India is the land of diversity. This country consists of a number of states, all of them featuring unique musical traditions. It is needless to say that music is an inseparable part of Indian culture. If you are familiar with Indian music and its background, you may have heard of the great Indian musician of all time –” Tansen”. Classical Indian music mainly flourished in the Mughal court. Classical Indian music can be classified into two special types — Hindustani music and Carnatic music. The first one is widely prevalent in the Northern states of India, whereas the latter one is practiced in South India.
All these forms of music require several musical instruments to maintain the rhythm. Some popular Indian musical instruments are- Harmonium, Sitar, Tabla, Tanpura, Sarod, Santoor, Flute, Esraj. These days, it is possible to Buy Musical Instruments Online and you will find all of these in online stores. Let’s know about these instruments in the following paragraphs.
- Veena- Veena is the most recognized Indian instrument which is played by Devi Saraswati, the Indian Goddess of music. Though people of both North India and South India, use this string instrument while performing classical music, the instrument can look different in these parts of India. A classical veena has a hollow wooden body along with resonators on its side. In south India, people call this instrument gottuvadyam. Some popular types of veena are- Chitra veena, Rudra veena, Saraswati veena, etc.
- Sitar- This famous Indian musical instrument is popular in the modern world due to the great Sitarish Pandit Ravi Sankar and his collaboration with the Beatles. Sitar features a pear-shaped bottom, a long wooden neck, and a few moveable frets. India came to know about this plucked string instrument from Persian musicians.
- Tabla- Tabla refers to two drums made of either metal or clay. Generally, Indian classical dancers and musicians require a tabla player constantly on their side to keep the beat. The player uses his palm and fingertips to play the instrument.
- Sarod- Sarod is the newest Indian instrument of all. To be honest, this instrument originated in south-east Asia in the late 19th century. Like Sitar, it also includes multiple sympathetic strings, resonators, etc. It looks like Sitar as well.
- Sahnai- In Nepal, people are seen playing Sahnai on several festivals and occasions. Sahnai is played in most North Indian and Bengali weddings. The instrument has seven equidistant holes which help the player to come up with different tunes. To play a Sahnai you have to use all your fingers except the thumb.
- Esraj- Esraj is another modern musical instrument of the Indian Subcontinent. People of Westbengal and Punjab are pretty adept at playing Esraj. This stringed instrument is an inevitable part of North Indian Sikh music.
There are other musical instruments too, this article has talked about the popular ones only. These days with the advent of the internet and smartphone, you don’t have to visit Indian Musical Instruments Shop searching for the musical instrument you wish to play. You can choose from the online stores and the instrument will be delivered to your home.
