Play the Strings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Music can be anything, be it the chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves, water rippling, etc. The sounds which make us feel calm is the music, for me. Talking about music makes me want to share the information about musical instruments which are used to make soothing sounds depending upon different moods. There are different instruments used in music and they differ in nature. Different types of instruments-

Wind Instruments: Have you heard the winds howling on a cold night. It is believed  that these sounds made by the wind were an inspiration for the first wind instrument. Most of you must be aware of instruments like Flute or the clarinet. These are the classic examples of Wind instruments. Wind instruments require a person to blow into the instrument in order to produce the desired sound. They work on the principle of sound waves. The shorter the air column, the higher is the pitch of the note produced, and vice versa.  E.g.: Harmonium, Mouth organ, Clarinet, etc.

Percussion Instruments: Do you remember hitting a stick against a flat surface as a child? Congratulation!!! This was your first awareness of a Percussion instrument. Percussion instruments require a person to strike or beat the instrument surface in order to generate vibrations, which then produce the desired sound note. Depending on the type of surface, one can use one's hands, sticks, or other similar objects for striking the instrument surface. E.g.: Drum, Dhol, Tabla, etc.

Brass Instruments: Brass instruments are very poor souls. They rarely, if they do, get to stand alone as themselves. More often they exist in a state of unhappy marriage with any of the other instruments. This is why you will be hard put to find a solo in Trumpet or Trombone in Hollywood or Bollywood songs. In case of brass instruments, the length of the air column can be changed using press valves or through a slide mechanism. E.g.: Trumpet, Trombone, etc.

Stings Instruments: Strings instruments are the exact opposite of the brass instruments. These are the most widely used instruments across the world. Every teenager wants to own a Guitar and you will not find a person who will not know about a Violin or a Piano. Strings are musical instruments that produce sounds by vibrating the strings. Not just in western classical music but also Indian Classical music has a wide variety of string instruments like the Sitar, Sarod, Santoor and more specifically the Tanpura.

Let me tell you about the Classical instrument Tanpura. Classical music is just incomplete without the Tanpura. There are 2 types of tanpura with 4 & 5 strings respectively; the standard one being the 4 strings tanpura which is set in 4 swars-Pa SA SA Sa. The 2 SAs in the middle are the higher SAs. Whereas with the 5 strings, tanpura is tuned in 5 swars-Pa Ni SA SA Sa. The 2 SAs in the middle are the higher SAs.

I like to keep listening to the somber tones of Tanpura. It feels very calm and helps me with Riyaz and also is the best source of meditation.