(courtesy
Andrew Buhr, http://fn2.freenet.edmonton.ab.ca/~buhrger/guide/instr.html.
Reprinted by permission of the author)
Although Indian
music is ultimately centered around the voice, many people are initially
drawn to the music by the fascinating instruments used. Here are some
descriptive comments on the most common instruments that one might hear in a
Hindustani concert.
Melody
instruments
 | Bansuri
(Banh’-soo-ree) The Bansuri is a deceptively simple bamboo
flute. The indian-style flute uses no keys, tone control being a matter of
breath control and careful fingering on the six or seven holes in the flute.
The bansuri is a recent additions to classical music in India, traditionally regarded as more of a folk instrument. |
| Bin (Rudra Veena) The Bin is one of the oldest
instruments in Indian music. Technically a stick zither, it consists of a
fingerboard with two large gourd resonators at either end. The Bin usually
has four main playing strings, and two or three "chikari" strings
used as rhythmic drones. It is used primarily in performance of Dhrupad, and
as such is rather rare. |
| Harmonium An instrument introduced by the British, the
harmonium is like a small pump organ. It is almost never used as a solo
instrument, being much more common as an accompaniment for a vocalist. Some
musical purists object to it because it cannot reproduce the subtle changes
of intonation that are necessary in Indian music. |
| Santur
(sun’-toor) Another
instrument which until recently was used mainly for folk music, the santur
is the Indian version of the hammered dulcimer. The classical version has 84
strings. It is traditionally associated with the province of Rajasthan. |
| Sarangi
(saa”-run-gee’)
The sarangi is the principal
bowed instrument in modern Hindustani music. A typical sarangi has three
main playing strings, and from 35-40 sympathetic strings. Although
traditionally used mainly to accompany singers, it is gaining a reputation
as a solo instrument. |
| Sarod
One of the two main plucked
string instruments in Hindustani music, the sarod is a fretless instrument
with (usually) 25 strings. Of these 25, fifteen are sympathetic strings, and
six more are tuned to various drones, leaving four main playing strings. It
is played with a plectrum made out of a piece of coconut shell. |
| Shehnai
(shay-nye) The Shehnai is a double-reed wind instrument (like an oboe). Traditionally it was used mostly for outdoor celebrations, and for temple music. More recently it has been used as a concert instrument as well. |
| Sitar
(sit’-aar)
The sitar is probably the
best-known of the instruments of India. It is a long-necked plucked lute,
typically with about 18 strings (11 sympathetic, 3 - 5 drone strings, and 2
- 4 playing strings). As it is fretted, the complex ornamentation of Indian
music is produced by pulling the string sideways along the fret. |
| Surbahar The surbahar is similar to the sitar, but
larger, and with a deeper tone. It is used in some of the same contexts as
the Bin, and is also a rather rare instrument. |
Rhythm
instruments
| Dholak The Dholak is a small barrel-shaped drum, used
mostly for folk music. It is somtimes heard in percussion ensembles, or
accompanying Qawwali concerts. |
| Pakhawaj
The Pakhawaj is a
barrel-shaped, double headed drum, with a low, sonorous tone. It is rarely
used these days in performance of anything other than Dhrupad music. |
| Tabla
Tabla is the most common
percussion instrument in Hindustani music, and almost any concert will
include a tabla player. The instrument consists of two drums, one played
with the right hand, one played with the left. The right hand drum is tuned
to the drone, and thus provides an extra reinforcement of the fundamental
pitch. |
Drone
instruments
| Tanpura The
tanpura is the most common source of a
drone in Hindustani concerts. It is a long-necked lute (similar in shape to
a sitar), without frets. It usually has four to six strings, which are
strummed continuously throughout the performance. |
| Swarpeti The swarpeti (literally, "note-box")
is like a harmonium without the keyboard. It is just a bellows and a few
reeds which are tuned to the drone. These days it is not uncommon to see
electronic swarpetis at concerts as well. |