|
|
These technical limitations create an artistic pressure for these
instruments to develop their own approach to the music. These
approaches enhance the strong points while avoiding the limitations.
There are a number of instruments used in Indian music. Here is a
partial list:
Sitar: The sitar is the instrument that is probably most associated
with India. It attained world-wide recognition in the 60’s due to the
efforts of musicians such as Ravi Shankar.
The construction of the sitar is curious. It has a long neck,
approximately three feet long, that is attached to a gourd. The gourd
is roughly one foot across. The total length is approximately four
feet. There is sometimes an upper resonator, this too is often a
gourd.
The stringing of the sitar is a reflection of both its individual
technique and that of general Indian musical concepts. It has
approximately 17- 21 strings. These strings are not all of the same
significance. There is one main playing string upon which almost all
of the melodies are played. There are 2-3 secondary playing strings
upon which the melodies are occasionally played. There are
three-to-four drone strings which emphasize the musical tonic (i.e.
first and fifth). Finally, there are approximately 12 sympathetic
strings. These sympathetic strings are almost never strummed but
merely resonate whenever the appropriate note is played.
The usage of sitar is fairly broad. It is very common in North Indian
classical music as well as film music and popular music; it is almost
never heard in South Indian classical or folk music.
There are a number of musicians who have made the sitar famous. Ravi
Shankar and the late Vilayat Khan are two notable figures.
Vina: Vina is a very large lute-like instrument. It is often made of
jackwood. There are a number of brass frets which are set into black
wax on the neck. There are four playing strings, yet almost all of the
playing is really upon one string. Additionally, there are two drone
strings; these drone strings are usually referred to as thalam due to
their usage in showing the rhythmic structure behind the music.
The vina is used extensively in South Indian classical music, sometimes
in film songs, but almost never used in North Indian classical or folk
music.
There are a number of musicians famous for the Vina. Chiti;
Babu is perhaps the most famous.
Violin: The violin is the same violin that is used in Western music.
However the playing technique is very different. It is used in both North
Indian classical, South Indian classical, film music and popular music.
The only Indian genra where it is absent is flk music.
There are a number of famous artists on the violin; Lalgudi V.
Jayaraman, The late, V.G. Jog, are but a few.
Harmonium: The harmonium is not native to India. It was invented in
the 19th century in France by a man named Debain. In the 19th century,
it became very popular throughout the West and was subsequently carried
to India. It continued as a popular inexpensive reed organ into the
20th century (a motorized air pump replaced the traditional hand pumped
bellows). However by the 1960s, it began to be replaced by electronic
keyboards. Today, South Asia is one of the few places which still
manufactures them. The harmonium became popular in India by replacing
the sarangi.
Sarangi: The sarangi is a bowed instrument that is common in Northern
India. In the 19th century it was the preferred instrument for the
accompaniment of vocal music. It has a wooden body over which skin is
placed. A bridge is placed over the skin and is penetrated with a
varying number of strings. Some of these strings are played, some are
drone, but most of them are sympathetic strings.
The sarangi has fallen out of popularity due to a number of problems.
The sarangi suffers from its sensitivity to moisture; slight changes in
humidity effected the pitch. It is also very difficult to play.
Furthermore, the sarangi has a stigma because of its association with
dancing girls (at the turn of the 20th century, the Indian dancing girl
was generally considered to be little more than a prostitute.)
Tanpura (tambura): The tambura, also known as tanpura, is a drone
instrument of India. It continuously sounds the first and the fifth.
This keeps the modal form well established in the mind of the listener.
Most tamburas have four strings, but occasionally one finds five, six,
and even seven strings. A typical four stringed tambura is tuned to
the first, the fifth, with two strings tuned to the octave.
There are several styles of tambura. Generally, we can divide them
into three classes. There is the north Indian style, which is often
referred to as the Miraj style. Then there is the south Indian style, which
is generally referred to as the Tanjore style and there is a very
small instrumental style, which is sometimes referred to as tamburi.
Mridangam: The mridangam is a barrel-shaped drum used in
South Indian
music and dance performances. It is about two feet in length and about
10 inches in diameter. The right hand face has an application of metal
filings, soot and a binding agent such as rice or wheat flour.
Additionally, there are sixteen pieces of straw which are placed
radially between the main membrane and an outer annular membrane. The
combined effect of this extremely complex drum head is a very unique
sound
The technique of the mridangam is very refined. There are a number of
strokes which are mentally organized by a sophisticated system of
mnemonics, This allows for a very interesting performance on the
mridangam
Tabla: The tabla is a pair of hand drums usedin India. The
tabla is used in North Indian classical, popular music and even in
folk music. However, it is not used in South Indian classical music.
The construction of the tabla is interesting. It may be conceptualized
as a mridangam or pakhawaj that is cut into two pieces. There are
permanent application on both drums. Since both drums are separate, it
allows for independent tuning of each drum.
The technique of the tabla is very refined. It is organized by a very
complex system of mnemonics known as bol.
Shehnai: The shehnai is an oboe-like instrument which is very popular
in Northern India. It is considered a very auspicious instrument and
is very much used in temples and at weddings.
The overall length of shehnai is variable. It is usually one-to-two feet in
length.
The construction of the shehnai is similar in some ways to the oboe.
It has a double reed; in some cases it is a quadruple reed, ( i.e. two
reeds on the top and two reeds on the bottom.) The body is made of
wood and it has a bell made of brass. The reeds must be thoroughly
soaked in water before it will make a sound.
Nadaswaram: The nadaswaram is a south Indian version of the shehnai.
It is considerably larger than the shehnai, having a length of
three-to-four feet. Both the body and the bell are made of wood.
Unlike the shehnai which often has a quadruple reed, the nadaswaram
only uses a double reed.
Tavil: The tavil is a drum that is used to accompany the nadaswaram in
South Indian temples and at weddings. It is a two-faced drum. The
shell is roughly spherical with two circular openings. The openings
are covered with hide that has been wrapped around two large hempen
hoops. The right side of the tavil is played with the fingers.
However, the sharp sound comes from metal thimbles which are placed
over the tips. The deeper left side of the tavil is played with a
short, wooden drumstick.
Pungi: Pungi, also referred to as the bin, is the snake charmer’s
instrument. It is composed of a small sphere of gourd or coconut which
is penetrated by two reeds. Both reeds are slit in such a way as to
make a sound when air passes over them. One of the reeds is the drone,
while the other other is used for the melody.
Bansuri: The bansuri is the North Indian flute. It has been much used
in folk music over the last few centuries, but within the last few
decades, it has made inroads into classical music.
The bansuri is constructed in a very simple fashion. It is nothing
more than a length of bamboo or reed that is penetrated with holes.
There is one hole for the embouchure and six to seven holes for the
fingering. The length is highly variable. Its length may be as little
as eight inches or as long as three feet. The length determines the
key at which the flute will play.
There are a number of great masters of the bansuri. The late Pannalal
Ghosh and Hari Prasad Chaurasiya are two examples.
Venu: The venu is the South Indian flute. It is a length of bamboo or
reed that is penetrated with holes. The length is variable, running
anywhere from about eight inches up to two feet. Classical versions
tend to be about 12-18 inches. The venu has one hole for the
embouchure and eight holes for the fingering.
Surpeti - A surpeti is a simple drone instrument. It is a box that
drones the first and the fifth. There are two common versions, one
electronic and the other manual.
The manual surpeti is a small reed organ. It has a series of brass
reeds which are excited as air is forced over them. It is very similar
to a small harmonium except that there is no keyboard. The proper
tones are determined by a series of stops.
The electronic surpeti is simply a small box that produces sound
electronically. The sound is not two dissimilar to many electronic
keyboards. The pitch is continuously variable through a series of
knobs switches and/or buttons.
Sarod: The sarod is basically a large version of the Kabuli rabab. It
has a wooden shell that has goat skin stretched over the opening. Over
the goat skin is placed a bridge upon which a number of strings are
placed. Like the sitar, there are three classes of strings. There are
playing strings, drone strings and sympathetic strings.
There are two styles of sarods; there is Calcutta style and there is
the Dilli (Delhi) style. They differ both in the shape of the
instrument, and the number of strings. The most visible
difference is that the Calcutta style has a brass bell attached to the
neck, while the Dilli style does not.
Santur: The santur is a hammered dulcimer. There are numerous
styles
and sizes. The number of strings may be as few as 20 or over 100.
Approximately 80 strings seems to be the average. The most famous
exponent of the Indian santur is Shiv Kumar Sharma
Dholak: The dholak is a barrel shaped drum that is popular in folk
music, film music and popular music of all kinds. The construction is
much simpler than other barrel-shaped drums such as the mridangam and
the pakhawaj. The faces are made of simple skin that is wrapped over
simple hoops made of strips of bamboo. The right side has no
application, but the left hand side has a mixture of clay, motor oil,
and sand applied to the inner surface.
Pakhawaj: The pakhawaj is a two-faced drum found in Northern India.
This drum was much used in the past for the accompaniment of dhrupad
and dhammar styles of singing. The right side of the pakhawaj is
similar to the tabla except that the size is much larger, six to seven
inches is normal. The left side resembles the head of the left-hand
drum of the tabla except that there is no permanent application;
instead there is a temporary application of flour and water.
|
|
