India

Here we find the interesting instruments of India. Also included here are a few typical instruments from Bangladesh. For Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan see Central Asia.

Not all plucked instruments from the Indian Sub-continent are wellknown in the west : just the sitar and the sarod can be heard quite often. The others only occasionally enter our music stages.

One of the main remarkable features of Indian instruments is the addition of extra (resonance or sympathetic) strings. They are not plucked themselves, but start to vibrate when the main strings are plucked. Usually they are tuned to all the different notes that are used in a particular piece (raga). This gives quite an enhancement of the sound - like a vague echo. Drone strings are also used, like they are on many long-neck lutes of Central Asia.

Another interesting thing is that some Indian instruments are played like a lapsteel; just recently this playing style has been transferred to a modified western guitar (see mohan veena). Most of the instruments mentioned here can also be found in Pakistan and among the Indian populations of South East Asia.

The sitar is India's most famous instrument (mainly thanks to Ravi Shankar) and used in Hindustani music. It is made in different sizes.

The body of the sitar is made from a large gourd, with a front of hard wood. The neck is also made of hardwood and hollowed out. It is covered with a fingerboard, which is slightly concave. The neck extents into the tuninghead. The frets are made of half round metal hoops, which are tied to the neck with nylon string, and can be moved. The second gourd on the top is mainly for decoration and is often absent. The edges of the neck, body and tuning head are inlayed with bone, often with red and white etching. The back of the body has some woodcarving.

All strings are of metal. There are 7 main strings, 3 of which are fingered; the others serve as drones. The two lowest ones are the high chikari strings, which are played separately for rhythmic effects. Usually there are two big round friction tuning pegs on the front, and 3 on the left side of the tuning head, while the two pegs for the chikari strings are of similar size, but on the left side of the neck and run over separate stick bridges half way the neck.
Underneath the chikari pegs are 12 smaller pegs for the resonance strings, which run through small holes in the neck over a tiny bone individual nut bridge. All 7 main strings run over a flat bridge, and all resonance strings run over a smaller, lower bridge underneath the main strings. Both bridges are slightly rounded, giving the strings a buzzing sound.

Playing the sitar is with a wire finger-plectrum (mizrab), so you can pick up and down. The strings are all on the left side of the neck, so you have space to pull the strings (mainly only the first one) upwards to 4 notes. Music was not written down, but learned by the pupil from the masterplayer. Classical Indian music is very old and a whole repertoire of raga's exist.

left : the mizrab   The example instrument is a 3/4 size sitar

The sarod is one of the leading Hindustani instrument of today. It is a descendant from the wooden rabab (see Afghan rabab). A well known sarod player is Ali Akhbar Khan.

The body and neck is made from one piece of hardwood, hollowed out (it is more rounded and less deep than the afghan rabab). The bottom half is covered with (glued) skin and the top half (with the neck) is covered with a (screwed on) shiny metal plate. Between neck and body are hollow ridges on both sides. The pegbox is a solid piece of wood, joined to the neck and curves slightly to the back. On the back of the neck is a metal gourd-shaped resonator. All wood is dark brown painted.

There are 23 metal strings, divided in 4 main strings, running from 4 big round friction tuning pegs on the left of the pegbox, over the main nut to the right side of the single main bridge on the skin. Then 4 thin strings running from the 4 pegs on the left side of the pegbox, over a flat separate nut, to the left side of the bridge, where they go through separate individual holes. The shikari strings (used for rhythmic effect) run from 2 pegs on the top of the neck, via a special nut half way the neck to the top of the bridge, on the left side. On the left side of the body are 13 smaller pegs (in 2 rows) from where the resonance strings run via small holes in the fretboard, to the lowest level of holes at the left side of the bridge. All strings are fixed to 8 steel pins at the edge of the body.

Playing the sarod is done with a special thick plectrum made of coconut. The music is similar to the music played on the sitar, with ragas which are handed down from master player to the pupil. The left hand fingers the string with the edge of the nail (of the first two fingers). Often players glue artificial nails to their own nails.

Looking down on the bridge of the sarod, with on the top left the 4 main strings, at the top right the two shikari strings, right middle the 4 drone strings, and the 13 resonance strings on the bottom row. Notice the crossing of the strings (also vertical).

The surbahar is the bass sitar. It was developed in the 18th century to play the classical dhrupad music style on a sitar-like instrument. Later the sitar itself was modernized halfway the 20th century to its modern shape.

The main difference between a surbahar and a sitar is (besides being a larger instrument, with thicker strings) the peghead, which has a carving of a snake or a bird. Also the back of the body may be flatter.

This is an old North Indian instrument used in Hindustani music, and similar to the vichitra veena [bin, been, vina]. It is rarely used anymore.

The rudra veena is basically a teak wood body/neck/fingerboard, fixed on two large gourds. The neck has on both sides a woodcarving of a peacock. Twenty-two wooden frets are fixed to the fingerboard with wax, or tied around the neck.

There are 7 strings - 4 main strings, 2 drone strings on the right and one drone on the left. There are no resonance strings.

The veena is played sitting down with one gourd over the shoulder. The right hand picks with 2 wire plectrums worn on index and middle finger, while the drone strings are played with the nail of the little finger. The left hand fingering is quite difficult as you have to grip the strings from underneath the horizontal neck.

The vichitra veena is a North Indian instrument used in Hindustani music and looks quite similar to the rudra veena. The difference is that the rudra veena has frets, and the vichitra veena has none - it is played with a "steel", like the gottu vadyam in Carnactic music. It is rarely played anymore.

The body is made from teakwood, more wider than the round shape of the rudra veena, and with a small body. Also both sides have a wood carving. Besides the 7 main strings, there are about 12 resonance strings, with the pegs on the side of the neck (facing the player).

It is played sitting down with the instrument horizontally in front of the player. The right hand picks with a wire plectrum, while the left hand "frets" with some piece of rounded glass. This way of playing (like lapsteel) makes it difficult to play fast passages accurately.

from the LP Nectar of the Moon, by Dr. Lalmani Misra

This simple and small folk instrument tumbi is used In North India, in the Punjab. It is sometimes called ektara (''one string"); a similar instrument with 2 strings is called dotara.

The tumbi (also spelled toombi) is made from a small piece of round hard wood, hollowed out, and covered with a thin animal skin; usually glued around the edge, but sometimes also nails are used.

The neck is a simple rounded stick, that goes all the way through the body. One metal string is fastened to a rather large tuning peg (from the front) in the neck extension that serves as tuning head. The peg serves as nut. The string runs over a rather large loose bridge on the centre of the skin, to the end of the stick, which sticks out of the wooden body.
Some instruments are decorated with paintings, or with bits of metal stuck on, or made with different woods.

The tumbi is played by holding it almost horizontally and strumming the string gently with the forefinger of the right hand. With the left hand a few notes can be played.
It is nowadays very popular in Western Bhangra Music.

picture from Hinduonnet

The veena (or been or bin or tanjauri veena or saraswati veena) is an old South Indian instrument for playing Carnactic music; it is still very popular - so nowadays even fiberglass bodies are made. The veena is made in several sizes.

The body is not made of a gourd, but (like a lute) of ribs of jack wood, glued together in quite a round body shape. The neck is hollow wood, with a solid pegbox, which normally ends in a curve backwards with the down-looking head of a carved and colourfull painted dragon. About 24 wood/metal frets are glued to the fretboard with wax. The body has two round soundholes on the front.

There are 4 main playing strings, that run over the main bridge. On the left side are 3 drone strings (from pegs on the left side of the neck) that run over a separate bridge. The strings can be fine tuned with special screws. The veena has no resonance strings.

The veena is played horizontally, while sitting down. The right hand picks with 2 wire plectrums worn on index and middle finger. The left hand fingering is quite difficult as you have to grip the strings from underneath the horizontal neck.

The gottu vadyam is a popular instrument in South India, for playing Carnactic music. It is a fretless veena.

In general the instrument looks very much like the veena, except that there are no frets and that it has resonance strings (as the only instrument in South India), which are fixed to tuning pegs at the side of the hollow neck.

The gottu vadyam is played like the vichitra veena : laying horizontal in front of the player, with in the left hand a piece of hard wood or round glass object as "steel". It is difficult to play accurate in fast passages.

The Indian tampura is in fact not a plucked stringed instrument in the sense of this website, as the (3, 4 or 5 ) strings are only played open, as drones. However it would be a pity not to include it here.

There are several types - the large male and the smaller female tampura, while there is a third smaller one - the travelling tampura (see the example).

The tampura is made quite similar to the sitar : the body from a large gourd, with a wooden top. The neck is made of hardwood, and hollow. There are 4 metal strings, fixed to 4 tuning pegs : two on the front and one on each side of the pegbox. The bridge is wide and rounded to give a buzzing sound to the strings. There is quite a lot of woodcarving on the body, and lots of inlay with red and white drawings all over the instrument.

The body of the small travelling tampura is made from wood, and is rather flat on the back.

Playing is done sitting down on the ground, and holding the tampura straight up with the left hand. The right hand plucks the strings one by one in a slow tempo, to give a continues drone for the main (solo) instrument.

Here are two full size tampuras : left the male tampura 1500 x 400mm right the female tampura 1350 x 350mm Both from website Apollosaxes.com

mohan veena / indian slide guitar

Some Indian players have picked up the western jazz guitar and transformed it into a real Indian-style instrument, playing it like a lapsteel. One of the main players (and inventors) is Mr. Vishna Mohan Bhatth, whose name is often used for this type of guitar - the moohan veena. Another renewer/player is Debashi Bhattacharya. Both play classical Indian music and manage to play the raga's extremely fast, but accurate.

The type of guitar that is used for the mohan veena is is usually a modern large jazz guitar with f-holes. There are 8 strings on the tuning head, and at the side (on a plank fixed to the side of the neck) are about 12 extra tuning machines for the resonance strings. Usually only 3 main strings are played with the steel, the rest are drones. Some players put the shikari strings (the high strings used for rhythmic effect) on the right side of the main strings. On some instruments the resonance strings are underneath the main strings, on others they are at the left side; they always have a flat, rounded bridge of their own.

The instrument is not (yet) very popular - only about 1% of the total output of guitars from the Gibtone guitar factory is a moohan veena - it still is only made on special order.

Mr Vishwa Mohan Bhatt on one of his instruments.

This nice small music box is like a combination of a typewriter, a mandolin and a dulcimer.

Some 5 metal strings (usually all tuned the same) run over a square wooden box. They can be tuned on the left side with tuners (in this case with a tuning-key). At the right the strings can be strummed with with a plectrum.

The keys (usually keys from an old typewriter) press their arm onto the strings like it is a fret, shortening the strings to the appropriate note. The keys have the names of 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. (like our do, re mi) according to the tonic.

For more information see chandrakantha.

This small folk instrument dotara is used by the Baul people in Bangladesh.

The body, neck and peghead of a dotara are carved from one piece of wood. The hollowed out body is covered with a thick skin. Sometimes the body looks a bit like an Indian sarod, with grooves on both sides. The neck is covered with a fingerboard of very flat and slippery material, like formica, metal or plastic. There are no frets. The pegbox ends in a woodcarving, usually the figure of a bird.

The 5 metal strings run to friction pegs on the open pegbox, 2 on the right and 3 on the left side. They go over a loose wooden bridge to pins at the end of the body. Some dotaras have a few resonance strings on the left side of the neck.

Tuning could be something like g c' g' g' c".

It is played with a plectrum.

This is in fact a rhythm instrument, but I have decided to include it here anyway, as the tone can be slightly altered. It is sometiomes also called ektara ("one string"), although that name is also used for the tumbi of the Punjab (see above).

The gopichand is made from a coconut shell, with attached to it a "split" piece of wood, with two "arms". The top and bottom of the coconut shell are cut off, the top side is left open and the bottom side is covered with a thin skin. A thin metal string is fastened through the centre of the skin, which can be tuned with a friction peg on the end of the (split) piece of wood.

By strumming the string with a finger, a bright twanging sound can be produced, the volume increased by the skin. By pushing the two arms together the pitch of the tone can be changed. However it is not the intention to play a melody on this instrument - it is solely to provide rhythm.

This instrument is nowadays also made in Indonesia, in a stylish Asian design and sold via eBay as Timor guitar, or as Borneo Zicadrum.