Introduction

India is one such country where art and culture is a big part of people’s
lives and music by far tops the list. Whether it is a reality show or a concert,
the crowd and viewers give a clear indication that India is a land of music.

People in India have been worshipping Goddess Saraswathi, who is known

for knowledge and wisdom of music since times immemorial. Since the
Vedic age till today, classical music has always sustained and played a
pivotal part in moulding the journey of Indian music.

In ancient times musical sessions were conducted in king’s court where

music was performed in a pompous way. Today people in different corners
of the world witness the aroma of the Indian classical music through
various concerts performed by maestros in Indian classical music.

An integral part of the Indian classical music are the Indian classical music
instruments. These instruments have not only given us memorable music
but many famous Indian musicians who have represented India on the
world stage. Today in this blog we will discuss about the list of Indian
musical instruments along with their pictures.
Most Famous
Instruments Used in
Indian Classical Music.

Namrutha M
BL.EN.U4CSE22137
Instruments used in Indian Classical Music

1. Sitar

Sitar is one of the most popular India classical music instruments.

It has a long neck with twenty metal frets and seven cords. These frets are
adjoined with thirteen strings which are tuned to the notes of raga. A round
shape or a gourd which acts as a sound board is grounded at the lower end of
the neck of the sitar.

Renowned sitar players who have established themselves playing sitar are
Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ustad Abdul Halim Zaffar Khan and many more.

2. Flute

Whenever we pronounce or imagine flute, the first image that pops into our
mind is the image of Lord Krishna and the melody which is associated with
the instrument. Hence, it proves the importance of flute which is associated
with Indian music since time immemorial.

Flute is an instrument which provides exuberance in the mind and soul. It is

structured into cylindrical tube of uniform bore. To produce sound, one must
hold the holes with fingers of left and right variations. Similarly, variations
of pitch are generated by the length of air column.

Pt Pannalal Ghosh and Pt Hari Prashad Chaurasia are considered as the

best curator of flute playing in India.

3. Shehnai

Shehnai is a traditional Indian musical instrument where one can hear the
melodious music in occasions like marriages and temple processions.

Ustad Bismillah Khan is the unrivalled maestro of the Shehnai.

4. Tabla

The most popular musical instrument used in North India is the Tabla.
The Tabla consists of a pair of drums – one is the Tabla and the other is the
Bayan. The Tabla is made of wood and its upper portion is made of stretched
animal skin. The tuning of Tabla can be adjusted by striking the rim of the
Tabla with a small hammer.
The Bayan is the bass drum and is made of metal where the upper portion is
a stretched skin. Both drums have a black spot in the center made of
manganese or iron dust. Tabla is mainly occupied by harmonium which is
also a well-known Indian classical instrument. 
Zakir Husain is the renowned personae associated with Tabla.

5. Harmonium

The harmonium is a traditional and popular musical instrument of India. The

harmonium has a keyboard of over two and one-half octaves and works on a
system of bellows. The keyboard is played with the right hand while the left
hand is used to operate the bellows. Harmonium is more popular in North
India than in the South.

6. Jaltarangam

Jaltarangam consists of a set of eighteen porcelain cups of varying sizes. The

cups are arranged before the performer, in order of size. The largest cup is
kept on the left side of the performer and the smaller one is placed on the
right-hand side. Water is poured into these cups and the pitch is changed by
adjusting the amount of water in the cup. The cups are struck with two thin
bamboo sticks.

Famous Jaltarangam Music Instrument Artist in India is Milind Tulanka.

7. Algoza
It is an instrument that is dying in the new India.

Used mainly in the music that originates from Sindh, Rajasthan, Punjab and
Baloch, Algoze remains popular in folk music. However, we see less and less
of it in mainstream music. It is a flute like instrument with two wooden
pipes, attached through a string. The number of holes on each pipe vary. One
flute is used for melody, while the other plays drone. It is played by keeping
three fingers on each side of the reed and blowing air into it. Recently, it has
gained much love in UK to cater to the Punjabi population residing there.

Famous Algoza Music Instrument Artists in India are (Late) Ustad Khamiso
Khan, (Late) Ustad Misri Khan Jamali, Gurmeet Bawa.

8. Ravanahatha

That is one interesting name, isn’t it?

It is an instrument that finds its roots in Rajasthan. If legend is to be believed,
then this instrument was first founded, built and used by the Hela community
during the prehistoric times of King Ravan. It features a bowl like structure
made from the hollow of a coconut which is covered by goatskin. A stick
made out of bamboo is attached to this bowl. There are two strings- one of
which is made from steel and the other is made from horse hair. Small bells
are other pieces of jewellery are often fixed along the bamboo stick. Some
 say that this instrument was brought to North India by Lord Hanuman, after
the battle at Lanka was over. It has a great part to play in mythological
history.

Famous Ravanahatha Music Instrument Artist in India is Dinesh

Subhasinghe.

9. Mridangam

It is a primary accompaniment of Carnatic music.

Mridangam finds place in ancient temples, music, hymns, and paintings,
especially in South India. It is a double-sided drum made from jackfruit
wood which is known to be very thick. The two open ends are covered with
goat skin and leather straps are tied around the circumference to tighten
them. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Ganesha and Nandi are said to
have played this to accompany Lord Shiva’s Tandava. The word Mridangam
is derived from two different words, Mrida- meaning earth, and Anga-
meaning limb/part, and in earlier days the instrument was made out of these
materials.

Famous Mridangam Instrument Artists in India are Nagercoil Ganesa Iyer,

Palana Subramaniam Pillai, Palghat Mani Iyer, Palghat R. Raghu.
10. Sarangi

This instrument forms an important part of Hindustani music.

It is believed that Sarangi is made up of two words- Sar, meaning
“essence”, and Ang, meaning “limb/part”. Another theory also says that
Sarangi is derived from “sol rang”, which simply means a hundred colors.
It is a block like structure with three hollow chambers, namely- pet, chaati
and magaj. The pet is the lower chamber and is covered with goat skin, on
which a think strip of leather is placed. There are three main playing strings
i this instrument, and players use fingertips, nails and surrounding flesh to
play them. Not only is this difficult to play, but also difficult to master.
Famous Sarangi Instrument Artists in India are Ram Narayan, Dhruba
Ghosh, Surinder Sandhu, AR Rahman.

11. Panchavadyam

In the literal sense, it means “an orchestra of five instruments”.

The five instruments included in this unique ensemble are Timila,
Maddalam, Ilathalam, Idakka and Kombu, where only Kombu is a wind
instrument, and all others are percussion. It constitutes a pyramid like
rhythmic structure, which goes on increasing in tempo. It is a temple art
form that one can find predominantly in South India, more specifically in
Kerala. The performance lasts for about two hours, and the artists of each
instrument sitting in an oval. The artists use personal improvisations to
bring novelty to the art form. Playing Panchavadyam is not an easy task,
and requires much dedication and patience from the artist.

Famous panchavadyam music instrument artists in india are Venkichan

Swami, Madhava Warrier, Annamamada Achutha Marar.

12. Tambura/Tanpura

Tanpura, also called as Tambura or tanpuri forms the root of the ensemble
and of the music itself in classical Carnatic and Hindustani musical art. The

dynamic acoustic reference chords from which the melodic modes or ragas
derive adds to the flavour, colour and character of the music.
It is a long necked plucked string instrument and does not play a melody
but rather supports and sustains the melody of another instrument or of the
singer by providing consistent harmony drone or bourdon. The precise
timing of plucking, a cycle of four strings in a continuous loop is the
determinant factor of the resultant sound. 

While Hindustani musicians favour the term tanpura the Caranatic

musicians say tambura or tanpuri. The instrument is available in Miraj
style and Tanjore style and is widely used by Hindustani and carnatic
musical artists respectively. 

Famous Tanpura Music Instrument Artists in India are Gowrishankar

Guruswamy, Nellai Krishnan, Indira Sheshadri, Soman Pillai.

13. Ghatam

Etymologically derived from the Sanskrit term Ghatika (pot) and related to
term Kunda (pitcher) in Telugu and Kundam (water pot) in Tamil, Ghatam
is a traditional percussion instrument used in various repertoires across
Indian musical culture. Its variant played in Punjabi music is called Gharha
and is also analogous to Madga or Pani Mataqa in Rajasthan.

Known to be one of the most ancient percussion instruments in India, it is a

clay pot with a narrow mouth which slants the music outwards to form a
ridge. The instrument is mainly made of clay with brass or copper fillings
to create the pitch. 

Ghatams though available in cities like Bangalore and Chennai is widely

available in Tamilnadu’s Manamadurai, a place known for high tonal
quality toned ghatams that are prepared with mud of great quality. 

Famous Ghatam Music Instrument Artists in India are Thetakudi Harihara

Vinayakram, also known as Vikku Vinayakram is known as The God of
Ghatam is widely attributed to popularising the art.Other Ghatam artists are
Umayalpuram K Narayanaswamy, Tirchy Sankaran, Sukanya Ramgopal .

14. Nadaswaram
Conventionally considered to be auspicious among Hindu traditional
weddings, especially in south Indian temple weddings, Nadaswaram is a
part of family instruments known as Mangala Vadyam.  In ancient tamil
texts, the instrument is referred to as Silappatikaram referring to
Vanigyam. The instrument is widely popular in Tamil musical culture and
Tamil diasporas. 

It is double reed wind instrument partially similar to North India’s Shenai

but much longer, with hardwood body and a large flaring bell that is
usually made of metal or wood. Nadaswaram is known to be ‘the world’s
loudest non-brass acoustic instruments’.  The instrument is usually played
in pairs, and is accompanied by a pair of drums usually referred as Thalvi
  
Famous Nadaswaram Music Instrument Artists in India are Hirumarukal
Nadesa Pillai, Vedaranyam Vedamoorthy, Thiruvarur Latchappa Pillai,
T.N Rajarathnam Pillai.
 
15. Shankha

Attributed to the sacred symbolism of lord Vishnu in Hindu religious

culture, a Shanka is a sea shell of any suitable sea snail which has a hole
made for performance embouchure. It is used as a trumpet throughout the
civilisations as a ritual in war fields. This can be witnessed in many
ancient Indian historical wars and also in Mahabharata’s  Kurukshetra. It
is also a symbol of water and female fertility and is the state emblem of
Kerala. 

It is also very important in Buddhist rituals and religious practices. It is

widely regarded as one of the most famous classical instruments of
pancha vadyas which translates to the ‘orchestra of five instruments’,
used in temple musical art forms through ages, especially in South Indian
Temples even till date. 
 Indian
Classical
Music

Namratha Akshaya
Niharika Reddy
Namrutha M
Sannidhi Akepati