Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Classical Musical Instruments



Indian music has its roots in ancient Indian history. The use of musical instruments to accompany prayer songs has been pointed out in the Vedas which are revered, ancient religious works of the Hindus. Hence, Indian people are no newcomers to the field of music. In fact, ancient Indian musical instruments like the sitar are believed to have been the origin of the modern-day, western guitar which is the basis of many western genres of music today. Some of the popular Indian instruments included the following:

* The Vina
This is a string instrument that was popularly used in the Carnatic form of music which developed in the medieval era. This kind of music originated in the south of India.

* The Mrudangam
This is a two-sided drum or percussion musical instrument. Generally, the hollow body of the instrument is made from wood and has openings which are responsible for creating different kinds of sounds. This instrument, along with the ghatam, forms the very basis of classic Carnatic music.

* The Sitar
The Sitar, a stringed classical music instrument that has been around in India since ancient times is still popular with fans of classical Indian music. The instrument, which many believe to be the ancestor of the modern-day guitar, is usually carved from teak wood. In ancient times the main resonator of the instrument was carved out of a pumpkin. Today there are many different types of sitars available in India with some that especially built to play faster melodies.

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