Extinct Indian Musical Instruments

Bangalore: Hardcore music devotees will tell you that even in this electronic age, there is not even a single instrument to match the versatility of human body. We can produce aerophonic sound by using our lips, our vocal cord is a perfect chordophone and we can create idiophonic sounds by clapping hands, no wonder why the ancient people used human bones and skin to make music instruments.

India has a rich culture in music and it’s a birth place to many famous instruments. But with the influence of modern instruments, wide varieties of old instruments have gone silent and ended up in museums. Here we list some famous instruments which have disappeared or on the verge of extinction.

Rudra-veena

Rudra veena is considered as the mother of all stringed instruments. It reigned supreme two centuries ago but today there are hardly any Rudra veena players left in India. The instrument has a hollow tubular body made of wood or bamboo and strings which is meant to produce a music that is perhaps too subtle and refined for the modern age although it is famous for its meditative qualities.