MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

A musical instrument is any object that is used for making musical sounds. There are a number of musical instruments like guitar, piano, flute, tabla and many more. Every instrument has its unique sound.

Sound is produced in similar ways by instruments within a family of musical instruments. Just like our families, where brothers and sisters look alike, in musical instruments too it is the same.

Musical instruments can be classified into five major family of instruments, according to how the musical sound is produced. These are Woodwind, String, Brass, Percussion and Key-board.

1. Woodwind family sound is produced when you blow air into the

instrument. Although mostly these instruments are made of wood, they can be made by other materials like metal and plastic as well. 2. String family - these instruments have strings which produce sound when you strike or strum them.

3. Brass family - Like Woodwind instruments, Brass instruments

produce sound when air is blown into them. A Brass instrument has a type of mouthpiece, which creates a different sound when you blow into it with your lips. 4. Percussion family sound is produced when the instrument is hit, shaken, rubbed, scraped or by any other action which sets the object into vibration. 5. Key-board family - different sounds are produced by pressing or using different keys.

What is common in Lord Krishna, Snake charmer and a Bagpiper?

Well, they all play Woodwind instruments. About Woodwind instruments: Woodwind instrument is any musical instrument which requires air to be blown through it, in order to operate. Woodwind instruments look like a pipe with holes. The player produces sound by blowing the air inside the pipe. The player controls or changes the sound by opening or closing the holes through fingers. Mostly these instruments are made of wood but they can be made of other materials like metal and plastic too.

The family became known as the woodwind family because the instruments began to be made of wood and sound is produced by blowing air in the wooden pipe. Our ancestors may have blown into

shells or hollow bits of wood to make sounds. Woodwind instruments need a lot of breathing power! How YOU can make a Woodwind instrument! Let us learn how to make a Comb Buzzer which is a Woodwind instrument.

You Need:

pocket comb tissue paper

Fold a piece of tissue paper over the tooth edge of a comb. To play, hum through the tissue paper. This produces a buzzing sound and it tickles the lips!

Some Woodwind instruments

1.

Flute: Have you ever made a sound by blowing across the top of an empty bottle? Thats exactly how you play the flute. A flute is held in both hands and air is blown into the mouth hole. The fingers cover or open the holes to produce different tones. Flutes around the world are blown in different ways. At one time it was even quite common to blow it through nose. Those were called nose flutes!! Most flutes are made of silver.

The bansuri, which developed from the flute, is made of bamboo.

It is made of a single length bamboo stick with six or seven holes. In Hindus, Lord Krishna carries a bansuri with him. Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, is a world-renowned exponent of the bansuri or bamboo flute.

2. Shehnai- We can see the use of Shehnai in Indian marriages and festive occasions. Late Ustad Bismillah Khan is famous for his Shehnai playing. A Shehnai is made up of a wooden body with a brass bell. There are eight or nine holes. When playing, the lips are placed on the upper end. The fingers of the right hand cover the four bottom holes. The fingers of the left hand play the upper four holes. The air is blown steadily rather than blasting it.

3.

Been- Been is mainly played by snake charmers. It is a folk instrument played in villages. Snake charmers believe that snake

dances on listening to the music of the been!

A Been consists of two pipes made of wood, bamboo or metal. These two pipes are set into a gourd, which is the dried shell of a fruit.

The player blows into a large opening in the narrow portion of the gourd and puts fingers on the holes to produce the melody. Two human hairs are inserted into the pipes and attached with wax. This adds a hissing, snake like sound to the instrument!

4. Harmonica- The harmonica is also called the mouth organ. A mouth organ is a very light musical instrument and easy to carry. You can play it anywhere by simply holding it to your mouth and blowing air into it.

The harmonica was originally developed in Europe.

5. SaxophoneThe saxophone or sax, is used in bands and in jazz music. Saxophones are made of metal, often brass, but they belong to family of woodwind instruments, rather than brass instruments. Conically shaped, the saxophone is the only woodwind instrument made of brass.

Sax is made of brass but still is a woodwind instrument because of the way it is played. Saxophones make a strong, mellow sound. The saxophone was originally supposed to be used in military bands. Today, it is used mainly in jazz, rock, blues, and pop.

6. ClarinetIn order to make sound, a clarinet requires a single reed. Reeds are small pieces of cane. The air rushing past the reed causes it to vibrate, making a sound. To play, the clarinet is held by placing your left hand on the top of the clarinet and the right hand on the bottom. The clarinet is the most recent addition to the woodwind family.

The bottom of the clarinet flares out into a bell shape. Clarinets are made of wood or plastic, and can be found in different sizes.

What are the types of Woodwind instruments? Wind instruments fall into two broad categories: woodwind and brasswind. Both the woodwind and brass instruments are played by blowing air through a tube.

Importance of Woodwind instruments in playing music Woodwind instruments are used to play melody in music. The three parts of music are MELODY, HARMONY and RHYTHM. In fact, if music were a person, melody would be its "face", harmony would be its "meat" and rhythm would be its "bones".

Famous Quote I was not any good at wrestling. I went there only to please my father. But maybe because of the strength and stamina I built up then, I'm able to play the bansuri even to this day, said famous Indian Bansuri player Hariprasad Chaurasia.

Hariprasad Chaurasias father was a wrestler. His mother died when he was four. He had to learn music without his father's knowledge, as his father wanted him to become a wrestler. Interesting facts Origin of woodwind instruments has been in hollow tubes, horns, human and animal bones, bamboo shoots!!!

 The Shehnai is capable of producing a sound very similar to the human voice!!! Adolphe Sax invented the saxophone in 1846, the same year as the sewing machine was invented!!! Despite their name, not all woodwind instruments are made of wood!!! South Indian counterpart of Bansuri is Venu!!! Oldest wind-blown instrument is bone made flute, which existed in about 6500 B.C.in China!!! Variations of woodwind instruments

been

shehnai

So, next time you think of bagpiper, woodwind instruments. Isnt it?

you would remember

Have you ever played the guitar? If you learn to play the guitar, you can add music to the Happy Birthday song at the next birthday party! The guitar belongs to the family of String instruments. About string instruments: As the name says these instruments have strings which produce sound when they are vibrated. Some string

instruments are used in classical music and some of them are used by people living in villages, the folk musicians. How YOU can make a String instrument! Let us learn how to make a string instrument.

You need:

empty shoe or tissue box rubber bands ruler or stick

Remove the cover from the box. Stretch the rubber bands around the box. Attach the ruler or stick to the back of the box on one end to act as the arm of the instrument. To play, strum or pluck the rubber bands. You can decorate the box using stickers or markers. More about string instruments

1. Guitar-The guitar is played by striking the strings on it. It has six strings which are usually played with fingers or a pick.

Guitars can be divided into two broad categories, acoustic and electric. The acoustic guitar is used in many kinds of music including folk, country, bluegrass, pop, jazz and blues. An electric guitar uses electricity to enhance sound.

2. Sitar- Sitar is a string instrument which has 7 main playing strings. Sitar is the most popular stringed instrument of India. It has been in use since the middle ages. A Sitar player plays it by plucking the strings by fingers or by a pick. The instrument is balanced between the player's left foot and right knee. The hands move freely without having to carry any of the instrument's weight.

3. Violin- Violin is a bowing string instrument with four strings. It is usually played using a bow. The bow is the part of the violin which is used to strike the strings to produce the music. The bow is a stick with a ribbon of horsehairs.

The violin is played by mounting it on one shoulder. The sound from a violin is of a very high pitch. The violin is usually made from different types of wood. It usually has steel strings.

How is the sound made in a violin? 1. The bow is drawn across the string. 2. The string vibrates. 3. The left hand presses the strings on the fingerboard.

4. Harp- A harp is a string instrument which has lots of coloured strings. The number of strings can go up to 48. The stings are plucked and played by both hands. It is an ancient string instrument associated with fairies. It is believed that fairies and angels carry the harp.

5.

Sarod: The sarod along with the sitar, is the most popular instrument in Hindustani classical music. Sarod has been found in paintings in the Ajanta caves. It has a similarity with the Rabab of Afghanistan and Kashmir.

6.

VeenaHindu goddess Saraswati, who is the goddess of knowledge and wisdom, plays the veena. The veena consists of a large body made out of a block of wood. The stem of the instrument is also made of wood. The neck of the instrument attached to the stem, is usually carved into a figure like the head of a dragon. The veena has seven strings.

The veena is played by sitting cross-legged upon the floor and holding the veena in front. The main body of the instrument is placed on the ground, partially supported by the right thigh. The veena is mostly used in South Indian Classical music.

7. Santoor: The Santoor is usually played while seated, with the instrument in front. Both hands are used to play the strings. The santoor is a string instrument with 70 strings. The Indian Santoor, which originated in Kashmir, is the oldest known string instrument in our country. It was originally a part of the classical music in Persia but it is now a folk instrument in India.

8. EktaraEktara is a one string instrument, hugely used with folk songs in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Egypt. It is also known as Gopichand. The Ektara is plucked with one finger. It has a stretched single string, an animal skin over a head and a cane neck. It sometimes has two strings and then it is called a dotara.

It is also associated with the Hindu mythological figure of Narada Muni, who was a famous devotee of Lord Vishnu. The ektara is used while singing bhajans and kirtans. It is also known as the musical instrument of sadhus or holy-men. Famous Quote In our culture we have such respect for musical instruments, they are like part of God, said Indian musician-artist, Ravi Shankar, famous for sitar-playing.

How is a string instrument played?

Various instruments produce sound by each different action. These are some common playing techniques to play string instruments:

1. By plucking the string - Plucking is used as the method of playing in instruments such as guitar, sitar, and harp. The instrument is plucked either by a finger or thumb, or by some type of pick.

2. By bowing the string Some instruments like violin, cello and double-bass are played with a bow - a long stick that has horsehair attached to it. The bow is drawn across the strings of the instrument. This is called bowing.

3. By striking the string The third method is to strike the string. Violin family instruments are generally played by bowing but can also be played by striking by the side of the bow.

Interesting facts We can see musician playing string instrument in stone carving, about 2600 B.C.!!!

The modern violin has four strings, but the earliest ones had only three!!!

 The string instrument Sarod has been found in paintings in the Ajanta caves!!!

The instruments Esraj and Dilruba are around 200 years old!!!

Famous Indian music composer A. R. Rahman has used the Dilruba in his works like "Dil Se" and "Vande Mataram".

Sarangi is a short-necked string instrument of India, which sounds like the human voice!!! The violin is the smallest member of the string family. Because its strings are the shortest, it produces the highest sound!!!

Variations of string instruments

violin

guitar

cello

double bass

Have you ever heard the phrase blowing ones own trumpet? It means speaking very loudly and highly about your self. But what is a trumpet? The trumpet is a musical instrument from the brass family which makes a very loud sound. Since blowing into a trumpet creates a very loud sound, hence the phrase blowing ones own trumpet is used for anyone who talks too much about himself!

About brass instruments: Like Woodwind instruments, Brass instruments produce sound when air is blown into them. But an instrument is classified as brass not because it is made of metal, but because of the way it is played. A Brass instrument has a type of mouthpiece, which creates a different sound by lip vibrations of the player.

When you blow down a brass instrument, you put your lips against the mouthpiece. You dont put them around it as do on woodwind instruments. Brass instruments are usually made of brass but they can also be made of other metals or of wood, tusk, horn, or shell. Brass players produce sound by blowing into the mouthpiece of the instrument. The mouthpiece is of two types: Cup-shaped and Funnel-shaped. Trumpet, Trombone, French horn and Tuba are few examples of Brass Instruments.

How YOU can make a Brass instrument! Let us learn how to make a Horn, which is a Brass instrument. You need:

paper towel roll waxed paper rubber band pen

Cover one end of the paper towel roll with waxed paper. Secure it with a rubber band. Punch a row of holes along one side of the roll with the tip of a pen.

To play, sing a tune into the open end of the horn.

Most common brass instruments

1. Trumpet- The trumpet is a popular brass instrument that is played in both bands and orchestras. It is an important part of marriage baraats in India. The loud, clear sound of the trumpet has been used to send signals and messages for a long time. Trumpets were once used to frighten enemies in battle, and to celebrate big ceremonies. You can play a trumpet by blowing into the trumpet's cup-shaped mouthpiece.

2. French Horn- The French horn is a member of the brass family. It consists of a metal tube that is about twelve feet long. As this brass instrument was developed in France its called the French horn. It produces both soft and loud sound. The very first horns were made from the horns of animals. To play, the French horn is balanced on ones leg, but it is held up between the two hands.

3. Trombone- Most brass instruments use valves to produce different pitches. But the trombone uses a slide instead. It has a long slide. You can push and pull the slide back and forth to change the length of tubing. This changes the pitch. While moving the slide, you need to blow air continuously through the mouthpiece.

The trombone has a flared bell. It sounds lower than trumpets but higher than tubas.

4. Tuba- The tuba is the largest member of the brass family and plays the lowest notes. It's also the youngest brass instrument. It was first used in military bands in the 1800s. The tuba, unlike most other brass instruments is held vertically when it is played. Sound is produced when the musician vibrates his or her lips into a cup shaped mouthpiece.

What are the types of brass instruments? Brass instruments fall into four categories: Valved, Slide, Natural and keyed or fingered. Famous Quote Sometimes you need to stand with your nose to the window and have a good look at jazz. And I've done that on many occasions, said J J Johnson, a great trombone player.

J J Johnsons tone has inspired many jazz trombone players. Most of today's jazz trombone players have in some way been influenced by him. He is often called 'The King'.

Interesting facts Trumpets are at least 3,500 years old - early versions of the trumpet have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, including King Tut's!!! When you unwind a horn, the tubing can be as long as twelve feet! The total length of an unwound trombone tube is 9 feet!!! The tuba was patented in 1835 by Friedrich Wilhelm Wieprecht (a Prussian bandmaster) and Johann Gottfried Moritz (a German builder).

 The very first horns were made from the horns of animals. By breaking off the horn's tip and blowing down the hole, you could sound a note!!! While Columbus was busy discovering America 500 years ago, King Henry VII had a band of four trombones. The tuba consists of a huge brass tube, which if you stretched out, it would be 18 feet long!!!

Variations of brass instruments

bugl e

Did you know that a table is also a percussion instrument? Yes! Isnt there a rhythm and music when you tap your hands on the table? And what about the sound when you clap your hands, that is music too! These are all examples of the next family of musical instruments that we will talk about percussion instruments. About percussion instruments: Percussion instruments are used to give rhythm as well as melody in music. A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit, shaken, rubbed, scraped or by any other action which sets the object into vibration. Some examples of these instruments are the tabla, the drum, the dhol, the mridangam and the pakhawaj. How YOU can make a Percussion instrument! Let us learn how to make a Jaltarang, which is a Percussion instrument.

You need: 8 glasses Water Spoon

Fill a glass with water. Tap it lightly with a spoon. You will find it gives a musical sound. Then pour out some of the water. Note the difference in the musical sound. Now arrange 8 glasses in a row on a table. Fill each with water at different levels and tap them with a spoon again. Notice how the pitch can be changed by adding or reducing the amount of water in the glass. You can line up 8 glasses of water and play a tune on them. Try it!

Common percussion instruments

1. Tabla- The Tabla is one of the most famous instruments of India. It consists of two drums. The bass drum or the male drum, which is played with the left hand, is called the bayan. The treble or the female drum, which is played with the right hand, is called the dayan. The most popular artist of Tabla is Ustad Zakir Hussain. While you play the tabla, you need to put one hand on each drum. The most common technique is to hold the wrist down and bend the fingers.

2. Pakhawaj- Pakhawaj is an instrument with a long wooden body. Both its ends are covered in animal skin. It is the most traditional drum of North India. It is used in Oddisi and Kathak dance forms of India. It is also used with Dhrupad singing. When playing the pakhawaj, you need to use the fingers and palms of both hands. It is placed horizontally, while playing. The playing position is easy. The smaller end is placed on the right hand and the larger side is placed on the left side. The right side is usually raised slightly by placing a small rolled up piece of cloth under it.

3. Mridangam- Mridangam is the instrument of many Hindu deities such as Ganesha and Nandi bull. According to mythology, Nandi played the mridangam during Shiva's Tandava dance. The mridangam is played from both sides. The Mridangam is the rhythm instrument used to maintain the thala of the recital in Carnatic music of south India. The word Mridangam means the body of clay. It is the most ancient of all percussion instruments. It is similar to Pakhawaj in north India. The mridangam is played by using the four fingers of both hands while the thumb is used as a support.

Dholak- The Dholak is an essential accompaniment for folk music of North India. It is even used while singing bhajans. It is cylindrical in shape and made out of solid wood. It is also used while singing songs on the festival Holi. To play the dholak, sit cross-legged on the floor and place the dholak either in your lap or on the floor. The smaller side should be on the right and the larger side on the left. You can then strike the two sides to produce musical notes. 5.
4.

The Damroo is a two-sided drum also known as the monkey talking drum. This is because you must have seen the monkey-man or Madaari playing the damroo to pet monkeys who jump and dance to the sound of the damroo. It has an hour-glass shape. The player holds the damroo in one hand and gives it a sharp twist with the wrist, causing the beads to strike the drum heads.

6. Snare Drum-

The snare drum was originally called the side drum, because the player would carry it around his waist and played off to the side. The snare drum is shaped like a cylinder, with animal skin stretched over its top.

7. Bass Drum-

This is like a round cylinder with animal skin stretched over its two openings. Its tone is very low and deep. The Bass Drum is used in both orchestras and bands. The drum is played upright, with the drum heads on the sides. It is usually played with a soft stick or beater.

8. Xylophone-

A xylophone is a set of wooden bars, mounted on a frame. The bars, each tuned to a different pitch, are beaten with sticks. The biggest xylophones have

almost 50 wooden bars. The bars of the xylophone are made from rosewood. The shorter bars play the higher notes and the longer bars play the lower notes.

What are the types of percussion instruments? Broadly there are two categories of percussion instruments:

1.

Untuned percussion: They just produce one sound, example, a wooden block or a single bell. These can be used just to play rhythm.

2.

Tuned percussion: They can produce more than one note,

example, the Xylophone. rhythm as well as melody or harmony.

They can be used to play

Famous Quote

You never stop learning as a musician. My father told me once: Dont try to be a master. Just try to be a good student and youll get by just fine. Ive never forgotten that lesson, said most popular artist of Tabla, Ustad Zakir Hussain. Importance of Percussion instruments in playing music Percussion instruments are used to give both melody and rhythm in music. The three parts of music are MELODY, HARMONY and RHYTHM. In fact, if music were a person, melody would be its "face", harmony would be its "meat" and rhythm would be its "bones".

Interesting facts The Bass Drum is the biggest of the drums used in the western orchestra!!! While the Triangle is among the smallest of percussion instruments, it has a very clear and shimmering sound that cuts through even the loudest music!!! The Timpani is sometimes called a kettledrum because it is shaped like a big copper kettle. In fact it is often made of copper!!!

 The snare drum was originally called the side drum, because the player would carry it around his waist and played off to the side!!! Indian percussion instrument the Nagara was also used as a war-drum. Its beat announced the arrival of kings and princes and meant that the army was marching into battle!!! The Madal is easy to carry and thus it is called as the mobile drum!!! The Damroo is a two-sided drum also known as the monkey talking drum. It is used by the madari, the monkey man, in India. Monkeys dance to the tune of the damroo!!! The oldest percussion instrument is a pair of hands. Babies can clap before they can speak!!!

Variations of percussion instruments

Did you know that playing the piano can make you better at studies? Research has shown that children who learn piano tend to do better in school. The piano is a musical instrument from the family of Key-board instruments.

About key-board instruments: The musical instruments which produce sounds of different musical notes by pressing or using different keys are known as Key-board instruments. A Key-board instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The piano is a common Key-board instrument. An electronic keyboard is also common. On an electronic keyboard you can play many different voices in the same instrument. Famous Quote Beethoven can write music, thank God, but he can do nothing else on earth, said pianist and composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the most important figures in music.

He's definitely one of the all-time greats. When he was a young man of 20 years, Beethoven started losing his hearing, and experiencing a loud ringing in his ears. Since Beethoven lived for music, he was very sad. But he did not give up and became a great musician.

Most common key-board instruments

1. Grand Piano- The piano is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Almost every modern piano has 36 black keys and 52 white keys for a total of 88 keys. The keys of a piano were originally made from ebony and ivory but they are now mostly made from plastic. The Concert Grand is the largest type of piano.

There are strings inside a piano, and a hammer which strikes the strings when you play the keys outside. Piano name comes from pianoforte meaning softloud because the piano was the first keyboard instrument that could be played very quietly or very loudly.

2. Organ- The Organ is known as King of instruments. It has pipes, stops to control them, manual Key boards and pedals to play notes. The organ is the oldest Key board instrument, appearing first in the 3rd century BC. From its invention until the 14th century, the organ remained the only keyboard instrument.

3. Accordion- You may have seen the song Amar, Akbar, Anthony. In it actor Rishi Kapoor, who is Akbar, plays the accordion. The smallest and oldest member of organ family, the accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument. This instrument is sometimes considered a one-manband as it needs no accompanying instrument. The accordion is often used in folk music in Europe, North America and South America.

Harmonium- The harmonium is commonly found in Indian homes but it is basically a western musical instrument. In India, it was introduced when the British ruled our country. Though originally from France, the harmonium was developed further in India. Its body comprises 42 black and white keys. The Harmonium produces sound similar to that of an accordion.
4.

Interesting facts

 The Harpsichord looks like a Piano, but the colour of its keys is totally different and both produce sound differently!!!

The invention of the modern piano is credited to Bartolomeo Cristofori (16551731) of Padua in Italy.

The hydraulic is the oldest Key board instrument, appearing first in the 3rd century BC!!!

A Chamber organ is the smaller version of the traditional organ.

Synthesizers are key-board instruments that specialize in playing all sorts of music, which includes sounds like other instruments and also sounds which no other instruments produce!!!
A.G. Bell, the man who invented the telephone was a gifted pianist.

As a child he found that if he played a piano in one room, its sound would echo on a piano in another room!!!

Variations of key-board instruments