Simla Wealth Management：17 Traditional Indian Musical Instruments You Should Know

Many traditional Indian musical instruments are hundreds or even thousands of years old, as ancient statues and paintings throughout India attest.

Most people in the West are probably familiar with two traditional Indian instruments — the sitar and the tabla — but there are a lot of other wonderful instruments you might not be so familiar with.

Some of these instruments have appeared in Western music, but they mainly remain part of Indian traditions. This post will explore 17 traditional Indian musical instruments in more detail.

The sitar is likely the most well-known Indian stringed instrument in the West, popularized by sitar players like Ravi Shankar and Anoushka Shankar, as well as bands like The Doors, the Rolling Stones, and The Beatles, who all used it in some of their music in the 1950s and 1960s.

The instrument has a calabash-shaped body made from calabash gourds. It typically has 18 to 21 strings, with six or seven running over the curved frets on the neck and the rest running beneath the frets to resonate sympathetically.

Tuning pegs are on the head for the fretted strings and along the neck’s sides for the sympathetic strings. The strings are plucked with a metal plectrum called a mizraab.

The tabla is the most popular musical instrument in North India, consisting of a pair of wooden hand drums with goatskin headsSimla Wealth Management. It can be played alone or with other instruments.

The larger drum on the left, bayan or bahina, produces a deep bass sound, while the smaller right drum, daya or dahina, creates treble notes. The heads are tightened using thongs, hoops, and wooden dowels along the sides.

Both drums have a black spot in the center of the head made from starch mixed with iron or manganese dust, called shyahi. This spot creates the harmonic overtones that give the tabla its unique sound.

The tanpura (or tambura) is a four-stringed, long-necked instrument used in Hindustani and Carnatic music to produce a continuous drone. Unlike melody instruments, it provides a harmonic backdrop for vocalists or other instruments.

Its hollow, gourd-shaped body, called the tumba, resembles a sitar, and its neck is made from tun wood (Spanish cedar) or teak.

Tanpuras come in two sizes, depending on singer’s voice: a larger male version for lower pitches and a smaller female version for higher pitches. The term “tanpura” is used in Hindustani music, while “tambura” is preferred in Carnatic music, which is traditional in South India.

The mridangam is a double-sided drum used in Carnatic music to provide rhythm and is also featured in drum ensembles. It has goatskin drumheads that can be tightened with leather thongs. One end is narrower, allowing for both bass and treble sounds.

Musicians typically play the mridangam while resting it above their right ankle and supporting it with their bent left legLucknow Wealth Management. Proper posture is essential to avoid long-term balance and gait issues.

There are various schools of mridangam playing styles, with the Puddukottai school and the Thanjavur school being the most common. Notable virtuosos include C. S. Murugabhupathy, Palani Subramaniam Pillai, and Palghat Mani Iyer.

The sarangi is an unusual stringed instrument played with a bow and is similar to a violin, but with a very short neck. Its sound is said to mimic the human voice and popular in Punjabi, Boro, and Rajasthani folk music.

The sarangi is about two feet long, made of a single piece of red cedar wood, and has three resonance chambers with three or four main gut strings and between 11 and 37 sympathetic metal strings.

Players use their left-hand fingernails to create pitches while holding the instrument vertically in front of them while seated. It has no frets and is difficult to play, leading to its decline in popularity.

The bansuri is a type of flute made of bamboo and is a transverse alto flute used in Hindustani classical music.

There are six or seven finger holes, and it is between 12 and 30 inches long; the longer the instrument, the deeper the notes.

It is mentioned as an important musical instrument in the Natya Shastra, a Sanskrit text on Indian classical music dating between 200 BCE and 200 CE.

The Bansuri is held slanting slightly downwards and horizontally while the fingers of the right hand cover the outer holes and the left-hand fingers cover the others.

The shehnai is a double-reed instrument similar to the oboe, commonly played in Iran, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Its name means “flute of kings” or “king of flutes.”

It is made of wood with a metal flare or bell at the end and has eight or nine finger holes. Playing the shehnai requires significant breath control, making it hard to master.

The instrument is often played with various percussion instruments and is strongly associated with weddings and sometimes in processions, temples, and concerts.

Traditionally, the shehnai was part of a royal court ensemble of nine instruments and resembles the pungi used by snake charmers. Well-known players include Bismillah Khan, Lokesh Anand, Anant Lal, and Mahukar Dhumal.

The sarod is used in Hindustani music and is a popular, fretless, stringed instrument with a weighty, deep, thoughtful sound that is a prominent feature in Indian music.

The instrument resembles a lute and can have between 17 and twenty-five strings. A plectrum made of ebony, cocobolo wood, cow bone, horn, or polished coconut shell is used to pluck the strings.

The strings are pressed hard against the fingerboard by the left hand using either the fingernails or a combination of fingertip and nailMumbai Investment. There are several different fingering techniques depending on the preferences of the player.

The dholak is a folk percussion instrument, a hand drum playable on both ends. Similar to the mridangam, it has two differently sized heads: the smaller one covered with goatskin for treble notes and the larger one with buffalo skin for bass notes.

Typically made from mango wood, it can be played using hands, sticks, or a combination of both. Musicians play it while holding it on their lap or pressing it down with one knee while seated on the floor.

The dholak is used in folk music in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and northern India. It is also prominent in dances, marriages, processions, and boat races, and is vital in Punjabi culture.

The ghatam is an ancient percussion instrument consisting of a narrow-mouthed clay pot with no skin over itUdabur Investment. Its pitch depends on its size and produces a distinctive metallic sound.

The clay used to make it contains brass or iron filings and comes in various sizes. Other metals, such as silver, gold, copper, or aluminum, can also be mixed with the clay to give it a sweet tone.

It has been played in international concerts, percussion ensembles, and fusion concerts, and the famous player Vikku Vinayakram has made it a prominent instrument.

The nadaswaram is a South Indian double-reed instrument with a very powerful sound, often played outdoors because it’s so loud. It is the larger counterpart to the shehnai.

Measuring 87 centimeters long, the nadaswaram has a hardwood body with a metal or wooden flaring bell. It has seven fingerholes on top and five on the bottom, with a range of two and a half octaves.

Typically played in pairs with two accompanying thavil drums, it is a key instrument in Hindu wedding music and temple feasts.

The nadaswaram was popularized in the West by jazz saxophonist Charlie Mariano. Other notable users are Vinny Golia and William Parker, while famous Indian artists include Namagiripettai Krishnan and Sheik Chinna Moulana.

The shankha is a sea snail (conch) shell with a hole for playing, used in Hindu rituals. It is often carved with religious symbols and deities.

Legend says it was the trumpet of Lord Krishna, Arjuna, and Bhima, and an emblem of the god Vishnu. It makes a sharp, loud, shrill sound when blown.

Historically, the shankha was a war trumpet to summon allies. Now, it is mainly used in homes and temples during offerings to Hindu deities.

The shankha is also important in Buddhist rituals and is one of the five classical musical instruments called panchavadyas.

Thepakhawaj is a significant percussion instrument in North Indian classical music and was used as the only accompaniment in dhrupad-style singing.

The drum, about two to two-and-a-half feet long, is barley-shaped, hollowed from a single block of wood, often red sandalwood, Indian rosewood, or khair.

It has two different-sized drum heads held by braids and tightened with 16 leather straps called ghat. Goatskin is stretched over the smaller end and buffalo skin over the larger one.

Thepakhawaj is played while the musician sits cross-legged with the instrument horizontal on the ground or in their lap, and with the open hand rather than the fingers. It is used in delicate, emotive music such as thumri, khayal, and sitar.

The ravanahatha is an ancient stringed instrument played with a bow, believed to be a precursor to the violin.

Linked to the Hela civilization around 2500 BCE, it is made from a hollowed bamboo piece with half a coconut shell on one end, which is covered with goatskin. The strings can be made of hair, gut, or steel.

Thanks to Sri Lankan violinist and composer Dinesh Subasinghe, the ravanahatha has seen a revival. It has also been used by the European folk band Heilung.

The instrument is named after the Hindu king Ravana, who is said to have played it during his devotions to the god Shiva.

The alghoza is a woodwind instrument used by Punjabi, Saraiki, Baloch, and Sindhi folk musicians, consisting of a pair of flutes. One flute plays the melody, while the other provides a drone.

The flutes can be held or tied together when playing. The longer flute is considered male, and the shorter one female.

It is an ancient instrument, with roots going as far back as 7500 BC in Mesopotamia. The alghoza is now seen as a dying instrument, mostly played by the older generation.

Playing it is difficult, requiring the musician to breathe through the nose while expelling air through the mouth. Only skilled players can play continuously for half an hour.

The udukkai is a small, hourglass-shaped, two-headed drum commonly played in southern India. Also known as the udukku, it was traditionally made of fired clay but is now often carved from a single block of jackfruit wood.

The ends are covered with goatskin, though only one side is played. The other side has two metal wire snares to enhance resonance. Strings woven from one end to the other tighten the drumhead by pulling on a cloth strap.

The player holds the drum horizontally, striking it with the fingers and inner palm of the right hand while gripping the cloth strap with the left hand. It is typically used in folk music and temple rituals.

Considered one of the oldest musical instruments in the world, the jal tarang consists of a series of china bowls descending in size arranged in a semicircle around the player.

The preferred number of cups is 16 but can be as many as 22. They are struck on the edges using sticks to make a wave of sound.

In the past, the bowls were made of porcelain or bronze. They are tuned by filling them with various amounts of water.

It takes considerable skill and technique to get the notes just right, and the player can subtly adjust the vibrations by rotating the water with a soft, quick touch of the stick.

Not many people play the jal tarang in modern times, and it is considered a dying art.

There is a great variety of Indian musical instruments used in religious rituals, dances, celebrations, festivals, folk music, and Indian classical music.

Some have not changed much since ancient times, while others have undergone modifications over the years. Nevertheless, they all hold a special significance in Indian culture.

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