Iktara

This String instrument of India basically means a single-stringed (ek - one, tara - string) instrument. It is also known as iktar, ektar or gopichand and perhaps the oldest of the stringed instruments in the Indian subcontinent.

It is famously associated with the saint Mirabai. Originally, this instrument was a regular string instrument, which is plucked with one finger. Thus, the playing style of this instrument is a simultaneous pluck and gong, matching the rhythm of the music. This instrument is very popular in folk music, having a strong rustic connotation. Thus, these instruments are commonly used in chanting kirtans by Sadhus, holy men or also for Sufi chanting as well as by the Bauls of Bengal. It is also used for the traditional and modern forms of Bhangra, which sometimes use it to accompany the singer and dhol. 

The ektara usually has a stretched single string, an animal skin over a head, which is made of dried pumpkin/gourd, wood or coconut and pole neck or split bamboo cane neck. By pressing the two halves of the neck together, can change the pitch, thus creating an unusual sound. The strings of the ektara give a range of tones by applying pressure at various points along the neck. This is a musical instrument that does not have markings for notes, and is played by assumption. The various sizes are a soprano ektara, tenor ektara, or bass ektara. The bass ektara, sometimes called a dotara often has two strings. 

But a typical Bengali Ektara is constructed out of a half of a dried gourd shell serving as the sound-box, with a metal string running right through the middle of the shell. At the top, the string is tied to a knob, which adjusts the tension of the string and thereby, the tuning-the knob and the string-tension is supported by two bamboo-strips, tied to two opposite sides of the gourd shell. The Ektara and the Ghati Baya, together form a complete set accompaniments, especially to Devotional and Deolati musical traditions. The string, as in a Dotara, is tuned to the main/root note of the composition.

Tambura or Tanpura

Tambura is a type of a stringed instrument. It is a long-necked Indian lute, which is unfretted and round-bodied. It has derived its name from the Persian word Tanbur.

It possesses three different styles which are chosen according to the preference of the performers. This Indian musical instrument contains the vital element of music, drone. The harmonic or monophonic effect is continuously sounded throughout the piece, sustained or repeated, which establishes a tonality upon which the rest of the piece is built. 

The name `tanpura` is believed to have derived from `tana` that refers to a musical phrase and pura which means "full" or "complete". Thus the tanpura is an instrument which supports and sustains the melody by providing a dynamic harmonic resonance field based on one precise tone, the basic note or key-note. Tanpura or Tambura works on the principle of jivari. 

The Tambura is also commonly known as tanpura, whose neck is hollow, with four or five wire strings. The strings are plucked one after another in a regular pattern to create a tonic resonance field. In the Hindustani classical music, the tambura comes in different sizes: bigger "males" and smaller "females". The male instrument has an open string length of one metre; the female is sized down to 3/4. This Indian musical instrument is available with standard tuning. This instrument produces rich buzzing sound and is applied in order to attain the overtone-rich sound. 

The Tambura is designed in three different styles namely Miraj Style, Tanjore Style and Tamburi Style. Each style features different shapes as well as varied working pattern. 

The styles of Tambura are described as: 

Miraj Style :

It is the favourite form for Hindustani performers. Miraj style is usually available between three to five feet in length, with a well-rounded resonator plate (tabali) and a long, hollow straight neck. The round lower chamber to which the tabli and the neck (dandh) are fixed is actually a selected and dried gourd (tumba). 

Tanjore Style :

It is a south Indian style of tambura, which is used widely by Carnatic music performers. It has a different shape and style of decoration, but is otherwise much the same size as the Miraj style. Typically, no gourd is used, but the spherical part is gouged out of a solid block of wood. The neck is somewhat smaller in diameter. 

Tamburi Style :

This style is much more popular recently, due to its small size and portability. It is two to three feet long, with a shallow resonator and a slightly curved tabali. It has about four to six strings. The small five-string tamburi are tuned to the higher octave and are the preferred instruments for providing the drone for solo-performances by string-playing artists.

Sarod

Sarod is a classical Indian musical instrument belonging to the family of string instruments. The Sarod is played with a plectrum and is notable among string instruments for the absence of frets along the neck.

Sarod is one of the leading concert instruments of North Indian Classical Music. This string instrument is most likely non-Indian in origin. The Sarod has four melody strings tuned to Sa, Pa, Sa, Ma and it is played with a triangular plectrum. 

History of Sarod 

The details of its development in India are quite different to trace. In all likelihood, it originated from the Rebab, an instrument from the Middle East. Its use in Indian Classical Music can be traced back to one of the master musicians of Indian music, Tansen. He was one of the most fantastic singers andBbinkars in the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar. Today, the Rebab has been replaced by the Sarod in the performances of Indian Classical music. It is said that Khan Saheb Asadullah Khan introduced the Sarod in Bengal over a century ago, and since then Bengal has become noted for the manufacture and popularization of this instrument. 

Structure of Sarod 

It has a hollow circular belly to which is attached a tapering neck whose slim top portion holds the tuning pegs. Therefore it is a lute-type instrument. The shape of the belly of the instrument is distinctive in that it is pinched just below the place where the neck is attached. The use of wood for the belly of the Sarod and the use of parchment to cover the belly were retained from Rebab construction. The Sarod is usually three to three and a half feet long and has a body of teakwood overlaid with a fingerboard of polished metal, which facilitates sliding the finger along the strings. One of the distinctive features of the Sarod is that unlike the other string instruments it does not have a fret. The job of the frets is done by the left hand which is used for stopping the strings along the smooth fingerboard. 

There are four or five metal strings on the Sarod. These are tuned Pa Sa Pa Sa Ma and Sa Pa Sa Ma, respectively. The lowest string is brass and the rest are steel. The lowest-pitched string, Kharaj Sa (or Pa), is closest to the player`s face. In addition, there are three to five Chikari (drone and rhythm) strings and anywhere from eleven to sixteen sympathetic strings. The Sarod has four bridges, the main one that sits on the parchment over the belly, a secondary bridge (called a Jawari bridge) at the neck of the instrument, and two smaller bridges attached to the pegged side of the instrument. The Jawari bridge is wide, and is constructed such that it will add a buzz to the sounds produced by the four strings it supports (one drone string and three sympathetic strings, all of which are called jawari strings because they cross that bridge). The main bridge holds strings at three levels. Over the top go the playing strings, one jawari string (a drone string tuned to Sa), and the other two drone strings (tuned to Sa and Sa). One level down, the remaining three jawari strings (the sympathetic strings) go through small holes in the bridge. The lowest level of holes is for the remainder of the sympathetic strings. The sympathetic strings, called tarab, are all made of steel. 

Playing of Sarod 

The Sarod is played with a plectrum held in the right hand. The plectrum is like a rounded-off triangle about one and a half to two inches across the base and from apex to base. The apex hits the strings. The plectrum is made either of coconut shell or of wire. Its base is embedded in beeswax so that it is easier to hold between the thumb and index finger. 

Two of the most well know Sarod players in India are Sharan Rani and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.

Swarmandal

The Swarmandal is basically a small harp and a type of an Indian stringed instrument. It is generally used for the drone to accompany the vocalists. The Indian harp is used in many traditional Hindu and Muslim rituals, and is a traditional instrument. 

The Swara (notes) and Mandal (group) represent its ability to produce a large number of notes. It has been used for many generations, dating back to the pre-Moghul era; though still used today; its use is not as widespread. 

This instrument measures from twenty four to thirty inches in length and twelve to fifteen inches in width. The singer may choose to employ any number of strings from 21 to 36. 

The strings are hooked in the nail lodged in the right edge of swarmandal and on the left, twirl around rectangular pegs which can be tightened with a special key. A sharp half-inch ridge is built on both sides of swarmandal a little apart from the nails on which the strings are tightened. This ridge functions as bridge on both sides. 

There is no standarized size for the surmandal, since there are no standard number of strings. Also different individuals will sing from different keys, thus the tunes of the surmandal, which every musician tunes, is different from the other.

Shehnai

Shehnai is the predominant double-reed instrument used in North Indian music. The size of the Shehnai ranges from one to one and a half feet. Whether the instrument Shehnai was imported into India from Central or West Asia is not certain; the word certainly was. Other instruments related to this one are the Sundri and Naferi which are small sized oboes. 

History of Shehnai :

The instrument of the Shehnai (or Surnai) is believed to have been introduced in India by the Muslims. One of its most prominent uses was in the ensemble called the naubat (or nahabet), which played at the courts of the Mughal Emperors. 

The naubat consisted of a varying number of specific instruments - kettledrums of various sizes, other types of drums, trumpets, horns, cymbals, and Shehnais with their accompanying drones. This naubat disseminated the status of the Shehnai, which came to be regarded an indispensable part of every celebrations of every religion. Slowly, it began to be during pujas. 

The Shehnai came to be associated with the temple and thereby came to be called a `mangal vadya` or an auspicious instrument. While a person belonging to the priestly class blew the Shankh, or the conch, during sacred rituals inside the worship area, Shehnai players, who belonged to the lower caste, played the reed instrument from outside the worship area. No social ceremony such as engagement, marriage, childbirth and the investiture of the sacred thread was complete without the soothing strains of the Shehnai. Again, the Shehnai players had to play their instrument from outside the precincts of the house for reasons related to caste. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that this instrument was granted the status of a classical instrument. 

Construction of Shehnai :

It is made completely of wood except for the metal bell at its enlarged lower end. The bore is conical. The basically functional parts are two: the reed and the tube. There are two small reeds held together, leaving small gap between them. The reeds are fixed to the tube of the instrument, either directly or by means of a metallic staple. The main body of the instrument is the tube which is the resonator. It is conical in shape, narrow near the blowing end and opening out gradually. Usually, there is metallic `bell` at the farther end. 

The tube is usually of wood, but may be of metal also. It has a total of seven playing holes and one or two more for adjusting the pitch. The double reed is attached to a narrow stem that rises out of the top of the instrument. Like the Nadasvaram, one plays the Shehnai by controlling the flow of air through the column (though with a different technique), and obtains desired pitches by partially or completely covering the holes. The accompanying drone (sruti or sur) is provided by a fellow reed instrument, which looks like the Shehnai but has only two or three holes. These are stopped wholly or partially with wax so that the player can tune the drone to the desired pitch. 

Playing of Shehnai :

As with flute, all musical notes are produced by the controlled flow of breath through the reed into the tube area. Agile finger-work is required to execute the movements, graces and ornaments of classical music. The production of musical notes is wholly dependent on the manipulation of the fingering technique - i.e., the full closure or partial closure of the blow holes. Alongside the various positioning of the jaw, the tongue and the lips also help in the production of various musical movements and graces. 

A seasoned player uses a combination of lip and tongue-work along with dexterous fingering during recitals. The drone during the concert is provided by a pipe, called the Sur, whose seven blow holes are blocked-up with wax, is used to provide the continuous drone. A small earthen kettle drum, called Duggad, provides the rhythmic accompaniment. However, these days it is not uncommon for the Shehnai player to use the Tabla alongside the Duggad. Varanasi is to this day the leading producer of some of the finest Shehnais in the country. 

Players of Shehnai :

The contributions made by players such as Chhote Khan, Gaurishankar and Nandlal, who was Chhote Khan`s disciple, belonging to Benaras, to elevate the Shehnai to the level of a concert instrument has been immense. In fact, more than any other city, it is Benaras that has come to be associated with the instrument and still continues to produce some of the finest players on the country. More than anyone, it is Ustad Bismillah Khan who was solely responsible for popularising the Shehnai as a concert instrument both nationally and internationally.