Musical Instruments: Classification, Structure and Role
Instrument questions ask you to classify by sound production, describe structure, and explain the instrument's role in a genre.
The fourfold classification
- Tata (string): sound from a stretched string - sitar, sarod, tanpura, violin.
- Sushira (wind): sound from an air column - flute, shehnai, pepa, xutuli.
- Avanaddha (skin): sound from a stretched membrane - tabla, mridangam, dhol, khol.
- Ghana (solid): sound from the material itself when struck - jaltarang, manjira, taal.
Assam-specific instruments
- Khol: elongated barrel drum with skin heads, played with both palms; central to Borgeet and Sattriya.
- Dhol: larger barrel drum used in Bihu.
- Taal: metal cymbals of the Ghana category, marking tala in Namghar and Ojapali.
- Pepa: buffalo-horn pipe with a reed, played in Bihu.
- Gogona: small bamboo jaw harp used by Bihu dancers; xutuli is a clay whistle.
Worked example
Classify the khol. Sound is produced by a stretched skin membrane, so it is avanaddha, not Ghana or Tata. Its role is rhythmic: it carries the tala for Borgeet and Sattriya, so a full answer links structure (barrel body, two heads, palm playing) to function.
Traps
- Placing the flute or pepa in Ghana because they are 'solid'.
- Calling the tabla a Tata instrument.
- Assuming Ghana means only metal.
- Using dhol and khol interchangeably; only the khol belongs to the Sattra repertoire.