Musical Instruments
Carnyx
Carnyx is an ancient Wind Instrument of the Iron Age Celtic people, used between 200 BC and 200 AD. It is basically a bronze Trumpet with an elongated S Shape, having a mouth piece, styled in the shape of an open-mouthed boar’s or other animal head and used in warfare. It consisted of a 12 foot long thin bronze tube, bent at right angles at both ends, the lower end terminated in a mouthpiece. The upper end flared out into a bell shaped in the form of a wild boar’s head. It was believed that the head contained a tongue as well which once flap up and down changes the sound produced by the instrument. The Carnyx was played in upright position so that the head portion was protruded well above the heads of the warriors. Newer versions of Carnyx and replicas are available now. The in...
Hang
Hang or Handpan is a musical instrument which belongs to the Idiophone class. It is based on the Caribbean Steelpan instrument and created by Felix Rohner and Sabina Scharer in Bern, Switzerland by their company named PANArt Hangbau AG. The instrument is made from two half-shells of deep drawn, nitrided steel sheet glued together at the rim. The inside is hollow and has a convex lens shape. The top side is called “Ding” and the bottom side is called as “Gu”. Hang is played resting the instrument on the player’s lap with the hands and fingers. Here is a small video demonstrating the Hang. Picture and Video provided only for illustration – Credit: Yatao Music 00
Yaybahar
Have you heard of a musical instrument called Yaybahar? Really I hadn’t, until now. Yaybahar is a an Acoustic Musical Instrument. Its inventor, a Turkish Musician Gorkem Sen describes it as a “real-time acoustic string synthesizer”. The name is a combination of two words “Yay” which means “String” and “Bahar” in English means “Spring”. The instrument is played similar to orchestral string instruments by hitting or sliding a wooden bow along the two long strings. The strings are suspended in the centre of two drum heads. It is played by hitting the drums, or by sliding the bow up at the top of the instrument. Here is a small video of Yaybahar by Gorkem Sen. Enjoy it. Video provided only for illustration – Credit: Berat ...
Instrumental Music – Flute and Piano Duet
Came across a beautiful Flute and Piano duet by Rakesh Chaurasia (Flute), Utsav Lal (Piano). Vijay Ghate is on Tabla. The concert is brought to us by Meru Concerts, which was held in the Theater Oranjerie, Roermond, Netherlands on 13th July 2014. Watch the video and enjoy the divine music. Picture and Video provided only for illustration – Credit: Meru Concerts 00
Balalaika
The Balalaika is a Russian stringed musical instrument. It has a triangular wooden hollow body, fretted neck and three strings. Tuning of the string is in such a way that two of them are tuned to the same note and the third one is in perfect fourth higher. A Fourth is a musical interval with four staff positions in the music notation of Western Culture. Balailaka is used mainly in the Russian Folk Music and Dances. It is available in different sizes from the highest pitch to the lowest. They are like Piccolo Balalaika, Prima Balalaika, Secunda Balalaika, Alto Balalaika, Bass Balalaika and Contra-Bass Balalaika. The Prima is most common and Piccolo is rare. Prima, Alto and Secunda are played either with fingers or a plectrum pick depending upon the music being played. Here is a small video ...
Udu Drum
Udu is a Vessel shaped musical instrument belonging to the Aerophone family. It is an instrument used by the Igbo people of Nigeria. It is basically a water Jug with a hole on its belly. Udu used to be played by the Igbo women for ceremonial uses. Udu is made of clay and played by hand. A bass sound can be produced by hitting the big hole while playing the instrument. By controlling the position of the hand on the upper hole of the instrument, the pitch can be changed. Udu is nowadays used as a percussion instrument in different music styles. Here is a small video on how to play the Udu instrument. Enjoy!! Video provided only for illustration – Credit: World Drum Club 00
Instrumental Music – Indian and Western Classical
I am sure you will enjoy the Universal Notes, an extraordinary fusion of Carnatic, Hindustani and Western Classical Music. It is a blend of sophisticated string writing with strident melodic improvisation. The fusion is brought to you by Darbar and led by Matthew Barley who is a Cellist and Artistic Director. The programme was recorded for Darbar on 16th Sep 2016 at London’s Southbank Centre. The artists in this fusion are as follows. Matthew Barley (Cello & Artistic Director) Fraser Trainer (Composer) Jayanthi Kumaresh (Carnatic Veena) Ghatam Karthick (Carnatic Ghatam) Rakesh Chaurasia (Hindustani Bansuri) Niladri Kumar (Hindustani Sitar) Lulu Fuller (Violin) Samuel Burstin (Viola) Michael Fuller (Double Bass) Jennifer McClaren (Clarinet) Watch and enjoy the video. Picture and ...
Unusual Brass Instruments
We have discussed about various musical instruments in this section. But there are many about which we have never heard of. Here is a video compilation by Trent Hamilton in which he discusses about five such instruments. They all belong to the family of Brass Instruments. They are.. Schediphone Cor Omnitonique (Natural Horn) Antoniophone Sudrophone Harmonitrompe Watch the video and enjoy! Picture and Video provided only for illustration – Credit: Trent Hamilton 00
Castanets – Musical Instrument
Castanets are a type of Percussion Instrument, used in Spanish, Kalo, Moorish, Ottoman, Italian, Sephardic, Swiss and Portuguese music. It is similar to an instrument called Crotalum, used in ancient Greece and Rome. There are different designs of Castanets. Castanets are used in Folkloric dances, Classical dances and Flamenco dances. This musical instrument consists of a pair of concave shells joined in one edge by a string. Castanets are played by holding it in the hand to produce clicks of rhythmic sound of series of clicks. They are normally made of hardwood but fibreglass version is also popular. Two pairs of Castanets are used by the player usually one in each hand. The Castanets held in right hand is called as “Maha” which is female and 1/3 higher in pitch than the one i...
Bones – Musical Instrument
Bones – Musical Instrument “Bones” is a Musical Instrument which is known also as “Rhythm Bones”. Basically it is a Folk Instrument and consists of a pair of animal bones. It can also be made of wood or similar material. Sections of large Rib Bones or Lower Leg Bones are generally used. Bones are about 12 to 18 centimetres in length and normally curved, similar to spoons. They are played by holding them between one’s fingers, the curved convex surfaces facing each other. Sound is produced by moving the wrists as the Bones knock against each other. Bones are played by both or single hand. The Bones instrument is popular in Irish Folk Music. You can also produce similar music with Spoons. Enjoy a basic lesson on playing Bones instrument. Video provided onl...
Instrumental Music – Less Common Instruments
I came across a video which is basically a compilation of various, not so common musical instruments. Thought it would be worth sharing with you all. The instrument presented is mentioned in each segment of the video. Enjoy this video compilation. Picture and Video provided only for illustration – Credit: Desirecampbell 00
Instrumental Music – Fusion Band – Stephen Devassy
Here is one of the best performances by Stephan Devassy and the Solid Band. The amazing performance was in Navi Mumbai for the celebration of Seal charity fest in 2017. Stephen Devassy (born 23 February 1981) is an Indian musician hailing from Palakkad, Kerala. He started his career at a very early age, and has performed on stage around the world. Stephen is the founder of Musik Lounge, an audio technology school and studio in Chennai. Enjoy the performance. Video provided only for illustration – Credit: YouTube Frames/Seal Charity Fest 00