Musical instruments used in Odissi

Odissi dance is always accompanied by Odissi music. There are different types of Odissi ragas like Kalyana, Nata, Shree Gowda, Baradi, Panchama, Dhanashri, Karnata, Bhairavee and Shokabaradi.

The musical notes that are accompanied with Odissi dance are the same as the music of Odissa itself. There was a move to classify Odissi as a separate classical system.

Odissi dance is accompanied with a number of musical instruments. One of the most important is the pakhawaj, also known as the madal. This is the same pakhawaj that is used elsewhere in the north except for a few small changes. One difference noticed in the pakhawaj is the right head which is a bit smaller than the usual north Indian pakhawaj. The other instruments used are tabla, or mridangam, bansuri, the manjira, the sitar and the tanpura.

Pakhawaj: Pakhawaj also known as mridangam is the most common north Indian representative of the class of barrel shaped drums known as mridang.  It was once common throughout north India, but in the last few generations tabla has usurped its position of importance. Pakhawaj  has a right head which is identical to tabla accept somewhat larger. The left head is similar to the tabla bayan except that there is a temporary application of flour and water instead of the black permanent spot.  It is laced with rawhide and has tuning blocks placed between the straps and shell.

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Tabla: Tabla is often regarded as the queen of drums and percussion instruments. It is the most popular Indian rhythm instrument. It consists of two drums, the Bayan (big bass drum) and the Dayan.The two of them are almost always played together. Both the two drums as a pair and also the Dayan on its own - as opposed to the Bayan are called Tabla
 

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Bansuri: Bansuri also known as venu are common Indian flutes.  They are made of bamboo or reed.  There are two varieties, transverse and fipple. The transverse variety is nothing more than a length of bamboo with holes cut into it.  This is the preferred flute for classical music because the embouchure gives added flexibility and control. The flute may be called many things in India: bansi, bansuri, murali, venu and many more.

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Tanpura: Tanpura is a drone instrument. It resembles a sitar except it has no frets.  A Tanpura has four strings tuned to the tonic.  The word "tanpura" (tanpoora) is common in the north, but in south India it is called "tambura", "thamboora", "thambura", or "tamboora".  The tanpura is known for its very rich sound.  There are three main styles; the Miraj style, the Tanjore style and the small instrumental version sometimes called tamburi.

Manjira: Manjira is known by many names in India, it is a very ancient instrument. It is also called jhanj, tala, mondira, (small size) kafi (large size), or a host of other names. It is basically a set of small cymbals.  It is mainly used for dance music and bhajans. They are usually made of brass.

Photo Credit: Google Images

 

Photo Credit: Google Images

Sitar: The Sitar is the most popular melody instrument in classical northern Indian music today and is, together with the Surbahar and the Tanpura, part of the family of long-neck lutes.The large resonance box is made of a dried pumpkin; - neck, cover and a possible second smaller resonance box are mostly made of Tun wood, an Indian variety of teakwood. Metal strings made of steel (bass strings also of brass or bronze) run across two bridges made of bone. The frets are movable by cords that are tied to the neck and are also made of steel.