Musical instruments of the Indian subcontinent 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).

ChordophonesChordophones

Plucked string instrumentPlucked strings

Bowed string instrumentBowed strings

• Chikara

• Dhantara

• Dilruba

• Ektara

• Esraj

• Kingri

• Mayuri veena or Taus

• Onavillu

• Behala

• Pena

• Pinaka veena

• Pulluvan veena - one-stringed violin

• Ravanahatha

• Sarangi

• Sarinda

• Tar Shehnai

• Villu - arched musical bow

Other string instruments

• Gethu or Jhallari – struck tanpura

• Gubguba or Jamuku (khamak)

• Pulluvan kutam

• Santoor – Hammered dulcimer

AerophonesAerophones

Single reed

• Pepa

• Pungi or Been

Double reed

• Kuzhal

• Mukhavina

• Nadaswaram

• Shehnai

• Sundari

• Tangmuri

Flute

• Alghoza – double flute

• Bansuri

• Venu (Carnatic flute) Pullanguzhal

Bagpipes

• Mashak

• Titti

• Sruti upanga

Free reed

• Gogona

• Morsing

Free reed and bellows

• Shruti box

• Harmonium (hand-pumped)

Brass

• Bigul – see Bugle

• Ekkalam

• Karnal

• Kombu (instrument)

• Ramsinga

• Kahal

• Nagfani

• Turi

• Tutari

MembranophonesMembranophones

Hand drums

Hand frame drums

• Daf, duf, or dafli – medium or large frame drum without jingles, of Persian origin

• Dubki, dimdi or dimri – small frame drum without jingles

• Kanjira – small frame drum with one jingle

• Kansi – small drum without jingles

• Patayani thappu – medium frame drum played with hands

Stick and hand drums

• Chenda

• Davul

• Dhak

• Dhimay

• Dhol

• Dholi

• Dollu

• Idakka

• Thavil

• Udukai

• Urumi (drum)

Stick drums

• Chande

• Davul

• Kachhi Dhol

• Nagara – pair of kettledrums

• Pambai – unit of two cylindrical drums

• Parai thappu, halgi – frame drum played with two sticks

• Sambal

• Stick daff or stick duff – daff in a stand played with sticks

• Tamak'

• Tasha – type of kettledrum

• Thavanadai, Davandai

• Timki

• Urumee

Idiophones

• Chimta – fire tong with brass jingles

• Chengila – metal disc

• Elathalam

• Geger – brass vessel

• Ghanti – Northern Indian bell

• Ghatam and Matkam (Earthenware pot drum)

• Ghungroo

• Khartal or Chiplya

• Manjira or jhanj or taal

• Nut – clay pot

• Sankarjang – lithophone

• Thali – metal plate

• Thattukazhi mannai

• Yakshagana bells

Melodic

• Jal tarang, ceramic bowls with water

• Kanch tarang, a type of glass harp

• Loh tarang (लोह तरंग), a set of tuned gongs

• Kashtha tarang, a type of xylophone

Hand harmonium

Dwarkanath Ghose (Dwarkin) modified the French pedal harmonium.

Electronic

• Roland HandSonic

• Electronic tanpura

• Electronic (digital) tabla

• Talameter

• Musical instrument of Tamil nadu

• List of Indian dance

References