Famous Music Instruments in India

Tabla :

Table is basically the pair of drums. Drumming with table kicks us and we immediately react with the tapping of the beats. It is generally believed that Tabla evolved from the barrel shaped drum called pakhawaj, 3000 years ago. It basically consists of the small right hand drum called dayan and a larger metal one called bayan. It is an Indian pleximetry instrument used in classical, popular and religious Hindustani music. The dayan is made up of neem or sheesham while the bayan can be made up of metal, example brass, copper, aluminum, or from terracotta or ceramic. Both dayan and bayan produces quite interesting sounds. The dayan can produce 12 different sounds, while the bayan can produce 2 different sounds. Some of the dignitaries associated with the Tabla are Ustad Zakir Hussain, Thirakwa Ustad Alla Rakha, Ustad Tari Khan, Ustad Maseet Khan, Ustad Tafo Khan and many more.

Sarod :

Sarod is one of the most popular stringed musical instrument that has been used for the classical Indian music. It is quite similar to the popular instrument called rabab used in the middle east. It is an 18 – 19 lute like instrument, four to five main strings used for playing the melody, one or two drone strings, two chikari strings and ten to eleven sympathetic strings. Most contemporary Sarod players use Roslau, Schaff or Precision brand music wire. It is approximately three to four feet long is is mainly made of wood. The strings are plucked with a triangular plectrum (java) made of polished Coconut shell, Ebony, Delrin or other materials such as bone. Among the contemporary Sarod players the name of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is quite popular.

The Flute

Flute is the musical instrument of the ancient India, quite synonymous with the name of the Lord Krishna. It belongs to the woodwind family and is also known as the Bansuri. The flute produces the sweet sound and blends well with the other instruments. It is made of the cylindrical bamboo pipe with uniform bore containing six holes and closed at the end. In a flute the sound is produced by blowing against an edge or by an vibrating reed. And in which the pitch governed by the resonant frequencies of an enclosed air column. The person who plays the flute is referred to as the flute player or the flautist. It has been used in India since the vedic period. It was earlier used to play the religious music of the Buddhists.

Sitar :

Sitar is the most popular string instrument from India. Sitar is the member of the veena family. It has been in use since 700 years. It is basically made up of the seasoned gourd and wood. It measures about 4 feet in length and has a deep, peer shaped body fashioned from wood and gourd, a long wide, hollow, wooden neck, both front and side tuning pegs and 20 arched movable frets. Its body is carved out of tun or teak wood and its main resonator is made of a pumpkin. It is the most famous instrument in North India. Famous Sitarists of India include Pandit Ravi Shankar and his daughter Anoushka Shankar.

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