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Gogona
The ''gogona'' is a type of jaw harp, a vibrating reed instrument that is used primarily in the traditional Bihu music in Assam. In Boro language, it is known as ''Gongina''. It is made of a piece of bamboo/ horn that has a bifurcation on one end. The solid end is gripped with the teeth and the free ends are then struck repeatedly with the fingers to emit the distinctive sound of the ''gogona''. It was originally developed in ancient China(Kouxian) and passed on to the Sino-Tibetan tribes who migrated to Assam, now chiefly used by the Sadiyal Kacharis(Chutias, Deoris, Sonowals). Types * Ramdhan Gogona is generally played by men. It is shorter, wider and slightly heavier than the Lahori Gogona, to fit properly in a typical man's hand. This instrument is often tucked in a tongali tied around the performer's waist or in a vivid Gamusa tied around the head like other instruments like Bahi ( Flute), Xutuli etc. * Lahori Gogona [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bihu
Bihu is a set of three important Assamese festivals in the Indian state of Assam – 'Rongali' or 'Bohag Bihu' observed in April, 'Kongali' or 'Kati Bihu' observed in October, and 'Bhogali' or 'Magh Bihu' observed in January. The Rongali Bihu is the most important of the three, celebrating spring festival. The Bhogali Bihu or the Magh Bihu is a harvest festival, with community feasts. The Kongali Bihu or the Kati Bihu is the sombre, thrifty one reflecting a season of short supplies and is an animistic festival. The Rongali Bihu coincides the Assamese New year and as well as with other regions of Indian subcontinent, East Asia and South-East Asia, which follow the Hindu calendar and Buddhist calendar. The other two Bihu festivals every year are unique to Assamese people. Like some other Indian festivals, Bihu is associated with agriculture, and rice in particular. Bohag Bihu is a sowing festival, Kati Bihu is associated with crop protection and worship of plants and crops and is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Musical Instruments
Indian musical instruments can be broadly classified according to the Hornbostel–Sachs system into four categories: chordophones (string instruments), aerophones (wind instruments), membranophones (drums) and idiophones (non-drum percussion instruments). Chordophones Plucked strings Bowed strings * Chikara * Dhantara * Dilruba * Ektara violin * Esraj * Kamaicha * Kingri (string instrument) * Mayuri Vina or Taus * Onavillu * Behala (violin type) * Pena (musical instrument) * Pinaka vina * Pulluvan Veena - one stringed violin * Ravanahatha * Sarangi * Classical Sarangi * Sarinda * Tar Shehnai * Villu Paatu - arched bow instrument + Behala - Bengal Murshidabad Violin Persian "Behaaleh" (Restless) Other string instruments * Gethu or Jhallari – struck tanpura * Gubguba or Jamuku (khamak) * Pulluvan kutam * Santoor – Hammered dulcimer Aerophones Single reed *Pepa *Pungi or Been Double reed * Kuzhal * Mukhavina * Nadaswaram * Shehnai * Sundari * Ta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Music Of Assam
The music of Assam consists various genres of folk and modern music, drawing its artistic basis from the history of Assam, from Assamese culture and its ancient traditions. In recent times, starting from the late eighties, popular artistes have modernized the music catering to local popular demand. A basic characteristic of the indigenous ethnic music of Assam is its descending scale similar to East Asian music which distinguishes it from the '' Mode-based'' or folk music ''( Raaga-based)'' forms from the rest of India. The tunes are structured in a pyramid and are in always in pentatonic scale similar to other traditional music of Asia like China, Mongolia etc and dissimilar from the seven-scaled Indian music, (in contrast to the music of rest of India which is ''Meend'' based), such as the ''Bihu'' songs, (common in South-East Asia and East Asia) besides languorous music of other forms. The legend of ''Princess Usha of Sonitpur'' and her cohort '' Chitralekha'' also enlighten u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Angkouch
The angkouch (Khmer: អង្គួច) is a Cambodian Jew's harp. It is a folk instrument made of bamboo and carved into a long, flat shape with a hole in the center and a tongue of bamboo across the hole. The bamboo is not removable, which makes the instrument an idioglot. There is also a metal variety, more round or tree-leaf shaped. It may also have metal bells attached. The instrument is both a wind instrument and percussion instrument. As a wind instrument, it is played by placing it against the mouth and plucking the reed. The hand holding the instrument holds it with the thumb and forefinger facing each other, holding it firmly. This adds mass to the instrument and makes it louder. The mouth acts as a resonator and as a tool to alter the sound. Although mainly a folk instrument, better-made examples exist. While the instrument was thought to be the invention of children herding cattle, it is sometimes used in public performance, to accompany the Mahori The ''mahori' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taal (musical Instrument)
The taal, manjira (also spelled manjīrā or manjeera), jalra, karatala, kartal or gini is a pair of clash cymbals, originating in the Indian subcontinent, which make high-pitched percussion sounds. In its simplest form, it consists of a pair of small hand cymbals. The word taal comes from the Sanskrit word ''Tālà'', which literally means a clap. It is a part of Indian music and culture, used in various traditional customs e.g. Bihu music, Harinaam etc. It is a type of Ghana vadya. In Hindu religious contexts it is known as karatalas (; ''kara'' "hand", "arm" and ''tāla'' "rhythm", "beat"), typically used to accompany devotional music such as bhajan and kirtan. They are commonly used by International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Hare Krishna devotees when performing harinam, but are ubiquitous to all Hindu devotional music. It is also called karatala or kartal (pronounced as “kartel”) in some contexts. Types There are many types of Taal, categorised by size, wei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pepa (musical Instrument)
The pepa is a hornpipe musical instrument that is used in traditional music in Assam, India. In Boro language, it is known as ''Phenpha''. It is usually made with the horn of a buffalo. Significance "Pepa" is a hornpipe which has been used during Bihu celebrations since ancient times. Instruments similar to Pepa are also found among other Bodo-Kachari groups like Garo, Tripuri, Dimasa, etc. The Tibetans, Khmers (Austroasiatic) and ancient Chinese also used similar instruments named ''Rwa-dun'' and ''Sneng'' for religious rituals. Later, it was used as a musical instrument for festive occasions like Bihu. An improved version of Pepa was also developed in the Chutia kingdom which was known as Kaali (made of copper) as mentioned in Deodhai Buranji (where Ahom king Suhungmung brought in Kaali instruments from Sadiya to Sibsagar).Baruah, Swarnalata. ''Chutia Jaatir Buranji''. 2007, p. 350. As the buffalo population is dwindling gradually in Assam due to shrinking pastoral la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lamellophones
A lamellophone (also lamellaphone or linguaphone) is a member of the family of musical instruments that makes its sound by a thin vibrating plate called a lamella or tongue, which is fixed at one end and has the other end free. When the musician depresses the free end of a plate with a finger or fingernail, and then allows the finger to slip off, the released plate vibrates. An instrument may have a single tongue (such as a Jew's harp) or a series of multiple tongues (such as a mbira thumb piano). Linguaphone comes from the Latin root ''lingua'' meaning "tongue", (i.e., a long thin plate that is fixed only at one end). lamellophone comes from the Latin word ' for "small metal plate", and the Greek word ''phonē'' for "sound, voice". The lamellophones constitute category 12 in the Hornbostel–Sachs system for classifying musical instruments, plucked idiophones. There are two main categories of plucked idiophones, those that are in the form of a frame (121) and those that are i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dhol
Dhol (IPA: ) can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent. Its range of distribution in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan primarily includes northern areas such as the Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Kashmir, Sindh, Assam Valley, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Konkan, Goa, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. The range stretches westward as far as eastern Afghanistan. A related instrument is the dholak or dholki. Someone who plays the dhol is known as ''dholi''. Construction The dhol is a double-sided barrel drum played mostly as an accompanying instrument in regional music forms. In Qawwali music, the term ''dhol'' is used to describe a similar, but smaller drum with a smaller tabla, as a replacement for the left hand tabla drum. The typical sizes of the drum vary slightly from region to region. In Punjab, the dhol remains large and bulky ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xutuli
Xutuli is a musical instrument used during the Rongali Bihu festival in Assam, India. It can either be made from clay or the lower end of a bamboo tree which is left after the main part falls or is cut off. Description The instrument is shaped like a half moon. It is believed that initially instruments of this type developed from the hard shells of fruits like coconut, and then similar shapes were made from potter's clay. These instruments imitate the sounds of animals and birds and produce a flute-like sound. In ancient China a similar instrument was called a Xun. History The Xutuli is believed to be brought by the Sino-Tibetan groups mainly the Sadiyal Kacharis( Chutias, Deoris, Sonowals, Morans) who brought the instrument along with them from their ancestral lands. The number of holes in the Assamese Xutuli indicates that the Sadiyal Kacharis probably arrived from the Huang He plains before 1600 BC, as the Xuns were standardised with five holes during the Shang dynasty. F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bihu Dance
The Bihu dance is an indigenous folk dance from the Indian state of Assam related to the Bihu festival and an important part of Assamese culture. Performed in a group, the Bihu dancers are usually young men and women, and the dancing style is characterized by brisk steps, and rapid hand movements. The traditional costume of dancers is colorful and centered round the red color theme, signifying joy and vigour. History The origins of the dance form is unknown, however the folk dance tradition has always been very significant in the culture of Assam's diverse ethnic groups, such as Kaivarttas, Deoris, Sonowal Kacharis, Chutias, Boros, Misings, Rabhas, Moran and Borahis, among others. According to scholars, the Bihu dance has its origin in ancient fertility cults that was associated with increasing the fertility of the demographic as well as the land. Traditionally, local farming communities performed the dance outdoors, in fields, groves, forests or on the banks of rivers, espec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
