Musical Instruments in India

Natya Shastra, compiled by Bharat Muni, divides musical instruments into four main categories on the basis of how sound is produced.

Tata Vadya (Stringed Instruments)

• Sound is produced by the vibration of a string or chord.
• Vibrations are caused by plucking or by bowing on the string
• Degree to which string is tightened, determines pitch of the note & also, to some extent, the duration of the sound
• Increase or decrease in the length of the vibrator wire is responsible for the changes in pitches of notes-swaras.
• Harps → Oldest evidence in the shape of the hunter’s bow.
• Veena was the generic term for stringed instruments’ referred to in texts
• Another class is of the dulcimer type, where a number of strings are stretched on a box of wood → Santoor
• Bowed instruments – the upright (Sarangi) and the inverted (Violin)

Sushira Vadya (Wind Instruments)

• Sound is produced by blowing air into an hollow column
• Pitch of the note is determined by controlling the air passage
• Melody is played by using the fingers to open and close the in the instrument
• Indus civilizations excavations → bird whistles of clay, wind and percussion instruments inscribed on seals
• Wind instruments are roughly divided into two categories on the basis of how sound is produced viz.

Flutes

• The simplest of these instruments, generally made of bamboo or wood
• Mostly played by musicians of the tribal and rural areas
• Resembles beak flutes which have a narrow aperture at one end.

Reed 

• Have one or two reeds inserted in the hollow beak or tube of the instrument – which vibrate when air is blown into them
• Reeds are bound together with a gap between them before inserting into the body of the instrument.
• The body of the tube is conical in shape; narrow at the blowing end and opening out gradually, with a metallic bell at the farther end to enhance the volume of the sound
• A set of spare reeds, an ivory or silver needle for adjusting and cleaning the reeds are also hung from the mouth piece of the instrument.
• Examples → Shehnai & Nadaswaram

Avanaddha Vadya (Percussion Instruments)

• Sound is produced by striking the animal skin which has been stretched across an earthen or metal pot or a wooden barrel or frame
• The earliest references to such instruments have been found in the Vedas where there is mention of Bhumi Dundhubhi
• Bhumi Dundhubhi was a hollow pit dug in the ground and covered with the hide of a buffalo or ox which was stretched across the pit
• The tail of the animal was used for striking the animal hide and thus sound was produced
• Examples → Oordhwaka, Tabla, Ankya, Alingya & Damaru

Oordhwaka

• Oordhwaka drums are placed vertically before the musician and sound is produced by striking them with sticks or the fingers.
• Prominent among these are the Tabla pair and Chenda

Tabla

• Tabla pair is a set of two vertical Oordhwaka drums
• Right side is called the Tabla and the left, the Bayan or Dagga
• Tabla pair is used as accompaniment to vocal and instrumental Hindustani music and with many dance forms of northern India
• Prominent musicians → Ustad Alla Rakha Khan and his son Zakir Hussain, Shafat Ahmed and Samata Prasad

Ankya

• Ankya drums are held horizontally before the musician and usually both sides are covered with animal hide
• Sound is produced by striking both sides with sticks or fingers
• Prominent examples include Mridangam, Pakhawaj & Khol
• Seals which have been excavated of the Indus Civilization show figures of men playing the horizontal drums hung from the neck

Alingya

• Drums having the animal skin fixed to a wooden round frame
• Held close to the body with one hand while the other hand is used for playing on the instrument
• Notable example → Duff, Dufli

Damaru

• Ranges from the small Huddaka of Himachal Pradesh to the larger instrument known as Timila of the southern region
• Huddaka is struck with the hands while Timila is hung from the shoulders and played with sticks and fingers.
• Also known as the hourglass variety of drums as their shape resembles an hourglass

Ghana Vadya (Solid Instruments)

• Earliest instruments invented by man
• Once constructed, this variety of instrument do not need special tuning prior to playing
• Principally rhythmic in function and are best suited as accompaniment to folk and tribal music and dance
• Notable examples → Jhanj, Ghatam

Jhanj Player, Konarak, Orissa

• Sun temple (Konarak, Orissa) → large sculpture of a lady playing the Jhanj
• Jhanj is also known as manjira or cymbals

Ghatam, Carnatic music

• An earthenware pot → the artist uses the fingers, thumbs, palms, and heels of the hands to strike its outer surface
• An airy low-pitch bass sound, called Gumki, is created by hitting the mouth of the pot with an open hand
• Artist sometimes presses the mouth of the pot against their bare belly, which deepens the tone of the bass stroke (Gumki)

• Different tones can be produced by hitting different areas of the pot with different parts of the hands
• The Ghatam usually accompanies a mridangam