Indian Musical Instruments

Vadyam means musical instrument. Drums are the oldest musical instrument. Bharata Muni, who wrote 'Natyasastra', divided musical instruments into four main categories - Tata Vadya, Avanaddha Vadya, Sushira Vadya and Ghana Vadya. This division is based on the material from which the musical instruments are made how they produce music.

Tata Vadya (Stringed Instruments)

Tata Vadyams are instruments that produce sound using strings. The 'kudam' is designed to create resonance for the sound coming out of the strings. The wooden rods have large nail-like pegs to pull the strings. These are called 'birada' or 'peg'. The pegs are fixed according to the number of strings. The distance between the strings and the wooden rods is maintained using small pieces of wood. These are known as 'bridges'.

It is believed that the origin of stringed instruments is from the bow of primitive man. Man may have learned that pleasant sounds can be created from the 'string sound' that arises when an arrow is shot at a animal. He started making bows not only for hunting but also to listen to the sweet sound. Such bows are still used in folk music. The 'Villadi Vadyam' is one of these.

Single string instruments

Single string instruments are widely used in folk music. They have a simple structure. The only use of single string instruments is to add melody to the song. They have no place in the raga range. The tumtune and the ektara are famous single string instruments in India.

Examples of string instruments

String instruments are used in Carnatic music, Hindustani music, and various types of folk music. Some examples of string instruments belonging to different genres are as follows.

Examples of folk string instruments

1. Viladivadyam - The Viladivadyam is the main instrument used for folk bowing in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Its main part is a bow fixed on a clay pot. The sound is produced by striking two sticks on a leather string with force. The pot creates a 'resonance' for the sound.

2. Tumthune - The Tumthune is a North Indian folk instrument. Its main part is a bamboo stick fixed on a small hollow cylinder made of wood.

3. Ektara - The Ektara is a modified form of the Tumthune. Instead of the cylindrical bottom, it is hemispherical. The top is also made of animal skin.

4. Tambura - The Tambura is a folk form of the 'tamburu', a percussion instrument in Carnatic music.

5. Buang - The 'string' of the 'buang' is tied to small curved strings fixed on both sides of a hollow bamboo pole. During the group dance, the dancers hold the buang in one hand and pull the string to make sounds.

Examples of some string instruments in Hindustani music

1. Sitar - Sitar is a North Indian instrument similar to the 'Saraswati Veena' in Carnatic music.

2. Sarod - Sarod is a modified version of the old musical instrument 'Sharad Veena'.

3. Santoor - This is a string instrument in the shape of a wooden box. Santoor is a modified version of the old musical instrument 'Satatantri Veena'.

4. Sarangi - Sarangi is an Indian musical instrument similar to the Western violin.

5. Swarmandal - Swarmandal is an Indian musical instrument similar to the Western harp. They are made by fixing strings in a wooden box.

Examples of some string instruments in Carnatic music

1. Tamburu - Tamburu is used to add rhythm to concerts. Tamburu is an indispensable string instrument in Carnatic music.

2. Veena - Veena has an important place among Indian musical instruments. Veena is helpful in finding the vocal positions of ragas and determining the ascending and descending sequences.

3. Gottuvadyam - Gottuvadyam has five strings. In addition to this, there are twelve other strings called 'sympathetic strings'. Gottuvadyam holds an important place among Indian string instruments.

4. Violin - Violin is an indispensable string instrument in the world of Carnatic music. The violin is a stringed instrument played with a bow. It has four strings. It is made of wood.

Some examples of stringed instruments in Western music

1. Guitar – The guitar is the main part of Western music. The guitar has six strings. It also has a fingerboard and a sound box.

2. Violin – It is believed that the violin was first made from the folk musical instrument fiddle. There are many members of the violin family, including the violin, viola, cello, and double bass.

3. Mandolin – The mandolin is used in various genres of music, including classical and folk music.

4. Piano – The piano is a musical instrument played using a keyboard.

Avanaddha Vadya (Percussion Instruments)

The Sanskrit word 'avanadham' means covered, wrapped. Avanadham or percussion instruments are made by tying leather tightly around the open part of a hollow object. Hence, they are also called leather instruments or skin instruments. Chenda, maddalam, edakka, mridangam, takil, thimila, mizhavu, udukku, thudi, kadunthudi, ganjira, daf, tabla, dolak, pakhavaj, thappu etc. are examples of percussion instruments.

Examples of percussion instruments

1. Chenda - Chenda is a percussion instrument in Kerala. It is the main instrument in Kathakali. Chenda is made of plantain wood. Chenda is played with a stick and fingers. Chenda is played by hanging it from the shoulder.

2. Maddalam - Maddalam is one of the percussion instruments used for Kathakali, Panchavadyam, Vela and Pooram. There are two types of maddalam - Shuddha Maddalam and Thoppi Maddalam. The one that plays a pure sound is called Shuddha Maddalam. Thoppi Maddalam has a closed sound. The head of the maddalam is made of jackfruit tree wood.

3. Edakka - Edakka is Kerala's own instrument. Edakka is used for sopana music in temples. Edakka is important in Panchavadyam. Edakka is also present in Koodiyattam. Concerts are also held with Edakka.

4. Mridangam - Mridangam is the main percussion instrument in Carnatic music. The head of the mridangam is made by hollowing out a 60 cm long jackfruit tree wood in a cylindrical shape and carving it.

5. Takil - Takil is made of a hollow wooden stick covered with leather on both sides. The middle part is swollen. The sides are rounded. The main percussion instrument of the Nadaswaram kacheri is the Takil.

6. Thimila - Thimila is an important percussion instrument in the Panchavadyam. Only one side of the thimila is used for playing. The thimila is played with the palms of the hands, hanging from the shoulder.

7. Mizhavu - The mizhavu is an instrument used for koothu and koodiyattam. It is shaped like a Chinese jar. It is made of clay or copper. The mouth is covered with animal skin. The mizhavu is played using the fingers and the palm of the hand.

8. Udukku - Udukku is one of the small percussion instruments. It is made of wood and covered with iguana skin on both sides. The udukku is 25 to 30 cm long. It is played with the fingers of the right hand, holding the middle part with the left hand.

9. Thudi - A percussion instrument similar to the Udukka, the Thudi is covered with leather on both sides. It is played by hanging it on the shoulder and striking it on one side with a stick.

10. Kadunthudi - The Kadunthudi is a leather instrument of Kerala. Like the Edakka, the Kadunthudi has a body that can be hung on the shoulder and circular parts covered with leather on both sides.

11. Ganjira - The Ganjira is a secondary percussion instrument used for musical concerts. Its stem is made of a round piece of wood that is eight inches in diameter and four inches wide.

12. Duff - The Duff is a very popular instrument among the Muslims of Kerala. This instrument is known by many names such as Dapp and Tappitta.

13. Tabla - The Tabla is an important percussion instrument in Hindustani music. The Tabla is an Indian percussion instrument. The Tabla is a double instrument. It has two parts. The part played with the left hand is called baya and the part played with the right hand is called daya. When these two are combined, they form the instrument tabla.

14. Dolak - Dolak is a folk leather instrument. This instrument is more popular in North India. Its shape is slightly different from the mridangam. It is thinner and longer, and both sides are bound with leather.

15. Pakhwaj - Pakhwaj is a North Indian musical instrument similar to the mridangam. The name means 'pure sound'. It is described as the king of percussion instruments in Hindustani music.

16. Tap - Tap is a Kerala musical instrument. It is used as an instrument in art forms such as Padayani, Velakalli, and Thukkam. It has a sound similar to that of the chenda.

Sushira Vadya (Wind Instruments)

Wind instruments are one of the earliest musical instruments discovered by man. Their structure is very simple. The construction of Wind instruments began when it was discovered that sound could be produced by passing air through tubular materials. Early wind instruments were made from natural materials such as pipes. Animal horns, hollow bones, and bamboo are all included in this category. Early wind instruments were only capable of producing loud sounds. It was later discovered that the sound could be made more melodious by controlling the air inside the tube. Seven holes were placed in them, like the seven tones that are the basis of music. Since it was difficult to keep air inside the tube if both sides were open, their blowing part was either made pointed or closed.

Examples of Wind Instruments

1. Conch - The conch is a famous wind instrument from ancient times. It is the shell of a sea creature. It must be blown with a long breath. Apart from being a musical instrument, the conch is used in temple ceremonies. Its sound is considered auspicious. The conch is used in Kathakali and Panchavadyam. There is a channel inside the conch that diverges like a screw. Depending on its direction, it is called the Valampiri conch and the Idampiri conch. The Valampiri conch is very special.

2. Horn - The horn is a wind instrument used in South India. It is shaped like the English letter 'C'. It is made of brass or copper. It gets thicker as you go up from the blowing part. Another horn in the shape of 'S' is also used in various parts of India. It is longer than the normal horn.

3. Pipe - A pipe is another percussion instrument like a horn. If the horn is curved, the pipe is straight. It is also shorter in length than a horn. In Kerala, pipes are used for Poorams.

4. Otakuzhal - The flute is the oldest percussion instrument. The flute is also known as Otakuzhal and Venu. The Westerners call the Otakuzhal a flute. Although 'pipes' are made of various sizes and materials, musicians use a bamboo pipe called Otal. The melody also varies depending on the length of the pipe, the inner diameter, and the distance between the holes.

5. Nadaswaram - The Nadaswaram, also known as Nagaswaram, is a famous wind instrument. In the early days, a short Nadaswaram was used. This was called Kurumkuzhal. It is a long pipe made of a smoothed wood. The part that is played is narrow and sharp. This is called 'orika'. This wind instrument is very popular in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Ghana Vadya (Solid/Idiophones)

Ghana instruments are made of clay, wood, and metals. Most Ghana instruments are used mainly to create rhythm. In Carnatic music, they are considered as sub-percussion instruments. Humans have been using Ghana instruments since ancient times. Due to the lack of shruti facilities, Ghana instruments are not used much in classical music. However, two Ghana instruments used as sub-percussion instruments in Carnatic music are the ghatam and the mukharsankh. Chengila, ilathalam, kole and onavillu are some of the Kerala percussion instruments. Some percussion instruments used in different parts of India are the Jaltarangam, Dahara, Chutiyan, Chimta, Sri Mandal, and Manjeera.

Examples of ghana instruments

1. Chengila - It is made of bronze or brass in a round shape. At first glance, it looks like a dosa stone. One or two holes are seen at the top. The chenila is held by a string. The sound is made by hitting it with a small wooden stick. It is used in temple ceremonies and Kathakali.

2. Ilathalam - A elathalam is made of two metal plates made of bronze in a round shape. The plates are smaller than the chenila. Simple forms of ghana instruments can be seen in folk music and other forms. Examples are the kol and the onavillu used for kolkali.

3. Kol - This is one of the simplest ghana instruments. A pair of bamboo sticks or dry pieces of wood are joined together to form a kol. This kol instrument is used to provide rhythm to kolkali, a folk music of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is 30 cm long. To play the kol, it is struck against each other to create a charming sound.

4. Onavillu - A musical instrument associated with Onam festival in Kerala. It is made by bending a thin piece of coconut or other material like a bow. Instead of a string, a bamboo stick is attached. The sound is produced by striking another bamboo stick.

5. Ghatam - A ghatam is a clay pot. It is a clay pot with a wider rim than the pot used in homes. It is a ghana instrument. To increase strength and sound, ghatam is made by mixing iron powder with clay. It is played using the palm of the hand, fingers, wristband, and nails. The pitch of the ghatam cannot be increased or decreased much. The pitch can be adjusted by sticking wax inside.

6. Mukharshanku - A Mukharshankhu is a simple small instrument. The Mukharshankhu produces a vibrating sound. The Mukharshankhu is used as an accompaniment for musical concerts. This is the sound produced when a string is pulled and tightened. It is a small metal rod in the shape of a trident. The sides are long and pointed like a flute.

7. Jala Tharanga - The Jala Tharanga is not a percussion instrument like other musical instruments. The Jala Tharanga is a musical instrument that has proven that it is possible to play vocal hymns and conduct concerts. The basis of this musical instrument is that it can create melodious waves through water and convey a musical experience.