Indian Musical
Instruments
The music of the Indian subcontinent is usually divided into two major
traditions of classical music: Hindustani music of North India and
Karnatak music of South India, although many regions of India also have
their own musical traditions that are independent of these.
Nature is the fountain source of all music. The beginning of Indian
musicography is traced to Vedic chants that were sung during
religious rituals performed by priests named Udgatar. The origin of
musical composition is traced to the Vedic chant of Samveda (the Veda
of music) created by Lord Brahma. In Vedic times music was the
medium for prayer in religious ceremonies as well as entertainment
and social occasions. The development of notes originated in the Vedic
period itself.
There was a lot of influence of Mughals on Indian music over a period
of time. They contributed a lot for Indian music.
India has a rich musical history with its very own musical
instruments. Some music instruments are used primarily in North
Indian music (Hindustani Sangeet), some are used in the south Indian
music (Carnatic Sangeet), while others are found in folk music. The
music of ancient India has its roots from the many indigenous
instruments that gained wide use at the time such as the seven-holed
flute and various stringed instruments. The oldest musical
instrument of India is the Veena.
The Saraswati Veena, one of the most ancient Indian instruments, is a
plucked stringed instrument used mainly in the south Indian – Carnatic
classical musical. It is called “The Queen of Instruments” in the classical
music of South India. The Saraswati Veena, whose origins date back to
around 1700 BCE, occupies a place of pride among Indian musical
instruments.
There are 4 types of Veena Instruments considered by scholars now-a-days
and they are the Tanjavur (Saraswati) Veena, Rudra Veena, Vichitra
Veena, and Gottuvadhyam (Chitra) Veena. Basically, it is mostly used in
Carnatic Music, a form of South Indian Classical Music. The current form of
the Saraswati Veena with 24 fixed frets evolved in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu,
during the reign of Raghunatha Nayak and it is for this reason sometimes
called the Tanjore Veena or the Raghunatha Veena. The Saraswati Veena
contains 4 lead strings to play the solo lead part of the music and 3 drone
strings.
India has the most ancient and evolved music system in the world. The earliest
evidence points to this discovery in the cave paintings showing musical activity and
instruments at Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh (Central India), dating back 10,000
years ago. Similarly, during the later excavations of the Harappa civilization,
evidence of musical activity and dance was uncovered. The study of such evidence
helps us understand the evolution of music and several cultural aspects of the people
who used these instruments.
The Natya Shastra, an ancient encyclopaedia of the arts, compiled by Bharat Muni
(200 B.C.- 200 A.D.), categorized musical instruments (vadya) into four main
categories:
Tantu Vadya - Chordophones or Stringed instruments
Sushira Vadya - Aero phones or Wind instruments
Avanaddha Vadya - Membranophones or Percussion instruments
Ghana Vadya - Idiophones or Solid instruments that do not require tuning.
Tantu Vadya
This is the category of string instruments. In this category, the sound is produced by the
string's vibration through plucking or bowing on the string. The pitch and the sound
vibration depend on the string's length and how tight it is wound to the instrument.
The Tantu Vadya are divided broadly into three categories:
Tat Vadya - The plucked instruments such as Tanpura, Veena, Sitar, Sarod, of which
Veena and Sitar are fretted, whereas Sarod is non-fretted.
Vitat Vadya - The bowed instruments such as Violin, Sarangi, Dilruba and Esraj or
Israj
The only string instrument that is neither plucked nor bowed is the Santoor, which
is played by hammering on the strings.
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The word Veena is a generic term in Sanskrit. It refers to plucked string musical instruments.
Veena is one of the most ancient Indian musical instruments mentioned in Rigveda, Samveda,
and other Vedic literature. Veena has been discussed in the Natya Shastra, the oldest ancient
Hindu text on classical music by Bharata Muni. There are 3 types of Veenas.
Rudra Veena
This is a fretted instrument with two equal-sized resonators called Tumba.
Saraswati Veena
This type of Veena is also a fretted veena. Saraswati Veena has two resonators of different
sizes.
Vichitra Veena
This type of Veena is non-fretted. Vichitra veena is played with a piece of round glass. It sounds
very close to the humming sound of a human voice.
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The modern Violin is the most widely used and distributed musical instrument in the
world. It originated in the 16th century in Italy. The western Violin was adapted to
Indian classical music in the last century. The Violin became quickly popular because
of its closeness in timbre and range to the human voice. The Violin body is made of
wood, and it has four strings that are played with a bow. The Indian Violin is played by
sitting in a cross-legged position. Special features of Gayaki such as Meend, Gamak,
and Andolan can be produced on the Violin by extensive micro-tones. In India, the
Violin is used in both North and South Indian classical music. The ancestor of the Violin
is believed to be the RavanHathha in India. The folk instrument, RavanHathha, found
even today in India, is an ancient folk instrument, having some similarities with the
Violin. Both are played with a bow. The body of RavanHathha is hollow with a single
string. The fingerboard is twenty-two inches long, covering three octaves. In contrast,
the fingerboard of the Violin is five and a half inches long and covers three octaves in
four strings. When one multiplies five and a half by four, it is twenty-two, the exact
length of the fingerboard of the RavanHathha.
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The Sarangi is a highly expressive instrument. Its name means 'a hundred colors,'
referring to the range, depth, and subtlety of its sounds. Sarangi has a box-like
structure that is carved from a single piece of wood (Cedar). It has three gut
melody strings and up to 40 metal sympathetic strings. The body has a goatskin
face on which an elephant-shaped bridge of ivory rests. The Sarangi is held
vertically, keeping the neck on the top. It is played by moving the heavy bow
across the strings. Earlier, Sarangi was mainly in folk music which became an
essential accompanying classical instrument when the Khayal Gayaki and Thumri
emerged.
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The Indian Santoor instrument is a trapezoid-shaped hammered dulcimer. It is called
the Shata Tantri Vina in ancient texts meaning "the Vina with a hundred strings." It is a
variation of the Iranian Santur. The instrument is generally made of walnut, and it has
twenty-five bridges. Each bridge has four strings, making for a total of hundred strings.
It is a traditional instrument in Jammu and Kashmir and was used in folk music; today,
it has made a place in classical music. Santoor is played with a pair of light wooden
mallets held with both hands.
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The Tanpura is a drone instrument that has four strings. It produces a vibrant sound and
is used for accompaniment by both vocalists and instrumentalists. In ancient Indian
texts, Narada has been given credit for the invention of Tanpura. Tanpura is made of
wood, and its base is made of gourd. The Tanpura produces a unique harmonic drone
that gives tonic references to the artists. There are two significant styles of Tanpura: •
Miraj style - The Miraj style Tanpura is used in North Indian Hindustani Music. It is
characterized by a well-rounded face, a non-tapering neck, and a base made of a
pumpkin shell. The bridge is slightly curved, which provides the sound upon stringing.
It also generates harmonics, enhancing the tonal quality of the instrument. • Tanjore
style - The Tanjore style Tanpura is used in Carnatic music. It is characterized by a neck
tapering toward the top, and the front plate is very flat. The base is made of jackwood.
There is a smaller version of the instrument, which is called the Tamboori.
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Sitar is a well known Indian classical music string instrument primarily performed solo.
It is made with wood, metal and has a processed hollowed pumpkin base for sound
resonance. The current day Sitar has seven strings and is played by plucking the strings
that rest on a bridge and a tuning peg. Various adjustable metal frets are placed in
between the bridge and the peg to enable producing notes in a melody. A plectrum is
worn on the right hand finger to pluck the string while the left hand fingers are used to
rest on the frets. The notes can also be produced by pulling and sliding the string on a
fret after it is struck. Primarily, the first couple of strings (baaj and jod) are used to
produce musical notes while the back strings (chikari) are simply plucked intermittently
to accentuate the melody. The Sitar also has sympathetic strings that are not explicitly
played, but, resonate with the main strings. The sympathetic strings are meant to be
tuned for the notes of a raag and provide another dimension to the melody. It is
important to note that the bridge has a slight curvature and it is very important to
construct it correctly (jawaari) for the minutia of the notes. Tuning of Sitar follows two
main styles - Gandhar-Pancham style, developed by Ustad Vilayat Khan of Etawah
Gharana and Kharaj-Pancham style used by various leading artists. Notably, the
Gandhar-Pancham style was explicitly developed to play the Sitar in Khayal style
mimicking the vocal. The word ‘Sitar' originated from the Persian word “Sehtar”. Sitar
was created by Amir Khusro based on the traditional Indian music instrument, the
Veena.
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Flute has been used in Indian culture since the Vedic period. It is said to be the
favorite instrument of Lord Krishna. It has many names such as Venu, Bansuri,
Murali, and Vansi, etc. Flute is made of bamboo, and it has a cylindrical tube-like
body with a uniform bore and is closed at one end. The length of the flute and the
number of holes it has can vary. Long flutes produce rich, mellow, and deep tones,
whereas small flutes produce high-pitched sounds. Flute is used both as an
accompaniment instrument and also as a solo instrument. It is played as a part of
instrumental ensembles as well.
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The harmonium is a keyboard musical instrument often used as an accompanying
instrument by vocalists. It is played by pumping air through reeds tuned to different
pitches to make musical notes. A metal reed board is inside the box-like structure
arranged based on the seventh diatonic scale of notes. When the air strikes the reeds,
the musical notes emerge. The keyboard consists of white and black keys where the
white keys produce natural notes, and the black keys produce flat notes. In India, a
hand-pumped harmonium is used, which is played by pushing and pulling the handle
back and forth with one hand. This handle is joined to the bellows that blow the air. The
harmonium player uses one hand to blow the bellows and the other to play the keys.
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A Shehnai is played in auspicious occasions such as weddings in India. Shehnai
is a quadruple reed instrument with a wooden tube-like body that narrows at the
blowing end and widens towards the other end. A Shehnai is played by blowing
through a reed mouthpiece, which can produce continuous notes.
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The word Sarod comes from the Persian word 'Sarood,' which means "melody."
Many Indian classical music scholars believe that the Sarod originated by
combining the ancient Chitravina with the medieval Indian rabab and the
Sursingar. Some scholars believe that Sarod has its origin from Afghan rabab,
which was later modified into Sarod. Sarod is made from mulberry wood or teak
wood. The front of the wooden part is covered with goatskin, and the strings are
made of metal. There are four main strings for producing the melody, two drone
strings, two chikari strings, and 15 sympathetic strings. Sarod produces a deep,
weighty sound, and the sympathetic strings produce a resonant sound with a
reverberant quality.
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Dilruba is a bowed string instrument that is very close to the combination of Sitar and
Sarangi. It has a wooden neck like a sitar which has 18 strings and has several metallic
frets. Dilruba has a series of sympathetic strings, which are tuned to the notes of a
particular Raag. The Dilruba is bowed with the right hand like the Sarangi, while the
left-hand plays the strings.
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Swaramandal is a harp-like drone instrument used by a Hindustani classical vocalist for
accompaniment. There is no standard size or number of strings for Swaramandal. The
body of the Swaramandal is made of wooden boards. It has metal strings hooked into
this wooden box. A Swaramandal can have 21- 40 strings. The singer tunes the
Swaramandal as per the Raag he/she is performing.
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The story of tabla is as old as Indian civilization itself. Its roots can be traced back to
ancient percussion instruments mentioned in Sanskrit texts dating back two millennia.
Over time, influenced by various cultural exchanges, including Persian and Central
Asian drumming traditions, these instruments evolved into the tabla we know today.
During the Mughal period in India, the tabla developed significantly, with distinct
playing techniques and styles emerging. The tabla plays a central role in Indian music,
serving as the rhythmic backbone along with vocal and instrumental performances. In
classical music, tabla players engage in complex improvisations called thirds and ghats
to complement the lead player's melodic phrasing. Tabla's versatility extends beyond
classical music, as it is also used in folk, bhakti, and semi-classical genres. In ensemble
settings such as qawwali and ghazal performances, the tabla provides rhythmic support
and embellishment, enhancing the overall musical experience.
Tabla playing requires a combination of intricate hand movements, finger placement and
rhythmic patterns. Tabla players use different techniques to create different sounds and
rhythms, called bols. These include single stroke (na), double stroke (ta) and combinations
like dha, dhin and tin. The repertoire of tabla compositions includes a variety of styles,
including traditional compositions from the Punjab, Delhi, Ajrada and Lucknow gharanas, each
with its own distinctive characteristics and rhythmic intricacies.
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Considered a descendant of Mridangam, the Pakhawaj is mainly used to accompany the
Dhrupad style of Hindustani classical music. Pakhawaj produces a rich, low, and
mellow tone. This instrument has a barrel-shaped body with two side openings covered
by goatskin. The two heads are of different sizes; the bigger one produces the bass, and
the smaller one produces the treble. On the face that produces the bass, freshly made
wheat flour batter is applied to produce an enhanced, low-pitch sound.
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Derived from the Sanskrit word, Tālà, which means rhythm, the Taal/ Kartaal or
Manjira is a pair of clash cymbals made of bronze, brass, copper, or zinc. It is held in
both hands to play. Both the cymbals connect with a chord, which passes through a hole
in its center. The Taal is played to accompany devotional music such as Bhajan and
Kirtan. Taals come in different sizes, and the Pitch of the Taal depends on its size,
weight, and the material used to make the Taal.
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Several metallic bells are strung together on a thick cloth to make Ghungroo. Ghungroo
is used in dance forms, folk music, and devotional music to complement the rhythm.
GHUNGROO, also known as ghungru or ankle bells are one of the many small
metallic bells strung together and is tied around the ankles of the feet of classical
Indian musical dancers. They are regarded with great respect and are considered to be
an inseparable part of the classical dancing tradition for many forms of dances like
Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, etc. These small metallic bells made of brass with
a smaller metallic ball inside each one of them strung together and fixed on a cotton or
velvet strap to form a musical anklet so that the dancers can easily wear them on their
ankles. The sounds of ghungroos may vary greatly in pitch depending on the metallic
composition and size. A ghungroos anklet can range from 50 to 200 bells knotted
together. While the feet celebrate the woman’s work ethic regarding her art, the eyes
get transfixed on the ghungroos immediately, telling a poignant story to the audience.
Indian classical dances emphasize a lot on the footwork, ghungroos are used to
highlight and match the rhythmic aspect of the dance the sound from the ankle bell
also keeps the dancer in tune to the music and stays in rhythm, giving more life to the
dance and simply adds to the grandeur.
These instruments, along with many others, contribute to the diverse and vibrant
musical landscape of India. They are used to evoke different emotions, convey stories
and narratives, and create rich and immersive musical experiences. Whether in the
context of traditional classical music, lively folk performances, or contemporary
popular music, Indian instruments play a crucial role in shaping the sonic identity of
Indian music. In conclusion, Indian instruments are an essential part of the country's
rich musical heritage. With their diverse sounds, expressive capabilities, and historical
significance, they continue to be an integral part of Indian music, captivating audiences
and contributing to the vibrant cultural tapestry of the country. Whether it's the melodic
tones of the sitar, the rhythmic patterns of the tabla, or the soulful sounds of the bansuri,
Indian instruments are a testament to the creativity, innovation, and tradition of Indian
music.