Indian Instruments

What is the name of the instrument that is made up of two words which mean water and wave?

• 1. Jal Tarang

• 1. Jal Veena

• 1. Saraswati Veena

• 1. Taal Mala

Answer explanation

Jal Tarang consists of 16-20 porcelain or metal bowls of different sizes, filled with varying amounts of water, which is how it is tuned. When the rim of each bowl is tapped with wooden sticks, the air present above the water level causes the sound to be produced. It is said to have originated in India.

1. The most popular Western instrument used in Indian classical music is the ____

• 1. Guitar

• 1. Violin

• 1. Keyboard

• 1. Saxophone

Answer explanation

Baluswami Dikshitar is said to have introduced the violin to Carnatic music. Since his brothers, Muthuswami and Chinnaswami, had taken to veena, vocal music, and composing, Baluswami decided to take up something new and different. He learnt the Western violin and adapted it to Carnatic classical music. He once accompanied Muthuswami on a veena concert and ever since then, the violin has become a regular instrument in Carnatic concerts.

1. The stringed instrument ____ is also known as the Shata tantri veena.

• 1. Sitar

• 1. Santoor

• 1. Veena

• 1. Violin

Answer explanation

The Indian santoor is a string and percussion instrument that is popular in Hindustani classical music. It has 25 bridges with four strings in each bridge, so there are, totally, 100 strings. When struck with lightweight wooden mallets (mezrab), the strings vibrate and produce sound. Santoor was used in Kashmiri folk music and has more strings than its Persian counterpart, the santoor, which has 72 strings.

1. The oldest instrument is the _____.

• 1. Veena

• 1. Flute

• 1. Violin

• 1. Harp

Answer explanation

The earliest known musical instruments are Palaeolithic flutes that had hand-borne holes. These were made 50,000 years ago in Europe. In India, the flute is mentioned as an important musical instrument in the Natya Shastra (~200 BCE to 200 CE), the classic Sanskrit text on music and performance arts. The Hindu God, Lord Krishna, also known as Venugopal, is always portrayed with a venu (another name for bamboo flute) in one hand. The Indian flute, also known as the bansuri, comes in different lengths, and each size has different pitches. In general, the bigger the flute, the lower is its pitch.

1. The two parts of which musical instrument are dayan and bayan?

• 1. Dholak

• 5. Sarangi

• 1. Tabla

• 1. Santoor

Answer explanation

The word ‘tabla’ is said to have originated from the Arabic word ‘tabl’, which means drum. It consists of two drums, made of hollowed-out wood, clay, or metal. The bigger one, ‘bayan’ is used for creating bass and smaller one, ‘dayan’ is used to produce treble and tonal sounds.

1. The Indian classical percussion similar to beatboxing is ____.

• 1. Mridangam

• Morsing

• 1. Konnakol

• 1. Khanjira

Answer explanation

Konnakol, considered as the universal rhythm language, is a South Indian vocal percussion form. It is performed solo or as an accompaniment to vocal and instrumental recitals.

1. Find the odd instrument in the list given below: ____

• 1. Guitar

• Veena

• 1. Mandolin

• 1. Violin

Answer explanation

Violin, because all the other instruments, listed above, have frets. Frets help you play an instrument in tune. By pressing down on the string at the correct fret, the correct note can be played.

1. Apart from the tanpura in Hindustani music, the most preferred instrument for voice accompaniment is the ____

• 1. Veena

• Sitar

• 1. Violin

• 1. Harmonium

Answer explanation

Harmonium is a reed instrument that is said to have originated in Europe. It was later adopted to Indian vocal music as a popular supporting instrument. While the tanpura provides just a base note, the harmonium has every note distinctively well-defined in different pitches. Hence, the harmonium is the first pick for every new learner of vocal music. 

1. The ____ is said to be the instrument played by Nandi, the divine bull, during Shiva’s Tandava dance.

• 1. Mridangam

• 1. Tambura

• 1. Dholak

• 1. Veena

Answer explanation

Mridangam is the most popular percussion instrument that is used in a Carnatic music concert. It is considered as the instrument favoured by Lord Ganesha and Nandi, Shiva’s vahana (vehicle). It is said that Nandi played the mridangam during Shiva’s Tandav dance, leading to the instrument being called Deva Vaadyam. There is another story that says that the mridangam was created to recreate the sound of Indra as he moved through the heavens on his elephant, Airavata.

1. The ____ is usually a secondary percussion accompaniment used in Carnatic music concerts.

• 1. Violin

• 1. Ghatam

• 1. Mridangam

• 1. Veena

Answer explanation

Ghatam is a rounded clay pot with a narrow opening at the top. It is considered an idiophone because the whole instrument vibrates to produce a sound when struck. This is unlike membranophones, which have drum heads that are struck like the tabla or mridangam.