Musical Instruments

Date: Sat, 05 Apr 2003 13:31:18 +0100
Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.local.indian,soc.culture.indian,soc.culture.pakistan,rec.music.indian.misc
Size: 1,907 bytes

 They sound so much better too .
dawn.com
Musical instruments on display
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 4: The National Museum has put on display a pair of
musical instruments, Yak-tara and Tal-tanpura, as part of its "Object
of the month" series for April, says a press release.
It says that Pakistani instruments can be divided into three
categories. First, the fascinating stringed instruments, such as
Sarangi, Sarinda, Dilruba, Sitar, Sarod, etc.
Second, the percussion instruments, such as Tabla, Dholak, etc. And
third, the wind instruments, such as Bansari, Shehnai, Alghoza, etc.
"Most of the stringed instruments are two to four feet in length and
have hollow bellies. Some are round and others are oblong, using with
a long stem used as a fingerboard. The fingerboard has sometimes only
a metal plate as in the case of Sarod or more often only several
movable or adjustable frets as in the case of Sitar which is called
the Queen of Pakistani musical instruments. Some have to be played
with a bow and others with a plectrum.
"The strings used in these instruments are made of either gut or metal
usually of brass and steel used to produce resonance."
It says that each musical composition is evolved by involving three
main factors: melody, harmony and rhythm. "The Pakistan National
Museum has some selection of stringed musical instruments played
always in accompaniment. Of which the simplest and perhaps the most
important is Tal Tanpura. It is the long necked lute and looks like
Sitar with a similar hollow belly made of wood. With its four metal
strings of different thickness that are pulled gentle from left to
right the Tanpura produces a continuous hypnotic drone and it helps
establish the Raaga."
The press release says that the other instrument is Yak-Tara, made of
wooden piece in width and long further embellished with pearled
ornamented piece of cloth.