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How many categories of Indian Musical Instruments are there?

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How many categories of Indian Musical Instruments are there?
posted Aug 26, 2016 by Atindra Kumar Nath

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Best answer

Thanks for the query.

As per the Natya Shastra of Bharat Muni, Indian Musical Instruments can be broadly classified in the below four groups.

1. Tat Wadya (String Instruments)
2 Sushir Wadya (Blowing Instruments)
3. Awanadha Wadya (Percussion instruments with animal skin)
4. Ghan Wadya (Solid instruments)

The above broad groups are further classified into the below sub groups.

1. Tat Wadya (String Instruments)
a. Plucked instruments such as - Tanpura
b. Stroking instruments such as - Sitar
c. Bowed instruments such as - Sarangi
d. Hammered instruments such as - Santoor

2 Sushir Wadya (Blowing Instruments)
a. Simple blown instruments such as - flute.
b. Blown instruments with reeds such as - Shehnai

3. Awanadha Wadya (Percussion instruments with animal skin)
a. Played with fingers like - Khanjira
b. Played with sticks like - Dhol
c. Played with palms of both hands like - Pakhawaj
d. Played with an attached thread like - Dumroo
e. Played with palms as well as fingers like - Tabla

4. Ghan Wadya (Solid instruments)
a. Played with stick or hammer such as - Jaltarang
b. Played with contact such as - Chipli
c. Played with rotation or free movement such as - Ghungroo

Also, as per Hornbostel–Sachs system, Indian musical instruments can be broadly classified into four categories too - chordophones (string instruments), aerophones (wind instruments), membranophones (drums) and idiophones (non-drum percussion instruments).

A good source of information is at - https://www.swarganga.org/

answer Aug 26, 2016 by Indranil Datta
This is good source (y)
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