Top 10 Classic Indian Music Instruments

Imagine you have to live in the world where there is no sound, where you don’t hear the sound of buses and rickshaws which indicate that life is safe, where you find no sound while pressing the keyboard keys, where there is no thing called noise and where there is no feeling of peace generated while listening to music. The world would have been full of silence; the nature would have been incomplete which is filled with the rhythm of waves, chirping of birds, roaming of cattle, sound of water droplets in rain and much more. The world is perfect because there is a specific sound of everything and that sound is the proof of their presence. There are some sounds which are naturally present in this universe but some sounds are artificially developed. The purpose of making different sounds is making this world a loving and peaceful place. We can’t deny the fact that the sound completes our life so different instruments are built in order to make different sounds that can help people living life peacefully. These instruments have been developed centuries ago and have been adding spice and sugar in lives of people. Below are some instruments that perform their task of spreading peace very well.

10-Clarinet

Clarinet is a cylindrical woodwind instrument that has single-reed mouthpiece. It was invented by Johann Christoph Denner in Germany at the beginning of 18^thcentury by adding more keys to the already present instrument called Chalumeau. The Clarinet family is the largest woodwind family in music world because it consists of various types of Clarinets with different sizes and pitches.

9-Trumpet

Trumpet has significant importance in history. It is believed that during romantic age, Trumpet was used as a device to announce, signal and proclaim in Egypt, Greece etc but later on, it got its folded form and was recognized as the musical instrument that was used to produce harmonic tones. There are various parts of Trumpet I-e bell, finger hooks, valve casing, piston and lead pipe. These parts perform different functions in order to produce various sounds with high and low pitch. Trumpet was highly used in 17^th to 18^th century by famous composers like Michael and Leopold in their musical works.

8- FUE (Japanese word for flute)

Fue is the Japanese word for flute that belongs to the woodwind family. Unlike the instruments with reeds, flute is a reed-less wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening. Flute has historical and religious importance in Hinduism. The lord Krishna is depicted as a lord carrying a flute through which he pleases the world with the musical notes. There were various changes made in the flute designs and functions. The modern flute was invented by Theobald Boehm in which there was a cylindrical body attached to a parabolic head. Europe is more famous for making wooden flutes while silver is commonly used in USA.

7-Trombone

The original design of trombone is derived from the old instrument called sackbut. It is an ancient and famous musical instrument which has different kinds that produce different sounds. Different pitches are made by changing the lip position; when player squeezes or loses his lips different sound with different pitches are made. The person who plays trombone is called trombonist. In this early 19^thcentury, trombone was used in bands and classical music. It was also used to produce sacred music in churches. By the end of 19^th century, it was found in the hands of early jazz musicians in USA.

 

6- Guitar

The history of guitar can be traced back to approximately 4000 years ago. The ancient instrument called “Tanbura” was the first instrument which was similar in shape as guitar but there was difference in functionality. The name Guitar is derived from the Sanskrit word for string “Tar”. The current shape of guitar has been evolved from various ancient instruments for example: the curved structure, holes in base and strings were the part of Spanish instrument vihuela which now are part of modern guitar. Guitar is also called the mathematical instrument because the notes in the guitar follow certain mathematical formula.

5- Sitar

Sitar is one of the most popular musical instruments of north India. The origins of sitar are not known but it is said that it first appeared in 17^thcentury after the mogul empire. It is also believed that idea of sitar is evolved from Persian lutes played in mogul courts.  Sitar has not only the significant importance in terms of music but also it is culturallyimportant for people. There are two categories of sitar I-e the single toomba and the double toomba. Today, Sitar is more popular in India; People, mainly women, take special lessons to learn the sitar.

 4- Tabla

Tabla is basically an Indian instrument having culturally, religiously and devotional importance. It is played in temples to recite religious poems. The word Tabla is derived from Arabic word “Tabl” which means drums. The technique is to move the hand in various positions and configure the palm to produce variety of tunes and rhythms. The origins of Tabla are still unknown. Some says that it was originated in 14^th century but other says that Tabla is the result of fusion of Arabic, Persian, Turkish and other drums that already existed in time.

 

 3- Daf

Daf is drum like instrument which is originated in Middle East. It has different forms and variations played in different countries but it is more popular in Iran and Greece. It is famous for its soft sound and clear tone. It is made of bent wood over which animal skin is stretched. The outer shell is generally hollow. It is also traced that Daf is part Iranian religious music much before Sufism. The spirituality and devotion found in Iranian music is largely spread by playing this frame drum like instrument Daf.

2-Tombak

Tombak is Eucharistic-shaped wooden instrument covered by the membrane of goat skin. It is widely played in Iran. The name Tombak is combination of two words. “Tom” means one low stroke in centre and “bak” means one high stroke on the side of membrane. The instrument is played by using both hands and by rolling the fingers in different ways. The melodic and rhyming tunes are produced because of the rich variety of tones and texture.

1-  Clavichord

Clavichord was invented in 14^th century. It is a European stringed keyboard instrument which became popular in 14^th to 16^th century. The name Clavichord is derived from two Latin words; Clavis means “key” and chordis means “string”. The sound is produced by hitting brass or iron strings with small metal blades called tangents. Today, Clavichord has gained attention in other genres of music like jazz pop and classical. The people who are inclined towards clavichord try to engage users by telling peculiar characteristics about clavichord. Much of the music written for piano can be played by Clavichord but it fails to convey the tune in right manner due to having inadequate volume.

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