Musical Instruments of India

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Sushir Vadya

1)All the wind instruments come under this group.
2)They are made of (usually) hollow pipes made of wood, bamboo or metal.
3)The air column inside the pipe is made to vibrate by blowing.
4)Some of the instruments are conch, flute, bansuri, shehnai, etc.

Conch: The �Shankh� as it is popularly known in India, is the oldest and a natural instrument found in all cultures of the world, from which musical sound can be played. It can play only one note.

Shehnai: It is like the western oboe or the south Indian Nadaswaram. It has 2 upper and 2 lower reeds. It is believed to be an auspicious instrument, so played during weddings and other auspicious occasions. It is usually played as solo classical instrument and is accompanied by �choughada�, a type of percussion drum.

Been: It is a typical folk instrument. It is used by snake charmers. Many times � been� is used as a synonym for �Veena� or the �Rudra Veena� (in some parts of India �V� is pronounced as �B�, which creates the confusion).

Bansuri: It has many other names like �Venu�, �Murali�, etc. It is one of the oldest instruments. It was originally used to play folk and light music. Pt. Pannalal Ghosh improvised the instrument to make it suitable for classical performances. It is usually made of bamboo, though nowadays, wood or acrylic material is also used.

Harmonium: Popularly known as �Peti� or �Baja�, like other �Sushir� instruments it is not a pipe. It is wooden rectangular box type instrument having many reeds. Air is pumped through the bellow, keys are pressed and air is made to vibrate through the reed to produce a note. It�s origin is in Europe, though it has gained its place in Indian Classical and light performances as �solo� as well as accompanying instrument.

Avanaddha Vadya

1)These are the percussion instruments.
2)They have a striking skin made of leather.
3)They are the main rhythm instruments.
4)The sound is made by striking the leather skin and vibrating it.
5)Hands or sticks are used for striking.

Tabla: It is the most popular Indian Drum. It is played solo or for accompaniment of classical as well as light music performances. It is a pair of drums � the �dayan� and the �bayan�. The �dayan� is made of wood while the �bayan� is made of metal. Both have a stretched leather membrane on the top, held by leather a rope called as �vadi�.

Chaughada: It is a pair of drums played with sticks. It is used for accompanying the �Shehnai� performers.

Mridangam and Pakhwaj are very similar instruments. Mridangam is the South Indian version of Pakhwaj, or else we can say that Pakhwaj is the North Indian version of Mridangam. Both differ in their sound quality, shape and making procedure. Khol or Mridang is another similar instrument. It is a north Indian folk instruments and also played in devotional music.

Dafali: Also called as �daf�, is a popular folk instrument, nowadays, becoming popular in classical rhythm ensembles.

Ghana Vadya

1)These instruments are also from the percussion group.
2)They are made of metal or other sonorous material.
3)The metal is struck by hands or made to vibrate to produce sound.
4)All the cymbals, bells and ghatam are some examples of this instrument family.

Ghatam: It is a large clay pot. It is a South Indian classical percussion instrument. The percussionist uses the flat, the knuckles and the sides of both hands to strike the walls of the ghatam. He also uses his belly to cover the mouth of the pot, generating controlled tuning and even notes in the lower octave.

Ghungaroo: These are small bells, used by dancers to tie around their feet. The rhythmic effect of the �ghungaroos� is shown and used by dancers to enrich their performances. Nowadays, it is also used as side rhythm in light music.

Khartaals or Clappers: These are very similar rhythmic instruments. They are made of a pair of wooden blocks or frames with metal jingles mounted on them. They are used in folk, devotional and light music.

Manjira and Zanj: They are different types of small pairs of metal cymbals used in folk, devotional and light music.

Jalatarang: These are set of china bowls, filled with water. They are struck by sticks. The water level is adjusted to adjust the note. Classical as well as light music is played on it.

This is an overview of the classification method of Indian musical instruments. This is a very ancient method. In India, this method is still popular.

Nowadays, due to technological development, a new category of instruments is growing popularity. Many electronic and computerized instruments like the synthesizer, electronic taanpura and electronic tabla, electric guitar, etc. have started gaining more and more importance. According to my thinking and understanding, this fifth category should be included in this classification, and can be called as �Vidyuta Vadya�

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