Indian Musical Instruments

Deepavali is known as the ‘Festival of Lights’, and it is a public holiday in Singapore, celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. Diyas (oil lamps) are lighted, and rangoli (designs made with coloured chalk, flour or rice) are created at the entrances and walkways of many celebrants’. Diwali, as it is also known, is a bright and colourful event celebrating the victory of good over evil.

No celebration is without music of some kind, so with the holiday spirit, let us learn about Indian classical music!

 

Indian music encompasses many genres in multiple varieties and forms, which include classical music, folk, rock, filmi, and pop. There are two major traditions of Indian classical music: Hindustani music, a musical style associated with Northern India, and Carnatic (also known as karnatak) music, a style associated with Southern India. Carnatic music is often played at temple festivals, and as an accompaniment to bharatanatyam dance performances, and Hindustani music often accompanies the kathak dance (an expressive, Indian classical dance form of Uttar Pradesh).

Both Hindustani and Carnatic music use a system of raga and tala. Allen Roda, Doctor of Philosophy in Ethnomusicology, explains that tala is a rhythmic framework “based on the combination of stressed and unstressed beats”, and the raga (melodic framework) is a set of rules and patterns used for melody construction.

Musicians of Hindustani classical music are renowned to be instrumentalists (skilled instrument players), while musicians of Carnatic classical music are renowned to be virtuosos (skilled singers). The sitar and tabla (also, sarod, tambura, sahnai, and sarangi) are more commonly used in Hindustani classical music, while instruments used in Carnatic classical music are commonly the veena, and (surprise!) the violin (also, venu, mridangam, ghatam, morsing and ganjira). The murali (bamboo flute) is common to both traditions, as well as the other genres of Indian music.

Good to know: Instruments that are slightly different in construction are identified by the same name in both North & South India, even though they might be used differently. The names used for Indian musical instruments and musical concepts are transliterations of the original terms. Over time, there will be inevitable discrepancies in spelling when rendering these terms in English.

Let us take a look at some of these instruments:

 

Sitar

‘Sitar’ is derived from the Persian word ‘setar’ meaning ‘three-stringed’. Predominant in Hindustani classical music, it is a chordophone (string instrument) similar to the lute. It measures about 1.2m in length; has a pear-shaped gourd body; a long, wide and hollow wooden neck; front and side tunings pegs; metal strings, and 20 arched movable frets. There are 5 melody strings; one to two strings for the tala, and up to 13 sympathetic strings beneath the frets in the neck that are tuned to the ragas.

“Musicians hold the sitar at a 45° angle on their laps while seated. They pluck the strings with a wire plectrum worn on the right forefinger while the left hand manipulates the strings with subtle pressure on or between the frets and with sideways pulls of the strings”.

 

 

Tabla

The tabla is a pair of drums also predominant in Hindustani classical music. Musicians use their hands to play each drum. The right, a single-headed drum made of wood with two truncated cones bulging at the centre, is known as the daya (meaning ‘right’). The daya is tuned to the ragas, and is of a higher pitch than the left drum, the baya, meaning ‘left’. The baya is a deep kettledrum made of copper, clay or wood. The drum face measures 20cm in diameter, and is attached to a hoop and thong lacings to maintain skin tension. Pressure from the heel of the musician’s left hand changes the tone’s colour and pitch.

Musicians play the tabla while seated, creating sounds from the drum through a variety of finger and hand strokes. The tala is reflected through the intricate music of both drums.

 

Murali

The bansuri, also known by the name murali, is a common side-blown Indian flute, usually made of bamboo or reed. The type more predominantly used in Hindustani classical music is the transverse variety, because of added flexibility and control of the embouchure (the use of facial muscles and the shaping of the lips to the mouthpiece of woodwind instruments).

Typically, the murali has six holes, used to play the melodies. But in the recent years, a seventh hole is added to extend the range of the instrument by one note; its intangible existence gives the murali a more accurate pitch when overblown, to produce higher octaves. Musicians use their finger pads (approximately one inch in from the finger tips) to play the murali, for more control when playing the half-holes. The 7 holes are tuned as such; half-step, whole step, whole-step, half-step, whole-step, whole-step, whole-step.

 

Veena

The veena (also spelt vina), is also a chordophone. Both North and South India have their own version of the veena.

The bin, as it is known in North India, and used in classical Hindustani music, is 1.2m in length, with a large resonating gourd under each end of its hollow wooden body. It has 24 high, movable frets, 4 metal melody strings, and three metal drone strings along its length. The musician plays the instrument in a seated position, holding it across his body at a 45° angle with one gourd resting on the left shoulder and the other resting on the right knee or hip. The melody strings are plucked in a downward motion with a plectrum that is worn on the first and second fingers of the right hand, while the little finger strums the drone strings in an upward motion. The fingers of the left hand are used to stop the strings. The bin was the dominant stringed instrument of Hindustani music in the 18th century, and its use declined in the 19th century in favour of the sitar.

The South Indian version of the veena is a long-necked lute with a pear-shaped wooden body attached to the neck. Like the bin, it has 24 frets (4 metal melody strings and three metal drone strings). The musician plays the veena in a seated position while holding the instrument across his lap, with its body resting on the floor supported by his right thigh, and the gourd resting on his left thigh. The strings are plucked in a similar manner as playing the bin. The veena is a favourite among female vocalists, and is the dominant instrument in Carnatic music.

 

 

The music of India is as diverse as its culture, due to her rich history and vastness of language and dialects. There are so many more instruments we have yet to learn about. Here are some more information about Indian music that you can explore:
1. Music of India: An exploration of Indian music
2. Musical forms and instruments (of South Asia)

 

For now, let us see some of these instruments at play. Sit back, relax, and enjoy some delightful fusion music! Using mostly traditional Carnatic instruments, yet delivering a rich Hindustani flavour, Singapore Indian Orchestra & Choir (SIOC) showcases how music can bind cultures together in this video:

 

I hope this has been an informational read for you!

From all of us at Bloom School of Music & Arts, here is wishing you

Happy Deepavali!