Musical Instruments
What instrument questions test
You must identify an instrument, its family, its playing technique, and its role in Hindustani music. The exam favours instruments used in vocal accompaniment and in the prescribed concert ensemble.
Families and roles
- Tata vadya (stringed): tanpura, sitar, sarod, sarangi. Tanpura provides an uninterrupted drone, usually tuned to the chosen Sa and Pa or Ma; it is not a solo raga instrument in the same way as sitar.
- Sushira vadya (wind): bansuri, shehnai. Bansuri is a transverse bamboo flute; shehnai is a double-reed instrument associated with auspicious and temple/wedding contexts and with Bismillah Khan.
- Avanaddha vadya (membranophone): tabla, pakhawaj. Tabla has dayan (right, tuned) and bayan (left, bass); pakhawaj is the barrel drum associated with Dhrupad.
- Ghana vadya (solid): jaltarang, manjira; less central but examinable.
- Sarangi is a bowed, fretless instrument and a major vocal accompaniment; harmonium is a reed keyboard used for pitch reference and accompaniment.
Worked example
Question: 'Name the instrument that keeps the drone and explain its tuning.' Reasoning: tanpura. It has four strings, tuned typically to Sa-Sa-Pa-Sa or Sa-Sa-Ma-Sa, depending on the raga. The repeated jawari creates a rich drone. Do not answer sitar: sitar can play drone-like strings but its main role is melodic. Do not say tabla keeps pitch; it keeps tala.
Traps
- Confusing sarangi (bowed) with sarod (plucked).
- Assigning pakhawaj to Khayal and tabla to Dhrupad.
- Saying tanpura plays the raga's composition.
- Forgetting that shehnai is a reed instrument, not a flute.