Click on any of the terms below to
go directly to the related reference.
Borrindo
The borrindo is
a hollow clay ball with three to four holes. The
top hole is larger than the others, which should be of
the same size. The holes are arranged in an isosceles
triangular form. The borrindo is
made of clay commonly available in most of the central
Indus Valley, and is thus often used in Sindh. This
simply constructed instrument is sometimes made by children
in the region. Artisans make larger borrindos with
intricate designs and fire the clay. The notes
for music are produced by blowing across the largest hole,
while fingering the smaller holes to produce specific notes (images
and information from Baloch 1988).
The Dilo is
a baked earthen jar; there is a special variety known as Ghaghar,
which is larger than the average Dilo with a shorter
mouth of the jar and more protuberance in the sides. Both
are often used in Sindh. The clay for these instruments
must be specially prepared by an expert potter to produce
a consistent thin wall. The Dilo and Ghaghar are
percussion instruments. Sound can be produced both
by striking the sides of the jar, and manipulating the
mouth. Traditionally, Dilo or Ghaghar are
played as accompaniment for the Yaktaro (images
and information from Baloch 1988).
While
the Yaktaro, Dando, and Chaparoon/Khartaloon are
distinctly different instruments traditionally used in
Sindh, they are included here together as they are played
simultaneously to provide both string and percussion. Often
one individual will play more than one of these instruments
while also singing.
1) The Yaktaro is
traditionally a Sindhi ‘single-stringed’ instrument, although
a more sophisticated form has emerged with two strings
which is known by the same name. The Yaktaro is
fashioned from a spherical gourd, often a pumpkin, which
is dried, cut, and emptied. A piece of prepared skin
is fastened over the open part of the gourd, and a long
wooden rod is inserted in the sound chamber. The
strings are usually made of steel secured around wooden
rods and pegs, and held by a semi-circular support of clay
or metal which is positioned on the skin surface. Played
as a string instrument, the pitch of the tone is adjusted
with the end pegs.
2) The Dando is one of
two percussion instruments which can accompany the Yaktaro. This
is a consists of a wooden rod, approximately 2 to 2 ½ feet
long, and 1 inch in diameter. Bells are strung
and fastened at one end through a hole in the rod. Below
the group of bells is a thin circle of leather which acts
as a handle.
3) Chaparoon or Karrtaloon are
a pair of rectangular wooden pieces, about 6 inches wide
and 3 centimeters thick. This is held by the player
in one hand and hit together to produce rhythmic beats
(images and information from Baloch 1988).
The Narr is a very common traditional
wind instrument of the Sindh and Baluchistan regions of
Pakistan, as well as Iran and Turkey. In Sindhi,
the term “narr” simply means a
reed plant which has stalks which can hollowed. The Narr instrument
is usually made from a variety of different types of reeds,
pierced with four equi-distant holes towards the end and
left open at both ends. To produce a sound the player
will blow horozontinally at the top end. The Narr is
usually about 2 to 3 ½ feet long; when in a thinner
and longer form is referred to as a Kani (images
and information from Baloch 1988).
The
term “naghara” is the Sindhi form of
the Arabic naqqarah. The rounded section of the naghara is
made of baked clay, while the flat side consists of treated
skin which is fastened around the rim with string which
is tightened over the back of the bowl.
This percussion instruments is often
played in pairs, where one naghara will produce
low pitch beats called nar (the male) and the other
for the high pitch bcats (the female). The
instruments are beaten with short wooden sticks bent outward
at the upper ends, called damka (image and information
from Baloch 1988).
The chung is
a jaw harp made of iron. The player puts part of
the frame in the mouth, with open jaws, so that the chamber
of the mouth amplifies the sound. The chung is
vibrated with touches of the musician’s fingers,
with different tempos producing varying rhythms and tones
(images and information from Baloch 1988).
These
are a pair of small brass discs, with a ciameter of approximately
2 to 3 inches in size. The percussion effect is produced
by striking the discs together to procudce different rythems. The Kanjhyoon/Talyoon are
often places in accompaniet to either instrumental or vocal
music, are are popular in the Sindh region (image and information
from Baloch 1988).
The Dhul or Dhol is
a type of drum. The drum’s sound chamber is
typically fashioned from a single piece of a mango tree
trunk. Both sides of the drum are covered in taunt
goatskin, which is tightened with the placement of circular
elastic sticks around the outer side. The larger
side of the drum is called the “bum” and
the smaller side the “tali”, while the
wooden drumstick is called a “daunko”.
The traditional size of these drums was quite large, and
they could reportedly be heard at a distance of 5 to 6
miles. Today the Dhul/Dhol in common use in
Sindh and the Punjab are smaller in size. The dhul/dhol also
plays an important role in a popular for of Punjabi music
called bhangra (images and information from Baloch
1988, information from Byrne 2003).
The Sharnai is
a wind instrument often used in Sindh as an accompaniment
of the Dhul. In the past it was also called
a Karnai.
The
body of the Sharnai is made of wood with an inserted
reed sounding device. The instrument has eight
holes arranged in a straight line and a ninth hole, called
the babiho, positioned below on the back side. There
are three varieties of the Sharnai : 1) The Ghazzi is
the smallest variety, approximately 6 inches long, and
is used for playing the mourning tunes for Muharram.
2) Sharnai is the medium variety, approximately
8 inches long, and the most common form in the Indus
Valley. 3) The Mutta, about 10 inches long, is
the form most popular in more northern areas of Pakistan
such as the Multan region (image
and information from Baloch 1988).
The
name of this instrument, Surando is based on “surayindah”,
a Persian word for one who produces tunes. The Surando
is a common instrument in the Sindh, Balochistan and Frontier
regions regions of Pakistan. In the Frontier region
this instrument is known as called Saro, while in
Balochistan it is called Saroz. The main
part of the instrument is made with a variety of different
types of wood, while the strings are traditionally constructed
from horse hairs and intestines of sheep or goat. This
instrument can have a varying number of strings, with more
simple versions having 5-7 strings and the most complex
having 11-13 strings (images and information from Baloch
1988).
The Murli or Punji is
a wind instrument which consists of two parts; the upper
part is made of a dried and hollowed gourd which acts as
the main sound chamber. The lower part is constructed
from two reed pipes which are joined together into a double
barrel form and positioned below the sound chamber. On
most of these instruments the reed section has eight
holes, which are used to play tones for music. However,
in some parts of Sindh there is an additional hole in the
lower back end of the right pipe. This instrument is known
as a Murli in Sindh, and a Punji in other
parts of Pakistan. It is most commonly recognized
for its popular use by snake charmers throughout South
Asia (image and information from Baloch 1988).
The
simple double flute called a Pava or Beenu reportedly
developed from a children’s version known as the bainsiri. These
are often played in Sindh. The identifying feature
of this instruments is that it involves two paired flutes
which are played together. While the most common
form of this instruments involves two flutes of equal length,
some have differently sized flutes joined together. These
are also commonly called “Alghoza” in
Sindh. In Baluchistan there is a version of the double
flute called the Doneli. The Doneli is
considered best played as a solo instrument, although it
can also be used in accompaniment to other instruments,
especially stringed instruments (first image and information
from Hessnetworks 2002, second image and information from
Baloch 1988).
The damboor is
a stringed instrument originally invented in Egypt; it
reportedly traveled to South Asia through the Middle-East
and Persia. The instrument was popular with early
Arab musicians, and remains in use in Sindh today. The Damboor traditionally
had four strings, although new forms of the instrument
are typically five stringed. The chamber is commonly
made from one single hollowed out piece of wood (image
and information from Baloch 1988).
The Danburo is
a stringed instrument traditionally found in the Kohistan
and Las Bela regions of Pakistan. A smaller version
of this instrument of this type (with a smaller chamber
and long tail) is called Kamach or Kamachi. The Danburo has
a large elliptical body made of wood, and three steel strings. It
is most typically played using a small wooden pick called
the Janok (image and information from Baloch 1988).
The Sarod is
an instrument derived from the Central and South Asian
instrument the Rubab or Rabab. This string
instrument has a metal fingerboard with no frets, and numerous
strings. The membrane covering provides resonance
in the sound chamber. It is usually played with a
coconut pick. The Sarod is used in many parts
of Pakistan including Baluchistan and Azad Kashmir
(first image from Bina, second image and information from
Courtney 2004).
This
is a fairly new instrument in Pakistan, but is popular
today in Balochistan. The benjo or banjo is
basically a dulcimer. The Balochi version of the banjo is
a large version, approximately one meter in length. It
is often used in pieces with sarod accompaniment. This
can be constructed with a variety of materials. It
produces a bright, metallic sound (information from Baloch
2000 and Courtney 2004 , image from Courtney 2004).
Zerbagali
This
is a percussion instrument with a single head in an hourglass
shape. The instrument is often found in Turkey
and Iran as well as Pakistan. The body of the zerbagali is
made from baked clay, which is decorated in different
ways regionally. Many of these instruments are
made by master potters who create designs in the clay
before firing it. The head of the drum is typically
animal skin, affixed to the clay body with cloth string
(Information and image from Gold and Schalliol 2004).
The Tumbi is
a traditional Punjabi stringed instrument, which has
only one string and produces a high tone. The body
of the instrument is made of various types of wood and
the string of metal. Tones are produced with fingering
positions at the top of the string. The Tumbi has
become well known in recent times in the international
music scene as it is used in a popular Punjabi style
of music called bhangra (information from Lancashire
1997, Byrne 2003 and Nagpal; image from Nagpal).
Chimta
The chimta is
another percussion instrument commonly used in the popular
Punjabi form of music called bhangra. This
is an instrument made of two long flat pieces of metal,
typically iron, with pointed ends on one side and a ring
on the other end. Along the sides of the metal
strips are bells or loosely attached simple metal pieces. The
player holds the joint in one hand and strikes the two
sides together to produce a chiming sound (information
from Nagpal, image from Indian Musicals 1998).
Kartal
The Kartal are
a percussion instrument similar to the chimta in
effect, if not design They are simply a pair of
wooden blocks or frames that have been outfitted with
small metal pieces or bells. The two blocks are
struck together to provide a rythem for many types of
folk music in South Asia (information and images from
Courtney 2004).
Sarangi
/ Saringda
The sarangi/saringda are
instruments closely related to the Saro instrument
described above. This instrument is very common in
Indian classical music and comes in many varieties. It
is a stringed instrument, traditionally made with animal
gut strings and a body carved from a single piece of wood. There
is no fret on the neck, and the bridge is placed on a skin
which is stretched over the body of the instrument. The sarangi/saringda varies
in form because each school and region have a preferred
shape, tuning method, and number of strings for these instruments. The saringda is
commonly thought of as the folk version of the sarangi (Image
and information from Courtney 2004).
Daira
This
is a single headed percussion instrument which is not
only found in Northern South Asia, Central Asia, and
the Middle East, but also in parts of the Russian polar
regions. This simple drum is formed by attaching
a skin cover onto a wooden ring with glue and cloth ties. This
is similar to the Persian daira and the Turkish del.
Some daira have metal pieces attached to give
them a tambourine-like quality. The daira is
usually plyed while held vertically on one hand and beat
with the other (Information and image from Gold
and Schalliol 2004).
Tambur
The tambur is
a stringed instrument which is often used in Afghanistan
as well as Pakistan. It can have a varying number
of strings, commonly about eighteen, which can be made
of metal, animal guts, or nylon. These strings
are positioned over a resonating chamber which is often
made of a hollowed gourd. The tambur has
a long, hollow wooden neck which has tuning pegs on the
side. It is often used either as a solo instrument
or as an accompaniment for voice pieces (Information
and image from Gold and Schalliol 2004)
Daff
/Dapphu /Daffali
The Daf is
quite similar to the daira, as a percussion instrument
with one head that is played like a tambourine. In
South Asia it is also called a dapphu, daffali. This
instrument is usually quite large, about two feet across,
and does not commonly have metal attached to produce a
jingling sound. The daf is primarily a folk
instrument (Information and image from Courtney 2004).
References:
Baloch, N. A.
1988 "Musical
Instruments of The Lower Indus Valley” in Rhythms
of the Lower Indus: Perspectives on the Music of Sind. Edited
by Zohra Yusuf.
Baloch2000
2004 “Balochi
Music”.
Bina Musical Stores
Website: www.binaswar.com
Byrne, Richard
2003 “Bollywood
Beatbox”, in The Globalist. August
23rd edition.
Courtney, David
2004 “Indian
Music”. Website: chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music
Gold, Peter and David Schalliol
2004 “Folk music
and Instruments”. Notes by Peter Gold, Photography
by David Schalliol.
Indian Musicals
1998 “Chimta”. Website: http://www.indianmusicals.com/effects/chimta/intro.htm
Nagpal, Radikha
“Bhangra Instruments” from
the Heritage of Punjab Bhangra Group of United Kingdom. Website: www.heritage-of-punjab.com
Lancashire, Ian
1997 Introduction
to Punjab. Culture Gram.
Hessnetworks
2002 “MusicHeritage:
Traditional Iranian Music Search Engine”.
