Instrumental Music
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
Instrumental Music – Tabla – Drums Fusion
Instrumental Music – Tabla – Drums Fusion It is interesting to watch one person playing two instruments at the same time – of course almost impossible. But I came across a video in which the same artist is playing Tabla and Drums at the same time – Thanks to the cinematography techniques. The artist is playing Tabla first then Drums and both in three segments of the video. Interesting and enjoyable. As long as it is music and one enjoys it, anything is good. Enjoy the music. Picture and Video provided only for illustration – Credit: Falze 00
Electronic Tabla – Tabla Touch
We have an electronic version of Tabla, which is developed by highly skilled and talented team of designers, technicians and musicians. Featuring here is the Tabla Touch developed and perfected by Kuljit Bhamra a British Composer, Record Producer and Tabla Player and team. It has a compact and portable design and recognizes the basic Tabla playing techniques. Many additional Indian Percussion Sound Banks are included like Dholak, Khol, Pakhwaj, Gautam, Hang etc. It can be connected to a Computer or Sound Module via MIDI. Read more about the Tabla Touch at Keda Watch a video about the Electronic Tabla – Tabla Touch Picture and Video provided only for illustration – Credit: Keda Music Ltd +50
Pedal Matka
Pedal Matka is an unusual and one of its kind musical instrument, conceptualized by the great R.D Burman. He has used it in his film songs. It is basically clay pot, over which animal skin membrane is put and tension adjusted using strings. The pitch is varied by pulling strings using the leg. Watch this unique instrument in action in one of his songs “Yeh Kaun Aya” from the Bollywood film “Jawani Diwani”. The instrument is demonstrated by Vijay Indorekar who actually played in the original recording. Watch the video and enjoy. Picture and Video provided only for illustration – Credit: Euphony India 00
Instrumental Music – Ustad Zakir Hussain – Lady L
Here is a video presented by the Berklee Indian Ensemble, featuring the Indian Tabla Master Ustad Zakir Hussain on Tabla along with other artists. The song is composed by L Shankar, performed originally by “Shakti”, the 1970 Indo-Jazz Fusion Group featuring John McLaughlin. The musicians on stage are as follows. Tabla: Ustad Zakir Hussain Berklee Indian Ensemble musicians: Guitar: João Perrusi – Brasilia, Brazil Cello: Emanuel Keller – Jerusalem, Israel Carnatic Violin: Apoorva Krishna – Bengaluru, India Piano: Amir Darabi – Tehran, Iran Keyboards: Fryderyk Hoang Dong – Warsaw, Poland Electric Bass: Jack Schwenke – Canberra, Australia Percussion: Thomas Antonio Debelian – Oslo, Norway Drumset: Noa Kahn – Ra’anana, Israel Enj...