Importance of instruments in Indian music

Instruments have special significance in music. Without it, the beauty of singing, playing, dancing is like a half-baked bud. Singing, playing, dancing, the accompaniment of instruments blooms like a fully developed Suman. Instruments have special significance not only in singing, playing and dancing but also in plays. Like singing, playing is also essential in the theatrical field. Bharat Muni has said.

"Vadyeshu Yatna: First Work: Vadanti Shaiya Chan Natyam Vadanti Vadyam.

Instrumental music

That is, first of all one should play the instrument in the plays because the instrumental playing is a bedrock of the play. With the proper use of the song and the instrument, the beauty of the play is doubled.

Origin of instruments

The word 'instrument' literally means - a special instrument that can be played. This word is formed by adding the suffix 'yat' in the root 'vad' (which means to speak). If we listen carefully, we can hear the pronunciation of the tones and the words intertwined in the instruments and this is also the test of the success of the instruments. The only difference is that in the singing, the threads are clearly heard. But in the sound of musical instruments there is a difference of words. Dr. According to Sushma Kul Shrestha, "Musical instruments that express musical sound and motion are called 'instruments'. The tone and joy arising from various instruments is called instrumental music or instrumentation. Instrumental music has an amazing power to keep the listeners in bliss forever, without the aid of any other art through tone and rhythm. Therefore, instruments that express inner feelings and sensations through musical sound rhythmic lyrics are called 'instruments' and instruments that measure the speed of time spent in music are called special rhythmic instruments. Discussions of musical literature provide various bases for the origin of percussion instruments -
1) Every aspect of Indian culture is inspired by religion. That is why even Indian music could not remain untouched by the influence of religion. Based on religious facts, it must be believed that the origin of these instruments, which have an indispensable place in music, has been related to some deity. The imagination of Krishna Kanhaiya in flute, Lord Shankar in Damru and Goddess Saraswati in Veena comes true. Thus man was inspired to make tantri instruments from veena, rhythm instruments from damru, sushir instruments from flute. In this context, there is a legend that after slaying the Tripurasur demon, the happy Shiva started dancing. Then he ordered to give rhythm to Shivaji's son Ganesh. Since then, rhythm and avanddha rhythm - instruments have been created. Due to being covered with leather, instruments like Damru etc. come under the category of Avanandha instruments. They are also called 'Charmaj'. Some people think that all the rhythmic instruments originated from Shiva's Damru. Thus, on a religious basis, Brahman and Shiva are the fathers of rhythmic instruments.
2) Man has always been close to nature. He hears many kinds of sounds contained in the natural environment around him. Like thunder of clouds, thunder of lightning, murmur of rivers and waterfalls, rustle of wind in bamboo forests, rustling of leaves, etc. The sound of was as serious as thunder. According to Natya Shastra, Swati Rishi is said to be the pioneer of instruments who created an instrument called Pushkar inspired by natural sound. Swati once went on a holiday (study day) to fetch water at a lake. The sky was surrounded by clouds and it started raining fast. Then with the wind velocity in the lake big - 2 drops falling, different sounds are produced by the impact of rain drops on the big small and medium petals of Padma.

उई। Surprised to hear their unexpressed sweetness, Swati held those sounds in her mind and on reaching the ashram told Vishwakarma that an instrument should be made to produce words (sounds) in this way. As a result, the first three-faced Pushkar was created from the dead. His body was later made of wood or iron. Then our Mridang, Patah, Jhallari, Dardur etc. instruments covered with leather were created. "
Confirming the above opinion of Bharat Muni, Shri Dhar Paranjapey said in these words, "The idea of ​​making leather instruments was also inspired by the contact with nature. Dead prey skins were used to make various tools. It was also used to make leather instruments for rhythm. Stretching the skin on a thin object and hitting it makes a serious sound. Experienced it. With this, the imagination of instruments like Dundubhi and Bhoomi Dundubhi came to his mind. In the first, a wooden shell was taken and leather was stretched on it and in the second, a hole was made in the ground and leather was spread on it. This leather was tensed by tightening the bandages all around. Damru, Dhakka and Dundubhi are the first type of instruments and Bhoomi Dundubhi is the second type. Either hand or pieces of wood were used to play them. It is clear from this that various natural sounds proved to be the most inspiring in the making of avandha instruments.

Classification of instruments

Learn intimately about any subject and its classification is necessary for subtle knowledge. In the field of musical art, which has risen with human civilization, from ancient times till today, only four types of instruments are used. The reason for this is that humans listened to only four types of sounds in the natural environment and created four types of instruments based on the same. , Such as the sound of air entering and exiting the tree trunks while wandering in the forest, holding in the brain, the flute played by the wind blowing, etc. On the basis of the sound of, by covering a hollow object with leather, Mridang, Dhol etc. Avanddha instruments and similar instruments originated.
In addition to the four types of man-made instruments based on sounds in natural music, natural vocal sounds have also been included in the instruments. Thus the instruments that produce five types of sounds are called "Panchmahavadyayani". Sound is produced when an object is shaken by an impact. The sound produced by trauma is called hurt sound. The two distinctions of Naad - Anahat and Ahat - Ahat Naad is that which we can hear and use. That sound is musically useful. This musical sound erupts in the form of five musical sounds. Not as a sixth sound. These five sounds exist as a sound emanating from four different types of instruments, a sound emanating from a human throat. And these instruments are called Nakhaj, Vayuj, Lohaj and Shariraj. "Acharya Kohl has considered only five types of musical instruments. That is to say, the natural vocal sound has also been included in the instrumental sound. "Scholars like Maharshi Bharat and Dattil do not associate the body sound with the instrumental sound but consider its number as four which arises from Tat, Sushir, Ghan and Avanaddha instruments. "
Narad ji has considered these to be number three - Anandha, Tat and Ghan. He did not mention the vocal and vocal sounds anywhere. The fourfold classification of instruments formulated by Maharshi Bharata has been unanimously accepted by the later teachers. In his Natyashastra, Bharat has given the word 'Atodya' for these four types of instruments. Explaining the characteristics of these four types of instruments, he writes that -
ततं तन्त्रकृतं ज्ञेयमबनद्धं तु पौश्करम्।
Ghanam Talastu Vijney: Sushiro Vamsa: Uchyate.
No. Sha. (Part - 4) a. 28, p.- 2