ASKiIMAN™ REALM 51 / MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
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The Resonant Wood

Strings, Winds, Drums & The Physicality of Sound

REALM 51 — MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

MICRO-REALM 01

Tata Vadya (Strings)

  • Chordophones: Sound produced by vibrating strings.
  • Include plucked (Sitar, Veena) and bowed (Sarangi, Violin) instruments.
  • Most feature resonating chambers made of wood or hollowed gourds.
MICRO-REALM 02

The Sitar

  • Iconic Hindustani plucked lute.
  • Features curved, movable frets and a hollow neck.
  • Definitive sound comes from a lower array of sympathetic resonating strings (Taraf).
MICRO-REALM 03

Saraswati Veena

  • The premier Carnatic stringed instrument.
  • Carved from a single piece of Jackwood.
  • Features 24 fixed frets embedded in beeswax, allowing complex microtonal bends (Gamakas).
MICRO-REALM 04

Sarod & Sarangi

  • Sarod: Fretless lute with a metal fingerboard and skin-covered belly; plucked with a coconut shell.
  • Sarangi: Bowed instrument made from a single block of wood, mimicking the human voice.
MICRO-REALM 05

Sushira Vadya (Winds)

  • Aerophones: Sound produced by vibrating air columns.
  • Pitch is controlled by opening and closing holes along the tube.
  • Includes flutes, reed instruments, and conch shells.
MICRO-REALM 06

The Bansuri

  • A simple, keyless transverse flute made from a single shaft of bamboo.
  • Associated with Lord Krishna.
  • Pioneered as a lead concert instrument by Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia.
MICRO-REALM 07

Shehnai & Nadaswaram

  • Double-reed woodwind instruments with flared metal bells.
  • Shehnai: North Indian, famously played by Ustad Bismillah Khan.
  • Nadaswaram: Massive South Indian temple instrument; highly auspicious.
MICRO-REALM 08

Avanaddha Vadya (Drums)

  • Membranophones: Sound produced by striking a stretched animal skin.
  • Forms the rhythmic backbone (Tala) of Indian music.
  • Most feature complex, multi-layered skins for specific tonal resonance.
MICRO-REALM 09

The Tabla

  • The primary percussion of Hindustani music.
  • Dayan: Right wooden drum (treble). Bayan: Left metal/clay drum (bass).
  • Features the 'Syahi' (black tuning paste) which gives it a bell-like tone.
MICRO-REALM 10

The Mridangam

  • The primary percussion of Carnatic music.
  • A double-sided, barrel-shaped drum carved from a single piece of Jackwood.
  • Right face has permanent black paste; left face uses temporary semolina/water paste for bass resonance.
MICRO-REALM 11

Ghana Vadya (Solids)

  • Idiophones: Instruments that create sound purely through the vibration of their solid material.
  • Do not require stretched skins or strings.
  • Include bells, cymbals (Manjira/Talam), and gongs.
MICRO-REALM 12

Ghatam & Morsing

  • Secondary Carnatic percussion instruments.
  • Ghatam: A specially fired clay pot, played with the fingers, wrists, and belly.
  • Morsing: An iron jaw-harp held in the mouth and plucked, producing a twanging drone.