Musical Instruments of India
Mridangam
An instrument of the Carnatic tradition. In southern India the percussion most linked to the classical tradition is the Mridangam, also called Maddal or Maddalam. It is to be considered as an indispensable accompaniment for both singing and instruments.
The body
The body of this percussion is obtained from a single piece of wood. Among the various qualities of wood, Cryptocarya glaucescens, Sequoioideae, Azadirachta indica and the inside of Cocos nucifera are used. It has a barrel shape, with a slight difference between the two ends. The length varies from approximately 45 cm to 60 cm, with a diameter ranging from 25 cm to 30 cm.
The skins
The preparation of the skins is quite complicated: the membrane placed on the right extremity actually consists of three layers of skin, of which the innermost, of cow, remains complete and hidden from view, while the outermost, of calf , and the central one of sheep origin, are sectioned in a ring. In another version you can find, in series from the innermost to the outermost, calfskin, goatskin and cowhide.
As regards the left surface, buffalo leather is used for the external ring and sheep or goat leather for the internal membrane.
The two skins are tightened by a perforated leather weave called chattai or also pinnal, through which a leather strap is passed. Some wooden cylinders are placed under the braces depending on the desired tension, naturally relating to the desired intonation.
The intonation of the skins
A paste of magnesium or iron powder, bound with rice flour and tamarind juice, which takes the name of soru, is applied in a circular shape on the right surface. Some, as an addition or as a mineral substitute, introduce a mineral powder derived from a stone called kittan. The mixture is applied to the innermost skin and finished by rubbing a stone with the intention of obtaining a thickness that gradually decreases from the center outwards.
On the left surface, however, a mixture of flour, rice milk and ash is applied just before using the instrument.
The tone ratio between the two heads, which vary in size by approximately 1.5 cm, can be of an octave or a fourth and the right head is tuned to the reference drone.
Pakhawaj and Mridangam
Probably in the past the pakhavaj and the mridangam presented much fewer differences and are in fact to be associated with a single archetype, but having developed over the centuries within two different styles, in relatively distant geographical areas, today they present both similarities and divergences. For example, they have in common the horizontal position of the body and the perpendicularity of the skins with respect to the ground, the multi-layer technique for positioning the membranes, the presence of a fixed mixture on the right side and a temporary mixture on the left, present a body obtained from a single block of wood and are both tuned through straps and wooden blocks.
What distinguishes them is the shape, more asymmetrical and barrel-shaped for the pakhavaj and more regular for the mridangam, the construction techniques and the quality of the leather, although similar, differ greatly, the quantity of mixture applied temporarily on the left surface it is larger in the mridangam, the wooden blocks, called gatta, used for intonation are much larger in the pakhavaj and finally the positioning of the hands and all the mnemonics completely separate these two percussions.
The main instruments of Indian Classical Music
The Sitar is the icon of Indian Classical music. The structure and tonal quality of this instrument is the result of several years of hard work and dedication of both the musicians and the master luthiers.
Goṭu Vādyama is a modified and developed form of Ektantri Veena, appeared on the scene of the Carnatic music system about hundred fifty years ago, it can be considered the Vichitra Veena of South India.
The name Rudra Vina, often written Rudra Veena, first appears in Nārada's Saṃgīta Makaranda between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and is supposed to be a derivation of the Kinnarī Vīṇā.
The Taus, the Dilruba and the Esraj are North Indian bowed instruments, all three with hybrid characteristics of the Sitar, such as long necks, fingerboard and metal strings, and of the Sāraṅgī such as the crafted soundboard Leather.
The Saraswati Veena, is very different from the Vīṇā of northern India. In fact, the arrangement of the main strings and cikari, the posture and the sound production techniques remain the same.
The Vichitra Vina, often written Vichitra Veena, saw its splendor towards the beginning of the twentieth century but many indications lead us to think that it is a developed and modified version of a very ancient instrument.
The Surabahar, often written Surbahar, was created, according to tradition, by Gholām Mohammad Khān, disciple of Piyār Khān and Omrāo Khān. Much larger than the Sitār, it is used, both in the Dhrupad and in the Khayal.
The Tampura is a fundamental instrument of Indian classical music, present in both the northern and southern systems. The function of this chordophone is to provide a sound in the background, that acts as a drone for improvisation.
In Arabic the term rebab indicates a bowed instrument; in fact the two half-moon inlets that characterize the shape of the Rabab's sound box suggest that it was only later converted into a direct pluck instrument.
The Svaramandala is a chordophone used by singers for accompaniment. Kallinatha in his commentary on Śārṅgadeva's Saṅgīta Ratnākara coincides the matakokilavīṇā of Bharata Muni's time with the Svaramaṇḍala,
The Sanṭoor is a dulcimer that has only recently entered Indian classical music scene. It is considered one of the most important developments of the twentieth century in Indian Classical music.
The transverse flute used in Indian classical music, is capable of reproducing all the delicate movements, ornamentations and nuances of the human voice. This instrument finds references in many sacred texts.
Among the main contributions of Indian instrumental technology, both in terms of production quantity and timbre quality, bifacial convex diaphragms occupy a place of primary importance in Indian Classical Music.
In the folk and tribal music of different regions of India, various types of stringed instruments are found with a very varied tradition. In the Rajasthani tradition there are more than ten types of Sāraṅgī.
This name derives from two sanskrit terms "pakshe vadya", or from the Persian "pakh awaz" which means soft sounding. The pakahwaj became the main percussion in the north, while the mridangam assumed centrality in the south.
The term Sarod, of Persian origin, means "song" or "melody". All hypotheses regarding the origin of the Sarod, are based on many assumptions and inferences. The general opinion is that it is a developed version of the Rabab,
One of the oldest and most widespread percussion instruments are the timpani, with a conical-shaped body, the skin of which is often struck with beaters modeled in an arched shape or simply straight, with a knobbed head.
The terms Shahana, Shahanay or Shennay identify the zurna, a wooden aerophone typical of Persian musical culture. In Iran we can still find various styles of this instrument which vary both in size and in the quality of wood used.
Tabla are the percussion instruments that best represent Indian musical culture. This instrument, used mainly in the Hindustani style, accompanies singing, instrumental music and dance.
The khol is the most used percussion in the north-eastern region of India, often linked to the Vaishnava cult of Bengal and Assam, it is also often called mridang since the body is made of terracotta (mrit means clay).
Probably in the past the pakhavaj and the mridangam presented much fewer differences and are in fact to be associated with a single archetype, but they developed over the centuries within two different styles,
Frame drums are very popular in India and the simplicity of manufacturing these instruments has facilitated their diffusion. They are in fact a thin strip of iron or wood bent into a circular shape with the two ends joined on which a membrane is applied.
The sound production techniques and the structure are identical to the shennay, the differences are mostly related to the dimensions and some small details. The double reed is fixed on a metal support which fits onto the wooden body.
The violin, which in India is also called Behalā, as we know, is one of the first Western instruments to have been introduced, more than a century and a half ago, into Indian music by Baluswamy Dikshitar (1786-1858), a great music scholar caranatica.
The Suraśṛṁgāra, often written Sursingar in many respects similar to the Surabahar, is a reinterpretation of the Rabab created in Benares under the supervision of Zafar Khān.
The moorchang, is a typical example of a universal instrument. In Italy it is a popular instrument called the wind chime or marranzano and although it takes on different forms, it is used all over the world.
The tavil belongs to the folk music tradition of South India, and is often played with a wind ensemble called periya melam. This percussion has a barrel shape with a single-layered stem, obtained from a single cylindrical block of wood.
Frame drums are very popular in India and the simplicity of manufacturing these instruments has facilitated their diffusion. They are in fact a thin strip of iron or wood bent into a circular shape.
The term bhanda vadya is used to indicate all terracotta percussion instruments with a spherical body, practically real vases of various shapes and sizes.
The term "Mohan veena" can denote one of two distinct plucked string instruments utilized in Indian classical music, particularly in Hindustani classical music, which is traditionally associated with the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent.
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