Indian classical music - Instruments

Sitar

The sitar is one of the most popular string instruments in Indian classical music. The word sitar means three strings, although the instrument has many more strings then the original three. The sitar is an instrument ,that is estimated to be over seven hundred years old ,that evolved from the Veeena, an ancient Indian instrument. The modern sitar is made from seasoned teakwood and gourd (a large fruit). There are between six to seven main strings and nineteen sympathetic strings. The performers wear a thin piece of metal known as a plectrum on their index fingers to play the strings with. The instrument is specifically tuned to the raga that is being performed. The main parts of a sitar are

Tumba: This is the base of the sitar and is made of a hollowed out gourd. It is hemispherical in shape and its function is to act as a resonating chamber for the music that is being played.

Danda: The danda is a semi rounded wooden structure on which the strings of the instrument are located.

Tablia: This is simply a thin piece of wood that covers the open portion of the Tumba.

Gulu: This is the middle portion of the instrument, known as the shoulder

Sarod

The Sarod is another popular string instrument, which also owes its origins to the ancient India instrument, the Veena. The sarod is made out of a single block of wood. It has s short body, a long tapering neck and a hollowed gourd that is covered with a parchment. The modern sarod has between twenty one to twenty five strings made of metals. The breakup of the strings is as follows:

-Four main playing strings to carry the melody -Two strings to accentuate the percussion rhythm -Four strings which are specifically tuned to the main notes of the raga that is being played -The remaining strings are known as the sympathetic strings and they are tuned to resonate the rhythms of the raga that is being played.

The performers wear a plectrum made of coconut shells to play the strings. The sarod is a difficult instrument to play for there are no clear markings between strings, making it difficult to distinguish strings while playing. It takes performers several years of rigorous practice before they are able to reproduce the different notes. The sarod has a deep and rich tone which allows it to blend easily with many other Indian instruments.

Sarangi

The sarangi is one of the most important of the bow instruments of India. The sarangi is a very interesting instrument for the sounds it produces resemble the human voice. This is very useful for it allows the singer to take a break without interrupting the flow of the song. It is usually played along with the song and fills in the gaps or 'shadows' the song by playing along it. The sarangi is a difficult instrument to master, because the large number of sympathetic strings (which create the resonating sounds) require a time consuming tuning process. Through the sheer capability of past saranagi players who understood the minute nuances of ragas was it able to establish itself as a solo instrument. The sarangi is a fairly small instrument, only about 2 and a half feet in length. It is made out of a single piece of wood whose body is hollowed out. The instrument is played with a bow made up of a hard round stick of wood with hair from the tail of a horse attached to it. The width of the sarangi is also extremely thin, with only an inch between the upper and lower surfaces and a mere half an inch on the sides. There are usually three main playing strings made of gut and several sympathetic strings which are made of brass. The performers play the instrument with the bow in their right hand while the left hand is used to stop strings. A distinctive style emerges in the manner in which the strings are played and stopped. The third finger is the predominant finger used although the middle and index fingers are also used. The little finger is also used on rare occasions.

Tanpura

The tanpura is an instrument which is almost four hundred years old. It is an important accompanying instrument in Indian classical music. The tanpura accentuates the main notes of the raga that is being played. The basic structure of the tanpura is as follows:

Tumba: This is a hemispherical base made out of a gourd, which functions as a resonating chamber.

Tabli: This is a plate which covers the open end of the Tumba

Dand: This is the main stem of the instrument

Gulu: This is known as the neck of the instrument and it connects the tumba and the gand

There are also a number of tuning pegs which are located on either side of the top end of the instrument. The instrument like most Indian string instruments has several sympathetic strings in addition to the main playing strings. The performers play the instrument with their right hand using either the middle or index fingers. The instrument is able to produce a deep and rich sound for the notes tend to linger after the performer plays them.

Rudra Vina

The Vina is one of the oldest instruments in India, and references to it goes back to the Vedic period. Many Indian string instruments trace their origins to the Vina. The Vina survives today in various forms, with the Rudra Vina one of the more popular ones. The Rudra Vina has a stem which is about three feet long. It has two hemispherical gourds which act as resonance chambers, and these are located about two feet apart. The portion with the strings is about two and a half feet long and about two and a half inches wide. There are twenty four main playing strings and several sympathetic strings. The wide range of strings allows the performer to play music in any of the three octaves. The Rudra Vina is held differently by different performers, but usually one gourd is placed on the left shoulder and the other on the right knee.

Pakhawaj

The Pakhawaj is a type of drum and is an important percussion instrument in Indian classical music. The pakhawaj is based on another instrument known as the mridangam. The Pakhawaj is a cylindrical instrument that is made of wood and has two heads or surfaces. On the sides of the instruments there are a number of wooden blocks under braces which are used to tune the instrument.

Tabla

The tabla is also similar to the mridangam, infact it can described as a mridangam split into two, for the tabla is a two drum set. It is one of the most popular percussion instruments in Indian classical music and also one of the most well known of Indian instruments. The tabla is estimated to be about thirteen hundred years old. As mentioned above the tabla is a pair of drums, the 'right hand' drum known as the dayan and the 'left hand' drum known as the bayan. The dayan is a conical-cylindrical drum which is carved out of a single piece of hard wood. The open end of the drum is covered with a membrane made from goatskin. The dayan's base is also bigger then its top surface. The bayan is hemispherical bowl shaped drum that is made from polished copper, brass, bronze or clay. The open end of the bayan is covered with a membrane made from goatskin. Both the dayan and bayan are about twenty five centimeters high. The head of the dayan is about fourteen centimeters in diameter and the head of the bayan is twenty two centimeters in diameter. In the dayan there is a circular black paste in the center while in the bayan it is off center. This paste is called shyahi and it is applied to control the vibrations of the membrane. The tabla has soft rhythmic sound and has gained tremendous popularity over the last few years. The sheer scope for improvisation and creativity has led to the instrument gaining recognition as a solo instrument.

Santur

The Santur is an eighty- seven string instrument that is famous for its melodious sound that resembles flowing water. A folk instrument from the state of Jammu and Kashmir, it was initially not accepted as a classical instrument. Through the superb efforts of Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, this instrument is now world famous. Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma did some considerable re-engineering of the santoor to make it more suitable for classical Indian music. People who doubted the santoor's capabilities were soon amazed after they heard the performances of Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma. The santur is a trapezoidal box and its eighty-seven strings are placed across the box, parallel to one another. They are divided into twenty-nine sets of three strings each. On the surface of the box there are a number of pegs which control the strings of each set. This can be used to adjust the instruments to the particular notes required, each set of strings is tuned to one note. The pegs either lift or lower the sets of strings and this is what causes the difference in sound. The instrument also has a resonating chamber located below, which emits its sounds through a narrow circular opening. Performers hold the instruments in their laps and play it by using a pair of wooden strikers to strike the strings. Depending on the angle and force used, the instrument produces a different sound.

Bansuri

The Bansuri is a type of flute , and it is one of the oldest Indian instruments. The Bansuri was a traditional instrument of cowherds and shepherds and entered the classical music scene fairly late. It was in the twentieth century that it gained recognition through the efforts of artists like Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia. The Bansuri is a cylindrical tube with holes at a uniform distance. The instrument is closed from one end. The construction of the Bansuri is a tricky affair for it has to be made from a flawless and absolutely straight bamboo stem. Finding such a piece of bamboo is difficult, but there are no substitute materials which can perfectly recreate the sound of a bamboo Bansuri. The Bansuri has six holes. The performers are able to generate the required notes by opening and closing the relevant holes with their fingers. A lot also depends on the performers' ability to vary the flow of air into the instrument, for this decides the octave of the notes. The performer combines different blowing and fingering techniques to create a vast array of different sounds.


Last edited by sur on 21 Nov 2006 23:39; edited 1 time in total




____________
"I am a dreamer,I collect all the smiles from My yesterday,
Neatly pack them into words and hide them in my heart,
I call them "MEMORIES" Music has no boundary.

Instrumentalists

Pandit Ravi Shankar

Pandit Ravi Shankar, an instrumentalist who plays the sitar, was born on the 7th of April 1920 in Benares. His original name was Robindra Shankar. Pandit Ravi Shankar is largely responsible for taking Indian classical music to the West, giving it the global audience it enjoys today. He spent the first ten years of his life in India living with his mother since his father Shyam Shankar (a prominent scholar, statesmen and lawyer) was usually absent. His elder brother, a legendary dancer called Uday Shankar, meanwhile was in Paris with a troupe. In 1930, Pandit Ravi Shankar and his mother left India for Paris. For the next eight years he would travel around with the troupe and gradually begin appearing in their performances both as a accompanying musician as well as a dancer. In 1935 an important event took place in his life, Ustad Allauddin Khan joined the troupe for a year. Ustad  Allauddin Khan was a renowned musician and his presence in the troupe naturally had a profound impact on Pandit Ravi Shankar. When the troupe returned to India three years later in 1938, Pandit Ravi Shankar went to Ustad Allauddin Khan and became his disciple. For the next seven years he learnt the nuances of playing the sitar from Ustad Allauddin Khan. He also went to marry Ustad Allauddin Khan daughter, Anapurna in the year 1941. Pandit Ravi Shankar was able to establish his name as a performer and did his first concert in 1939. The following year he began appearing on programs in All India Radio. The most memorable of these were his jugalbandis with another upcoming artist, Ali Akbar Khan, who is today a maestro of the sarod. Over the next decade he would move across the country performing in a variety of programs and even working in theatre and films. By the 1950's he was keen to take his music abroad, for during his years in Paris he realized that the people there did not know much about Indian music. In 1952, he came into contact with Yehudi Menuhin, a Russian musician who expressed a sincere interest in Indian music. Encouraged by this, Pandit Jasraj toured the USSR in 1954 and two years later went on to tour Europe and America. In 1958 he visited Japan and then played in Paris as part of a UNESCO festival. During the fusion years of the 1960's he worked with several western musicians, one of his most famous such collaborations was with George Harisson (an ex-Beatle) in 1966. A collaboration with Yehudi Menuhin won them a grammy in 1967 and he followed that up with another Grammy in 1972 when he and George Harisson won a Grammy for best album. He also performed at the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969. Over the next few decades he would compose and perform music at various locations around the world. He is a regular performer in India and abroad, and has performed in almost all parts of the world. His performances not only made him a popular artist abroad, but also increased awareness of Indian classical music abroad and paved the way for other Indian musicians to perform abroad. For most of the 1970's he focused more on India, as he was worried that the tremendous international exposure was harming Indian music. He however returned actively to international work from the 1980's onwards. Pandit Ravi Shankar is a recipient of several awards like the Padma Vibhushan (one of India's highest civilian awards), the Grand Prize at the Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prizes, France's Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and eleven honorary doctorates. In his 80's now, he still performs and is based in California, USA. He has a daughter Anoushka (from his second wife Sukanya)and is busy training her in music. Although he is based abroad, he still makes it a point to regularly visit India.

Ustad Allarakha Khan

The Late Ustad Allarakha Khan was one of the countries leading tabla maestros and was instrumental in establishing the tabla as a solo instrument. Ustad Allarakha Khan was born on the 29th of April 1919 in the Ratangadh of the Punjab. By the age of twelve he was already fascinated with the tabla. He ran away from home and became a disciple of Mian Quader Baksh of the Punjab Gharana who introduced him to the world of music. Ustad Allarakha Khan was a dedicated student and was known to have spent hours and hours perfecting his technique. He began his career in 1940 as an accompanist for All India Radio and later went on to compose some film music for a few years. Ustad Allarakha Khan became famous after working as an accompanist with Pandit Ravi Shankar during the 1960's. He enthralled audiences across the world with his flawless and superb technique. He was also known for his fantastic ability to improvise, compose and present music. His ability as showman spread the popularity of the tabla to all parts of the world and soon it was respected as a solo instrument. Ustad Allarakha Khan also performed with many Carnatic musicians, bridging the gap between Hindustani and Carnatic music. His son and disciple Ustad Zakir Hussain is today an established tabla maestro. Ustad Allarakha Khan died on the 3rd of February, 2000.

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan

Ustad Amajad Ali Khan is a distinguished instrumental artist of the Sarod instrument. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan was born on the 9th of October in 1945 to a family that had tremendous musical tradition. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan made his stage debut when he was only twelve and after that his career took off very rapidly. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan spent the initial years of his career performing only within the country as he wanted to establish himself in India before playing for a world audience. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan style of performing captivates audiences for he is able to make the audience feel a part of the performance. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is an extremely accomplished artist and has won a number of awards which normally would take a musician a lifetime to win. He is the winner of the Unesco Award, Padma Bhushan, Unicef's National Ambassadorship and The Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum. He has received an honorary Doctorate from the University of York, England as well as honorary Citizenship to the American states of Texas, Massachusetts and Tennessee. His two sons, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash are accomplished sarod players.

Ustad Bismillah Khan

Ustad Bismillah Khan is a maestro of the wind instrument known as the shehnai A private man who believes that musicians should be heard and not seen. Ustad Bismillah Khan was born on the 21'st of March 1916. His family had been the court musicians of the princely state Dumraon. Ustad Bismillah Khan trained under his uncle Ali Bux `Vilayatu' who was also a shanai player for Varanasi's Vishwanath Temple. Ustad Bismillah Khan was given the honor of performing during India's first Republic day in 1950, a performance which is still legendary. A highly accompalished musician, he has received many award like the Sangeet Natak Academi Award, the Tansen Award and the highly prestigious Padma Vibhushan. He has travelled extensively and performed in almost every part of the world. Ustad Bismillah Khan is today over eighty years old but still gives performances and believes that his work is far from finished.

Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia

Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia is a renowned player of the flute. His name means "Blessings of the Lord", a fitting name for a gifted man. Born on the - to a family that had little to do with the music (his father was a distinguished wrestler and had similar aspirations for his son!) Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia was not keen on taking up the sport and instead began learning music at the age of 15. He learn the techniques of Indian vocal classical music from Pandit Raja Ram. A year later he attended a recital of the flute by Pandit Bholanath and was deeply moved by the experience. He switched to instrumental music and began learning from Pandit Bholanath. Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia had to struggle in the early years of his career, working as a performing artist for All India Radio and by playing temples. After five years with All India Radio he was assigned to their Bombay office. His move to Bombay marked a new phase in his career. Shrimati Annapurna Devi who was an illustrious artist of the surdaban instrument (it is similar to the sitar) began working with him. The arrangement was rather peculiar for the two instruments were completely different, but Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia was fascinated by her music and requested her to help him recreate her music on his instrument. Under her guidance, Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia's music developed new depth and perfection. She also encouraged him to pursue a concert career. Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia followed her advice and his debut concert was a dazzling concert. Over the next few years his fame would spread all over India and the world with the numerous international concerts that he performed at. Besides many international awards he has also won the Sangeet Natak Akademi (academy) Award, Padmabhushan (one of India's highest civilian awards) and the Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar amongst many others. Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia has over the last few years been working on his pet project of reviving the Gurukula tradtion. He has established an organization called Brindavan, that will select a certain amount of students and train them in classical music.

Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma

Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma was born on the 13th of January 1938 in Jammu, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma is a unique artist, for he has received training in vocal, percussion and instrumental music. He has however specialized in playing the santoor as his father Pandit Umadutt Sharma wanted him to promote the instrument, a task Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma has been extremely successful in doing. Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma entered the classical music scene very early, beginning with training as a vocalist at the age of five and going to learn the Tabla, Sarod, Violin and Harmonium. Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma began learning the Santoor from his father when he was fourteen years old. Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma did some considerable re- engineering of the santoor to make it more suitable for classical Indian music. People who doubted the santoor's capabilities were soon amazed after they heard the performances of Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma. His first performance took place in Bombay in 1955 and since then has performed all over the country and world. He has worked with several other Indian classical musicians to produce some exquisite compositions of music. Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma music appeals to all sections of people, even those who normally do not appreciate classical music. His son, Rahul been trained by his father and two often perform together.

Ustad Zakir Hussain

Ustad Zakir Hussain is a distinguished tabla maestro. The son of the legendary Alla Rakha he has continued the fine work started by his father and has consolidated the position of the tabla as a solo instrument. He was born on -. A child prodigy he learnt how to play the instrument very early in life and was already doing tours when he was only twelve years old. He has performed all over India and the world and has also been involved in composing music, especially fusion. His first solo release Making Music (1987) was the result of his efforts to fuse western and indian music. He has composed music for several films as well. A talented musician, he has received several awards at a comparative young age, In 1988 he was awarded the Padmashri and is the youngest musician ever to have won the prestigious award. He has also received the Indo-American Award (for his contribution of spreading his music to the United States), the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award amongst several others. A fusion album between Zakir Hussain and Mickey Hart called Planet Drum won a Grammy award.

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt hails from Jaipur, in the province Rajasthan. His initial training in classical music was from his brother, Shashi Mohan Bhatt. In 1983 he became a disciple of the great Pandit Ravi Shankar. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt has made a unique contribution to Indian classical music, by bringing a western instrument into it. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt is an instrumentalist who plays a modified version of the Western acoustic guitar. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt modified the guitar to make it more suitable for Indian classical music. He calls his creation the Mohan Veena. He has also developed a specific technique by which Indian classical music can be reproduced on this instrument. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt has performed across India and the world and has also participated in many fusion projects with several western musicians. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt has been very successful both within the country as well as in other parts of the world. His collaboration with American slide guitarist Ry Cooder won them a Grammy in 1994. Another collaboration, this time with noted banjo player Bela Flek and Erhu Jei Bing resulted in a Grammy nomination in 1997. Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt is also a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi (academy) Award.





____________
"I am a dreamer,I collect all the smiles from My yesterday,
Neatly pack them into words and hide them in my heart,
I call them "MEMORIES" Music has no boundary.