# Musical Instruments

## Overview
In this chapter, students explore the world of musical instruments through observation, listening, creation, and performance. They engage with Indian classical and folk instruments, experiment with kitchen objects to form a musical group, build their own shaker, and learn to recognize rhythm and melody patterns.

## Key Topics Covered

### 1. Know Your Instruments
- **Instruments Introduced**: Students identify various traditional Indian musical instruments such as:
- Shehnai, Manjeera, Sarangi, Sarod, Sitar, Pakhawaj
- Santoor, Tabla, Harmonium, Mridangam, Bansuri
- **Activity**: Reflect on which instruments they have heard before.
- **Connection with Songs**: Students match instruments heard in songs like *Bumbro*.

### 2. Make a Kitchen Orchestra
- **Concept of Orchestra**: Explained as a group playing different instruments together.
- **Activity**: Use kitchen items like utensils to form an orchestra at home.
- **Integration with Song**: Students try performing along with *Undra Mojea Mama* or other known songs.

### 3. Make a Shaker!
- **Shaker Defined**: A simple percussion instrument that makes sound by shaking.
- **Materials Needed**:
- Small recycled bottle
- Dry pulses, grains, beads, or pebbles
- Paint, glitter, stickers for decoration
- **Procedure**:
- Keep the bottle dry, fill with sound-making materials, seal tightly, decorate.
- **Learning Outcome**: Understand how material and quantity affect sound.
- **Inquiry-Based Questions**:
- Which grains make the loudest noise?
- Does the amount of grain change the sound?

### 4. Sounds of Instruments
- **Instruments Observed**:
- Dafli, Damru, Dhol, Dholak, Tabla, Edaikka, Chende
- **Construction**: Typically made with wooden or copper bodies and animal skin faces.
- **Playing Technique**: Played with hands or sticks, from different angles (top, side).

### 5. Drum Varieties in Festivals
- **Drums Introduced**:
- Dolu, Nagada, Dafli, Nkhuangh Drum
- **Observation Task**: Students listen to drum sounds often heard during festivals.

### 6. Wind Instruments
- **Instruments Covered**:
- Ransingha, Shehnai, Nagaswaram, Bansuri
- **Activity**: Collect and paste pictures of these instruments.

### 7. Rhythm and Patterns in Music
- **Pattern Practice**: Students follow repeated musical phrases (sargam patterns).
- S R G M P Dh N S· … reverse, ascending and descending combinations.
- **Exercise Style**: Sung with humming, ‘aakaar’, or sargam.
- **Breath Control**: Students are encouraged to control breathing during practice.
- **Rhythm Keeping**: Use claps or instruments to maintain rhythm.

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## New Terms

| Term | Definition |
|-------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Bansuri | A bamboo flute used in Indian classical and folk music |
| Shehnai | A wind instrument like an oboe, played during weddings and festivals |
| Harmonium | A small hand-pumped organ used in Indian music |
| Tabla | A pair of hand drums used in Hindustani classical music |
| Damru | Small two-headed drum, often associated with Lord Shiva |
| Orchestra | A group of musicians playing different instruments together |
| Shaker | A percussion instrument that makes sound when shaken |
| Rhythm | A repeated pattern of sound or beat |
| Pattern | A repeated sequence, especially in music or design |
| Nagaswaram | A large South Indian wind instrument used in temples and ceremonies |

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## Practice Questions

### Easy (3)

1. **What is a shaker made of?**
**Answer**: A shaker is made using a dry bottle filled with grains, beads, or pebbles.
**Explanation**: These items create sound when shaken.

2. **Name any two wind instruments.**
**Answer**: Bansuri and Shehnai.
**Explanation**: Both produce sound when air is blown through them.

3. **What do we call a group of people playing instruments together?**
**Answer**: Orchestra.
**Explanation**: It's when many instruments are played together.

### Medium (2)

4. **How does changing the filling inside a shaker affect its sound?**
**Answer**: Different fillings produce different sounds; more filling can make louder noise.
**Explanation**: The type and amount of material affect the shaker’s sound.

5. **What is the purpose of learning sargam patterns?**
**Answer**: To understand and practice musical scales and develop control in singing.
**Explanation**: Sargam helps in improving musical rhythm and breath control.

### Difficult (3)

6. **Compare Damru and Tabla in terms of design and usage.**
**Answer**: Damru is small, hourglass-shaped and held in one hand, while Tabla is a pair of drums played with both hands, often used in classical music.
**Explanation**: Their structure and musical role differ.

7. **Why is rhythm important in music?**
**Answer**: Rhythm gives structure to music and helps in keeping a steady beat.
**Explanation**: It is essential for musical coordination and flow.

8. **List any three instruments used in Indian folk music.**
**Answer**: Dafli, Dholak, Bansuri.
**Explanation**: These are traditional instruments commonly used in folk performances.

### Very Difficult (2)

9. **Explain how wind and percussion instruments differ in sound production.**
**Answer**: Wind instruments produce sound by air vibration through pipes (e.g., Bansuri), while percussion instruments create sound through hitting or shaking (e.g., Tabla, Shaker).
**Explanation**: The method of sound generation distinguishes them.

10. **Describe a hands-on way students can explore sound variation at home.**
**Answer**: By making a shaker with different fillings like dal, rice, and beads to see how sound changes.
**Explanation**: It is an experiential method to learn about volume and material effect on sound.