We know about the sitar, tabla, mridanga, harmonium, shehnai, sarod, veena, etc. But many other lesser-known traditional instruments make up the paraphernalia of traditional Indian music. Let us take a look at some of this fascinating gear.

• Alghoza

A pair of woodwind flutes used by Sindhi, Punjabi, Kutchi, and Rajasthani folk musicians. One flute takes care of the melody while the other sustains the harmony or the ‘drone’.

• Pepa

A hornpipe used in Assam, India, known as Phenpha in the Boro language, now being made from bamboo and cane.

• Sursringar

A metal fingerboard with a flat horn bridge, a wooden pumpkin, and steel and bronze strings, played with a metal pick. A greatly regarded solo instrument in the 19th and 20th centuries, the sursingar is fast disappearing from the music scene today.

• Pakhawaj

A barrel-shaped drum, descendant of the Mridangam and a distant relative of the South Asian two-headed percussion instruments. Most commonly used in the ‘Dhrupad’ style of Indian classical music and Kathak dance.

• Gubguba

A dried gourd with an attached gut string, which looks like a tiny tabla at first glance. Another version of such traditional percussion string instruments is the Bengali Khamak.

• Kuzhal

A double-reed wind instrument from Kerala, comprising a brass bell, a wooden body, and a conical bore. Because of its appearance and shrill, penetrating tone, it is often mistaken as a large shehnai.

• Gogona

An indegenous vibrating reed instrument with bifurcations on one end, hailing from Assam, usually made of Bamboo, and used in Bihu music.

• Udukkai

An hourglass drum resembling a ‘damru’, widely used in prayers and devotional practises in Tamil Nadu.

• Andelu

A pair of brass toroids that are usually worn on the left thumb, serving as a rhythmic accompaniment for folk storytelling, making a ‘jingle’ sound when struck.

• Kartal

A large wooden-framed instrument with metal jingles mounted inside, typically beaten together  to provide light music in ‘bhajans’.

This compilation originally appeared in the Music edition of The Plus magazine.