String Instrument – Guitar / Mandolin (கிட்டார் / மாண்டலின்) under Scoring Setup, or start from our guide to judge scoring and tabulation software.

How to prepare for String Instrument – Guitar / Mandolin (கிட்டார் / மாண்டலின்)

How entrants and their teachers usually get String Instrument – Guitar / Mandolin (கிட்டார் / மாண்டலின்) right on the day:

• Tune before you walk on and re-check on stage, since nerves and lights shift strings; carry a clip-on tuner if the festival allows it and spare strings or plectrum.
• Pick one melody you can play cleanly at tempo, and learn three or four improvised phrases in the same scale rather than a long piece you half control.
• Practise slowly with a metronome or tala count, then raise the speed in small steps; record yourself and listen for buzzing, uneven plucking and rushed bars.
• Work on the fretting hand and the picking hand separately: press just behind the fret, keep the thumb relaxed, and keep the plectrum angle consistent.
• Add expression deliberately, marking where each slide, bend or soft passage goes, so the mood is planned rather than left to chance.
• Time the whole entry with a stopwatch and plan the final phrase to arrive near four and a half minutes, because no bell will warn you.
• After a district-level loss, ask which of the four rows cost the most and drill that row alone for a month; pitch accuracy and steady rhythm usually improve fastest with daily slow practice.

Frequently asked questions

Is String Instrument – Guitar / Mandolin (கிட்டார் / மாண்டலின்) judged individually or as a team?

Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.

Can I play either guitar or mandolin?

Yes, the entry covers both and the same four rows are used. Confirm with your festival whether acoustic and electric guitars are both accepted.

How long is the item?

Five minutes per performer in both class bands, with no warning bell. Other festivals set their own limits.

Is this the same as the Western guitar items in other festivals?

The instrument is the same, but this entry is scored on classical-style rows: sruti, laya, bhavam and improvised notes. Check which style your own festival expects.

Can I have an accompanist or a backing track?

The template does not say. Ask your festival before the day, and prepare as if the panel will hear your instrument alone.

Is it judged as a team?

No. It is a solo item, and each pupil is ranked within their own class band.

Want the full judging picture? Read our guide to judge scoring and tabulation software, or browse every on stage competition item.