The ravanahatha, a bowed folk instrument, is associated mainly with which state?
- A.Punjab
- B.Rajasthan
- C.West Bengal
- D.Manipur
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Rajasthan. The ravanahatha is an ancient spike fiddle with a coconut shell resonator, played with a horsehair bow that usually carries small bells, and it belongs to the folk musicians of Rajasthan, where it accompanies the ballad of Pabuji. The kamaicha of the Manganiyar communities and the pungi of the snake charmers come from the same desert tradition.
Option A, Punjab, has the tumbi with its single string, the paired flutes called algoza, the chimta and the dhol of bhangra. Option C, West Bengal, has the dotara of the Baul singers, the ektara and the dhak of Durga Puja. Option D, Manipur, has the pena, a small bowed fiddle, and the pung drum. State examinations are especially fond of this pairing, so the instrument and its home state should be memorised together.
Read the full article: Musical Instruments and Artists: Tata, Sushira, Avanaddha, Ghana
Practice Questions
View allIn the classification given in the Natya Shastra, wind instruments are called by which name?
- A.Tata vadya
- B.Sushira vadya
- C.Avanaddha vadya
- D.Ghana vadya
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Sushira means hollow, and the class covers every instrument in which a column of air inside a tube is set vibrating.
Read the full explanation →Ustad Bismillah Khan is associated with which musical instrument?
- A.Sarod
- B.Sarangi
- C.Shehnai
- D.Santoor
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Bismillah Khan played the shehnai, a double reed wind instrument long associated with weddings, temple processions and auspicious beginnings in north India, and he is credited with carrying it from ceremonial use onto the classical concert stage.
Read the full explanation →Pandit Shivkumar Sharma is known for playing which instrument?
- A.Santoor
- B.Sitar
- C.Flute
- D.Veena
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The santoor is a trapezoid wooden box carrying many strings over small bridges, struck with a pair of light curved mallets.
Read the full explanation →Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is a celebrated player of which instrument?
- A.Sitar
- B.Sarod
- C.Tabla
- D.Shehnai
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The sarod is a plucked instrument with a metal fingerboard and no frets, which lets a player slide continuously between notes and gives it its deep, singing tone.
Read the full explanation →The ghatam, used in Carnatic music, belongs to which class of instruments?
- A.Avanaddha vadya
- B.Sushira vadya
- C.Ghana vadya
- D.Tata vadya
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The ghatam is a clay pot with nothing stretched across its mouth. The player strikes the body of the pot with fingers, palms and wrists, and changes the tone by moving the mouth of the pot against the stomach.
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