INDIAN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS The flute, nagaswaram, veena, gottuvadhyam, thavil, mridangam and the plain drum are some of the ancient musical instruments of India. The sitar
Sitar
The sitar is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument flourished under the Mughals, and it is named after a Persian instrument called the setar. The sitar flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries and arrived at its present form in 18th-century India. It derives its distinctive timbre and resonance from sympathetic string…
What are the primary instruments in Indian music?
- Chikara.
- Dilruba.
- Ektara violin.
- Esraj.
- Kamaicha.
- Kingri (string instrument)
- Mayuri Vina or Taus.
- Onavillu.
What are the musical instruments in India?
Indian musical instruments can be broadly classified according to the Hornbostel–Sachs system into four categories: chordophones (string instruments), aerophones (wind instruments), membranophones (drums) and idiophones (non-drum percussion instruments).
Which Indian instrument is not a stringed instrument?
Unlike north Indian instruments like the Sitar, the Saraswati veena has no sympathetic strings. It has only four playing strings and three drone strings (thalam).
Which musical instrument is of Indian origin?
INDIAN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. The flute, nagaswaram, veena, gottuvadhyam, thavil, mridangam and the plain drum are some of the ancient musical instruments of India. The sitar, tabla and violin come late than the other musical instruments. Except for the Veena, which is neatly fretted, all the instruments are negotiated by the method of trial and ...
What is the most common Indian instrument?
TablaTabla. Tabla is the most popular musical instrument in India.
What is a unique Indian instrument?
Pakhawaj. Pakhawaj is a barrel-shaped, two-headed drum, which is also known as mridang. Though it looks like a dholak, it's tuned in the same way as a tabla. A percussion instrument, the pakhawaj has a mellow tone. It's used as an accompaniment with different forms of music and dance performances.
What is India's national musical instrument?
saraswati veena vinaList of national instruments (music)NationInstrumentH-S numberIndiasaraswati veena vina311.222Indonesiaangklung112.122Irantar314.122-4IrelandIrish Harp (Cruit or Cláirseach)322.221100 more rows
How many Indian musical instruments are there?
Indian musical instruments can be broadly classified according to the Hornbostel–Sachs system into four categories: chordophones (string instruments), aerophones (wind instruments), membranophones (drums) and idiophones (non-drum percussion instruments).
What instruments were invented in India?
Instruments most commonly used in Hindustani classical music are the sitar, sarod, tambura, sahnai, sarangi, and tabla; while instruments commonly used in Karnatak classical music include the vina, mrdangam, kanjira, and violin.
Which is the oldest musical instrument in India?
the VeenaThe oldest musical instrument of India, the Veena, symbolizes the Indian ethos throughout the country and has sociological and cultural connotations. Saraswati, the Goddess of learning, is visualized as Veenapani, the wielder of a Veena.
What is an Indian drum called?
the TablaDescription of the Tabla The tabla is a set of two drums that are played while sitting on the floor. The larger drum, called Bayan, was originally made from clay, but is now constructed of metal (bras, steel, or copper).
What is an Indian guitar called?
sitarsitar, stringed instrument of the lute family that is popular in northern India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Is violin Indian instrument?
The violin is thought to have been first brought to India in the early 19th century by the military bandsmen of the East India Company. The instrument was soon found to be ideal for playing classical Indian music because it lends itself well to its melodic subtleties.
Is flute an Indian instrument?
History. According to Ardal Powell, flute is a simple instrument found in numerous ancient cultures. According to legends the three birthplaces of flutes are Egypt, Greece, and India. Of these, the transverse flute (side blown) appeared only in ancient India, while the fipple flutes are found in all three.
Which Indian instrument should I learn?
The 'ektara' is the easiest to learn amongst all Indian instruments. It is the simplest of instruments that originated in India and has a bamboo stick with a earthen pot stuck to one end for resonance.
What is Indian music called?
So, Indian music is known as Hindustani music. It is one of the two major forms of South Asian classical music, and it is mostly found in the northern three-quarters of the subcontinent, where Indo-Aryan languages are spoken.
What is an Indian guitar called?
sitarsitar, stringed instrument of the lute family that is popular in northern India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
What is an Indian drum called?
the TablaDescription of the Tabla The tabla is a set of two drums that are played while sitting on the floor. The larger drum, called Bayan, was originally made from clay, but is now constructed of metal (bras, steel, or copper).
Is violin an Indian instrument?
The violin is thought to have been first brought to India in the early 19th century by the military bandsmen of the East India Company. The instrument was soon found to be ideal for playing classical Indian music because it lends itself well to its melodic subtleties.
Is flute an Indian instrument?
History. According to Ardal Powell, flute is a simple instrument found in numerous ancient cultures. According to legends the three birthplaces of flutes are Egypt, Greece, and India. Of these, the transverse flute (side blown) appeared only in ancient India, while the fipple flutes are found in all three.
What is the most popular instrument in North India?
The most popular musical instrument used in North India is the Tabla.
What is the instrument used in marriages?
Shehnai is a traditional Indian musical instrument where one can hear the melodious music in occasions like marriages and temple processions.
How many strings does a sitar have?
Sitar Music Instrument Description. Sitar has a long neck with twenty metal frets and seven cords. These frets are adjoined with thirteen strings which are tuned to the notes of raga. A round shape or a gourd which acts as a sound board is grounded at the lower end of the neck of the sitar.
What is the instrument called that has a keyboard and bellows?
Harmonium Music Instrument Description. The harmonium has a keyboard of over two and one-half octaves and works on a system of bellows. The keyboard is played with the right hand while the left hand is used to operate the bellows. Harmonium is more popular in North India than in the South. 6.
How many chambers are there in the chaati?
It is a block like structure with three hollow chambers, namely- pet, chaati and magaj. The pet is the lower chamber and is covered with goat skin, on which a think strip of leather is placed. There are three main playing strings i this instrument, and players use fingertips, nails and surrounding flesh to play them.
What is a flute?
Flute Music Instrument Description. Flute is an instrument which provides exuberance in the mind and soul. Flute is structured into cylindrical tube of uniform bore. To produce sound, one must hold the holes with fingers of left and right variations.
Is India a music country?
India is one such country where art and culture is a big part of people’s lives and music by far tops the list. Whether it is a reality show or a concert, the crowd and viewers give a clear indication that India is a land of music.
What is the most popular instrument in India?
Tabla . The most popular musical instrument used in North India is the Tabla. The Tabla consists of a pair of drums- the Tabla and the Bayan. The Tabla is made of wood and whereas its head is made of stretched animal skin. Finer tuning of Tabla is done by striking the rim of the Tabla with a small hammer.
What is the oldest bowed instrument in India?
Sarangi. Sarangi is one of the most popular and oldest bowed instruments in India. The body of Sarangi is hollow and made of teak wood adorned with ivory inlays. Sarangi has forty strings of which thirty seven are sympathetic. The Sarangi is held in a vertical position and played with a bow. To play the Sarangi one has to press the fingernails ...
How many strings are there on a sitar?
The Sitar has a long neck with twenty metal frets and six to seven main cords. Below the frets of Sitar are thirteen sympathetic strings which are tuned to the notes of the Raga. A gourd, which acts as a resonator for the strings is at the lower end of the neck of the Sitar. The frets are moved up and down to adjust the notes.
What hand is used to play the Harmonium?
The harmonium has a keyboard of over two and one-half octaves and works on a system of bellows. The keyboard is played with the right hand while the left hand is used to operate the bellows. Harmonium is more popular in North India than in the South.
What is flute in music?
Flute is a simple cylindrical tube of uniform bore and associated with Indian music since time immemorial. Flutes vary in size. Flute is held horizontally and is inclined downwards when it is played. To produce sound or melody one has to cover the finger holes with the fingers of the left and right hand. Variations in pitch are produced by altering the effective length of the air column. Notable flute exponents are Pt Pannalal Ghosh and Pt Hari Prashad Chaurasia.
What is the main instrument used in Indian music?
Since the 18th century, the Tabla has been the principal percussion instrument in Indian classical music. The tabla consists of two small drums of slightly different sizes and shapes. Each drum is made of hollowed-out wood, clay, or metal. The smaller drum (Dayan) is used for creating treble and tonal sounds, while the primary function of the larger drum (baya) is for producing bass. They are laced with hoops, thongs, and wooden dowels on their sides. The dowels and hoops are used to tighten the tension of the membranes for tuning the drums. It’s a versatile Indian instrument that can be used for solo performances as well as part of larger ensembles as an accompaniment with other instruments. Popularly used in folk music, the tabla is also used in devotional music for Hinduism and Sikhism.
What is the most popular instrument in India?
Associated mostly with the northern parts of India, the sitar is one of the most popular Indian instruments. Shaped like a round gourd with a long protruding neck, it consists of cords, frets, and strings adjusted together to produce the perfect harmony. Invented in medieval India the Sitar flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries and arrived at its present form in 18th-century India. The sitar evolved from one or more instruments of the tanbur family, long-necked lutes which they argue were introduced and popularized during the period of Mughal rule. Used widely throughout India, the sitar became popularly known in the wider world through the works of Ravi Shankar.
What is the Mridangam instrument?
The mridangam is often depicted as the instrument of choice for several deities in Hindu mythology. This Indian musical instrument is made from jackfruit wood which is known to be very thick. The two open ends are covered with goatskin and leather straps are tied around the circumference to tighten them. It is widely believed that the tabla, the mridangam’s Hindustani musical counterpart, was first constructed by splitting a mridangam in half.
What is a shehnai flute?
Mainly used at Indian weddings, the Shehnai is made out of wood with a double reed at one end and a metal or wooden flared bell at the other end. Its sound is thought to create and maintain a sense of auspiciousness and sanctity and making this the main reason for it to be used in weddings. The name shehnai comes from the Persian word, shah meaning king, whilst nai or ney is the generic term for any kind of wind-blown flute-like instrument. In other words, it is either ‘the king of flutes’ or ‘a flute fit for kings’. The Shehnai is a very difficult instrument to play as it requires tremendous breath control, especially for long sustained melodic passages which can have incredibly fast tempos.
What is the harmonium used for?
The harmonium has been around for centuries and is a quintessential part of Indian classical music. Often used at festive occasions or religious occasions , the harmonium provides its listeners with serene and sombre musical compositions. When it comes to Indian classical music, the harmonium is the first step taken towards musical prowess by vocalists. The harmonium is essentially a pump organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Hence it can be said the harmonium is much like a reed organ but portable. It’s a popular instrument and is widely used as an accompaniment in Hindustani vocal music, in religious music across the states of Maharashtra and Punjab- Haryana, and in Qawwali music of the Islamic traditions.
What is the traditional instrument of Indian music?
A traditional instrument that plays very much a reverberating tone in Indian music is the shehnai. Typically a key element of auspicious occasions, more particularly north Indian weddings, the shehnai is a reed instrument and is suppossedly a modification of the pungi. Also called the oboe in the northern Indian context, the shehnai has been a common encounter in both classical and folk music in the country.
What is the name of the instrument used in South India?
Ghatam. Source: Ghatam Giridhar udupa. Another ancient percussion instrument of India, the ghatam is also a prominent presence in south India. A clay pot with a narrow mouth of almost the same size as an ordinary Indian pot, the ghatam however is most often a secondary accompaniment to the mridangam.
What is the name of the instrument that is played in Kashmir?
A particularly delightful, soulful melody emanating from the highlands of Kashmir is the rabab pluckings. Believed to be the progenitor of other more common instruments like the sarod and the sarangi, the rubab or rabab is a stringed instrument of Central Afghanistanian origin.
What is a bansuri flute?
The bansuri or bamboo flute is one of the standalone pieces of musical recitation in the country and has even been developed independently of the Western flute. A prominent element in the musical scene in north India, the six holed bansuri also has a south Indian counterpart.
What is the name of the hornpipe instrument made of buffalo horn?
A single reed instrument exclusive to the north east Indian state of Assam is the pepa , a hornpipe musical accompaniment made out of buffalo horn. A characteristic melody of the Rongali Bihu celebrations, this wind instrument is a culmination of three of its components- the Gutia Pepa , the Jur Pepa and the Jutia Pepa.
What are the three chambered instruments?
The three chambered musical instrument consists of three hollow chambers, namely pet (stomach), chaati (chest) and magaj (brain). The sarangi probably might have found its way to India from Central Asia and was played extensively as a folk instrument before becoming a classical mainstay.
What is the main instrument used in Carnatic music?
The main percussion instrument and one among the popular musical accompaniments of the Carnatic style of music is the Mridangam. Also know as the Divine Instrument owing to its depiction and prominence in ancient Hindu scriptures, the mridangam is a double side drum complementing vocal, instrumental and dance performances. Even when the mridangam has been responsible for its more popular percussion counterpart, the tabla, this ancient instrument continues to be of utmost importance in the south Indian style of music and performing arts.
What is the Tamil word for instrument?
The Tamil word for instrument-Karuvi is found in Sangam literature of the 2nd to 6th century A.D., the literal meaning of which is "tool ". This is extended to mean instrument in the context of music.
Which instrument is the oldest?
The kamaicha links the sub-continent to Western Asia and Africa and is considered by some scholars to be the oldest instrument, with the exception of the Ravana Hatta or Ravana Hasta Veena.
What is a Shehnai instrument?
The Shehnai is a reed instrument in which there are seven holes along the tube which are used for playing the melody by opening and closing them with the fingers. It is known as a Mangal vadya and is usually played on all auspicious occasions in north India such as marriages, temple festivals, etc. The Shehnai is considered to have come to India from West Asia, there are other scholars who believe that this instrument travelled to China from India. It is now a popular instrument in concerts, the sound is very sweet and suited for playing Raga Sangeet. In the early fifties of this century, Ustad Bismillah Khan is credited for popularising this instrument. Today, Pt. Anant Lal, Pt. Daya Shankar are also noted Shehnai players.
What are the two categories of tata vadya?
The tata vadya are divided into two broad categories-the plucked and the bowed, and further subdivided into the fretted and non-fretted variety.
What is tabla music?
The tabla pair is used as accompaniment to vocal and instrumental Hindustani music and with many dance forms of northern India. The complicated talas of the Hindustani music are played with great virtuosity on the tabla. Prominent musicians playing the tabla today are-Ustad Alia Rakha Khan and his son Zakir Hussain, Shafat Ahmed and Samata Prasad to name a few.
How big is a bamboo flute?
The diameter of the bamboo flutes is usually - about 1.9 cms; though, flutes with wider diameters. are also commonly, used. The musical text Sangeet Ratnakar written in the 13th. century by Sharangdev refers to 18 kinds of flutes. These categories are based on the distance between the blow hole and the first finger hole (see diagram).
What is the hand used for in Vedic chanting?
The hand was referred to as the Hasta Veena, where the hands and fingers are used to show the notation system of vedic chanting, coordinating sound with mudra-hand gesture.
What is the instrument of India?
The harmonium is a conventional and mainstream instrument of India.
What is the most popular instrument in North India?
The most famous instrument utilized in North India is the Tabla.
What are the melodic notes of the Ragas?
The melodic notes are essential for the Ragas in Indian music. There is a wide assortment of Ragas, each with its arrangement of examples and rules as characterized by the School of Indian music. The instruments should be tuned to the notes of the Ragas combined with Tala or the cadenced beats.
What is the Mridangam drum made of?
Mridangam discovers a place in old sanctuaries, music, psalms, and compositions, particularly in South India. It is a twofold sided drum produced using jackfruit wood which is known to be thick. The two open finishes are secured with goatskin and cowhide ties are tied around the outline to fix them.
How many strings are in a gourd?
The instrument is gourd formed at the base which goes about as the resonator upheld by a long neck. The neck comprises 7 ropes, 20 metal frets, and 13 strings beneath the frets. The frets are utilized to change the melodic notes though the strings known as thoughtful strings are utilized for tuning the notes.
Where is the Sarod instrument from?
The sarod is a moderately new instrument to South Asia, has been around for under 200 years. The sarod is a culled stringed instrument with a skin-shrouded resonator and thoughtful strings. Like the sitar, it is essentially utilized in Hindustani music and is joined by the tabla.
Who is the best custodian of woodwind playing in India?
Pt Pannalal Ghosh and Pt Hari Prashad Chaurasia are considered the best custodian of woodwind playing in India.
What is the Indian musical instrument?
Indian Musical Instrument. 7. Kuzhal. Kuzhal is a double-reed instrument used in the temples of Kerala. It is supposed to have a shrill sound and is often compared to a nadaswaram. It looks like a shehnai and so a lot of people have confusion between the two instruments.
What is the name of the instrument that is similar to Sarod?
5. Sursingar. Sursingar is an instrument that is quite similar to sarod and the name means ‘embellishment of melody’. In terms of size, it is larger than the sarod and produces a deeper sound.
What is the name of the drum in Assam?
Magical-Assam. 2. Pakhawaj. Pakhawaj is a barrel-shaped, two-headed drum, which is also known as mridang. Though it looks like a dholak, it’s tuned in the same way as a tabla.
What is a sambal?
Sambal is a drum-like musical instrument from Western India. It consists of two drums attached together and one drum has a higher pitch than the other. With skin heads stretched on the top of each drum, this instrument looks a lot like tabla.
What is a gubguba?
6. Gubguba. A gubguba is a percussion string instrument and it either has dried gourd or wooden resonator through which a gut string is attached. When this instrument is played, its body is held by the player below their arm and the free end of the string in the fist of the same hand.
Sitars
Various brands in Ravi Shankar style and Vilayat Khan style, Calcutta Standard and 3/4 sitars
Tanpuras
Various brands, categorized according to size in Male, Female and Instrumental
Tablas
Premium- and standard quality from Calcutta as well as sturdy and durable synthetic tablas
Drums & Percussion
Dholak, dhol, khol, pakhawaj, mridangam, thavil, ghatam, kanjira, foot bells, cymbals
Various String Instruments
Sarod, surbahar, santoor, swarmandal, dotar, ektar, sursringar and all veenas
Overview
Indian musical instruments can be broadly classified according to the Hornbostel–Sachs system into four categories: chordophones (string instruments), aerophones (wind instruments), membranophones (drums) and idiophones (non-drum percussion instruments).
Chordophones
• Chikara
• Dhantara
• Dilruba
• Ektara violin
• Esraj
Aerophones
• Pepa
• Pungi or Been
• Kuzhal
• Mukhavina
• Nadaswaram
Membranophones
• Daf, duf, or dafli - medium or large frame drum without jingles, of Persian origin
• Dubki, dimdi or dimri - small frame drum without jingles
• Kanjira - small frame drum with one jingle
Idiophones
• Chigggjha - fire tong with brass jingles
• Chengila - metal disc
• Eltathalam
• Gegvrer - brass vessel
Hand harmonium
Dwarkanath Ghose (Dwarkin) modified the French pedal harmonium.
Electronic
• Roland HandSonic
• Electronic tanpura
• Electronic (digital) tabla
• Talameter
See also
• Music of India
• List of Indian dances