INDIAN MUSIC - INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

INDIAN MUSIC - INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS & FOLK MUSIC INSTRUMENTS

Indian classical Music Instruments are of broadly divided into – String musical Instruments, String Bowing music Instruments, Percussion musical Instruments, Keyboard / Electronic musical instruments and Wind music Instruments. Musicians from different cultures, all over the world, developed basic and advanced music technologies to devise the Indian musical instruments and popular global music instruments. Divya Music presents details on a few traditional and modern marvels in musical instruments (Sangit Vadya) available and in practice presently. Divya Music Sangeet Vidhyalaya offers Indian instrumental music training courses / lessons on regular basis and DM live core – online instrumental music classes for learning to play the Indian classical music instruments, Indian folk music instruments and global popular musical instruments. Details on a few Indian musical instruments :


Veena

learn veena Veena : is a plucked stringed instrument used in Carnatic music. There are several variations of the veena, which in its South Indian form is a member of the lute family. One who plays the veena is referred to as a vainika.
Veena Lessons Online

Sitar

how to play sitar Sitar : The sitar is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Indian classical music. It derives its resonance from sympathetic strings, a long hollow neck and a gourd resonating chamber.
Sitar Lessons Online

Tanpura or Tambura

how to play tambura Tanpura or Tambura : The tambura, tanpura, tamboura or taanpura is a long-necked plucked lute (a stringed instrument found in different forms and in many places).
Tanpura Lessons Online

Santoor

how to play santoor Santoor : Its origin is very old. In ancient sanskrit texts, Santoor has been referred to as Shatatantri vina (100-stringed vina). In India, the santoor was used as an accompaniment instrument to the folk music of Kashmir. Santoor is played in a style of music known as the Sufiana Mausiqi. The Sufi mystics used it as an accompaniment to their hymns. A typical santoor has two sets of bridges, providing a range of three octaves, which generally has 72 strings.
Santoor Class Online

Sarod

how to play sarood Sarod : The sarod is known for a deep, weighty, introspective sound, in contrast with the sweet, overtone-rich texture of the sitar, with sympathetic strings that give it a resonant, reverberant quality. It is a fretless instrument able to produce the continuous slides between notes known as meend (glissandi), which is important to Indian music.
Sarod Class Online

Swar Jhankar

how to play swar jhankar Swar Jhankar : SWAR JHANKAR is a beautiful sounding instrument shaped like a Harp of the western counterpart.It has 15 strings which can be tuned to the scale one wishes to play. The drone can be maintained by plucking the 1st string with one hand and the desired note with the other. Machine head screws are fitted for easy tuning. C-tuning is the best tuning.

Swar Mandal

how to play swar mandal Swar mandal : The swarmandal or Indian harp is an Indian zither that is today most commonly used as an accompanying instrument for vocal Hindustani Classical music (the classical music of North India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh). The name combines swara (notes) and mandal (group), representing its ability to produce a large number of notes; it is also known popularly as Sur-mandal. Total 30 to 36 strings.

Surbahar

how to play surbahar Surbahar : It is closely related to sitar, but it has a lower tone. Depending on the instrument's size, it is usually pitched two to five whole steps below the standard sitar, but Indian classical music having no concept of absolute pitch, this may vary. Professional full-size surbahar with a single gourd and 20 strings- Main-8 and Sympathetic-12 strings. Surbahar sometimes known as bass sitar.


String Bowing Musical Instruments

Dilruba

how to play dilruba Dilruba : The dilruba is found in the north, where it is used in religious / spiritual music and light classical songs in the urban areas. Its name is translated as "robber of the heart." It has a skin head sound box with 4 main strings and 18 sympathetic strings, 20 frets with special bow and wooden box. There is also well known fact that The Dilruba originates from the Taus and some argue is the work of the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, whilst that of the Taus was the work of Guru Hargobind (the sixth guru of the Sikhs)..
Dilruba Lessons Online

Esraj

how to play esraj Esraj : The esraj is found in the east and central areas, particularly Bengal (Bangladesh and Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura) and it is used in a somewhat wider variety of musical styles than is the dilruba. It’s containing 4 main strings and 15 sympathetic strings and 20 frets. The neck is similar to a sitar in which the frets are tied with thread but it is played with a bow.
Esraj Lessons Online

Sarangi

how to play sarangi Sarangi : The sarangi is a bowed, short-necked string instrument of north India which originated from ajasthani folk instruments. It plays an important role in India's Hindustani classical music tradition. Of all Indian musical instruments, it is said to most resemble the sound of the human voice – able to imitate vocal ornaments such as gamakas (shakes) and meend (sliding movements). Professional sarangi made from well seasoned tun wood with 39 strings.
Sarangi Class Online


Wind Musical Instruments

Shruti Box

learn shruti box Shruti Box : A shruti box (or sruti box) is a small wooden instrument that traditionally works on a system of bellows. It is similar to a harmonium and is used to provide a dronein a practice session or concert of Indian classical music.

Shennai or Mangal Vadya

how to play shennai Shennai or Mangal Vadya : is an aerophonic (wind) instrument, a double reed conical oboe, common in North India, West India and Pakistan, made out of wood, with a metal flare bell at the end. The South Indian equivalent of the shehnai is the nadaswaram.
Shennai Lessons Online

Flute or Bansuri

how to play flute Flute or Bansuri : The bansuri is a transverse flute of India made from a single hollow shaft of bamboo with six or seven finger holes. A flute produces sound when a stream of air directed across a hole in the instrument creates a vibration of air at the hole. The flute player changes the pitch of the sound produced by opening and closing holes in the body of the instrument, thus changing the effective length of the resonator and its corresponding resonant frequency. By varying the air pressure, a flute player can also change the pitch of a note by causing the air in the flute to resonate at a harmonic other than the fundamental frequency without opening or closing any holes. The Bansuri is revered as Lord Krishna's divine musical instrument, and is often associated with Krishna's Rasa lila; mythological accounts tell of the tunes of Krishna's flute having a spellbinding and enthralling effect not only on the women of the Braj, but even on the animals and birds of the region.
Flute Class Online


Percussion Musical Instruments

Tabla

learn tabla Tabla : The term 'tabla is derived from an Arabic word, tabl, which simply means "drum." It’s a very popular Indian percussion instrument (of the membranophone family, similar to bongos), used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent.
Tabla Class Online

Dholak

learn dholak Dholak : The dholak is mainly a folk music instrument, lacking the exact tuning and playing techniques of the tabla or the pakhawaj. It’s a South Asian two-headed hand-drum. It is widely used in qawwali , kirtan and Bhangra.
Dholak Class Online

Damru

how to play damru Damru : A damaru or damru is a small two-headed drum, used in Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism, In the Hindu mythology it’s known as a power drum, and when played, it is believed to generate spiritual energy. It is associated with the Hindu deity Shiva.

In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the damaru is part of a collection of sacred implements and musical instrument was adopted from the tantric practices of ancient India. These reached the Land of Snows from the 8th to 12th century, persisting in Tibet as the practice of Vajrayana flourished there, even as it vanished in the subcontinent of India.

Mizhavu

learn playing mizhavu Mizhavu : A mizhav or mizhavu is a big copper drum played as an accompanying percussion instrument in the Koodiyattam and Koothu, performing arts of Kerala . It is played by the Ambalavasi Nambiar community.

Mridangam

learn playing mridangam Mridangam : It is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in a Carnatic music ensemble. The mridangam is also played in Carnatic concerts in countries outside of India, including Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. During a percussion ensemble, the mridangam is often accompanied by the ghatam, kanjira, and the morsing.
Mridangam Lessons Online

Ghungroo

learn playing ghungroo Ghungroo : A Ghungroo, also known as Ghunghroo or Ghungur (Bengali) or Salangai (Tamil) is one of many small metallic bells strung together to form Ghungroos, a musical anklet tied to the feet of classical Indian dancers. Ghungroos or Salangais are worn in traditional performances of the classical Indian dance forms: Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, and Odissi etc.

Ghatam

how to play ghatam Ghatam : the ghatam (Sanskrit: ghatam "pot", Tamil: katam, Kannada: ghata, Telugu: ghatat) is a percussion instrument used in the Carnatic music of South India. Its analogue in Rajasthan is known as the madga and pani mataqa "water jug". The ghatam usually accompanies a mridangam.
Ghatam Lessons Online

Khartal

learn khartal Khartal : is found three kind of in society.
1. Kartals (blocks). It consists of a pair of wooden blocks with jingles or crotales (kartals mean crotales). One pair is used in one hand of the musician. These pieces can be clapped together at high speeds to make fast complex beats.
2. Kartals (small sheets). It consists of a pair of thin, hard wooden pieces similar to the percussion bones (instrument). These are used in Rajasthan.
3. Kartals (cymbals). The karatalas are small cymbals, also known as manjeera. These are used in devotional chants.

Manjeera

learn manjeera Manjeera : is a traditional musical instrument in India. It is also known as manjeera, taal, jalra, khartàl or kartàl. It is used in various religious ceremonies of India, especially with bhajans in temples. Manjira are usually made of bronze, brass, copper zinc or Bell metal and connected with a copper cord which passes through holes in their center.

Jal tarang

jal tarang learning Jal tarang : It consists of a set of ceramic or metal bowls tuned with water. The bowls are played by striking the edge with beaters, one in each hand. In other words jal tarang means "waves in water" but indicates motion of sound created or modified with the aid of water.
Jal Tarang Lessons Online

Kanch tarang or Glass Harp

glass harp playing Kanch tarang or Glass Harp : It's not an Indian classical instrument but it's like Jal - Tarang.
It is played by running moistened or chalked fingers around the rim of the glasses. Each glass is tuned to a different pitch, either by grinding each goblet to the specified pitch, in which case the tuning is permanent, or by filling the glass with water until the desired pitch is achieved.
The glass harp was created in 1741 by Irishman Richard Pockrich, who is known as the first virtuoso of the musical glasses.

Loh tarang

loh tarang playing Loh tarang : It consists of a set of iron circular plates, of different sizes, held in a frame. Each plate is pitched to a musical note and they are struck with sticks on each hand. 'Tarang' means waves. Plates sound depends on the different size of plate and hand movement. Theory is based like Jal-Tarang.
Loh Tarang Lessons Online


Keyboard Musical instruments

Harmonium

Harmonium or Hand pumped : It's a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion. The air is usually supplied by bellows operated by the foot, hand, or knees.
In North America, the most common pedal-pumped free-reed keyboard instrument is known as the "American reed organ", (or "parlor organ", "pump organ", "cabinet organ", "cottage organ", etc.) and along with the earlier melodeon, is operated by a suction bellows where air is sucked through the reeds to produce the sound. A reed organ with a pressure bellows that pushes the air through the reeds is referred to as a "harmonium". In India, generally refers to a hand-pumped instrument.
Harmonium Lessons Online

Synthesizer

Synthesizer or Keyboard : A sound synthesizer (often abbreviated as "synthesizer" or "synth") is an electronic instrument capable of producing a wide range of sounds. Synthesizers use a number of different technologies or programmed algorithms to generate signal, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Among the most popular waveform synthesis techniques are subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis, wavetable synthesis, frequency modulation synthesis, phase distortion synthesis, physical modeling synthesis and sample-based synthesis.


Popular Musical instruments

Guitar

Guitar is a plucked string instrument played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck, to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with either nylon or steel strings. There are two primary families of guitars: acoustic and electric. Acoustic guitars (and similar instruments) with hollow bodies have been in use for over a thousand years. There are three main types of modern acoustic guitar: the classical guitar, the steel-string acoustic guitar, and the archtop guitar. The classical guitar is often played as a solo instrument using a comprehensive finger picking technique. Electric guitars rely on an amplifier that can electronically manipulate tone. Electric guitars have had a continuing profound influence on popular culture. Guitars are recognized as a primary instrument in genres such as blues, bluegrass, country, flamenco, jazz, jota, mariachi, metal, reggae, rock, soul, and many forms of pop.
Guitar Lessons Online

Violin

violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola, cello, and double bass. The violin is sometimes informally called a fiddle, regardless of the type of music played on it, The parts of a violin are usually made from different types of wood and it is usually strung with gut, nylon or other synthetic, or steel strings. The violinist produces sound by drawing a bow across one or more strings (which may be stopped by the fingers of the other hand to produce a full range of pitches), by plucking the strings (with either hand), or by a variety of other techniques. The violin is played by musicians in a wide variety of musical genres, including Baroque music, classical, jazz, folk music, rock and roll, and Soft rock. The violin has come to be played in many non-Western music cultures all over the world.
Violin Class Online

Conga / Congo

Conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum, used both in Afro-Caribbean religious music and as the principal instrument in rumba. Congas are now very common in Latin music, including salsa music, merengue music, and Reggae, as well as many other forms of American popular music. Most modern congas have a staved wooden or fiberglass shell, and a screw-tensioned drumhead. They are usually played in sets of two to four with the fingers and palms of the hand. Conga drums are tunable to different notes, have many kind of rhythms and have five basic strokes - Open tone, Bass tone, Slap tone, Touch tone and Muffled or Mute tone. Bongos are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument producing relatively high-pitched sounds compared to conga drums. The drums are of different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra (female) and the smaller the macho (male). They are membranophones, or instruments that create sound by a vibration against a stretched membrane.
Conga Class Online

Keyboard

A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the interval of an octave. Depressing a key on the keyboard causes the instrument to produce sounds, either by mechanically striking a string or tine (piano, electric piano, clavichord); plucking a string (harpsichord); causing air to flow through a pipe (organ); or strike a bell (carillon). On electric and electronic keyboards, depressing a key connects a circuit (Hammond organ, digital piano and synthesizer). Since the most commonly encountered keyboard instrument is the piano, the keyboard layout is often referred to as the "piano keyboard".
Keyboard Class Online

Drum

Drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. All types of drums such as timpani for example are always tuned to a certain pitch. Drums are usually played by the hand, or by one or two sticks. In many traditional cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially the hand drums. There are many different types of drums played all over the world. Each type of drum head serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound.
Drum Lessons Online

Piano

The piano is a keyboard musical instrument and is widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment; the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal. Modern pianos have two basic configurations (with subcategories): the grand piano and the upright piano. The piano is a crucial instrument in Western classical music, jazz and most other complex western musical genres. A large number of composers are proficient pianists because the piano keyboard offers an easy means of complex melodic and harmonic interplay.
Piano Lessons Online


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