Folk Musical Instruments in Madhya Pradesh :

Madhya Pradesh is a state of India. Music from the area includes rural folk and tribal music, ceremonial and ritual music and Indian classical music. Unlike in many parts of India, the people of Madhya Pradesh place few restrictions on who can sing which songs. With the exception of some ritualistic works, people sing songs from across ethnic and racial boundaries.Rhythm and Musical instrument are complimentary to each other as without one the other cannot possibly survive for long. Some of the important instruments that these tribes use to create the hullabaloo magic are wind instruments, Percussion Instruments, Autophonic Instruments and Simple Stick Music.

The drums are of various types and the technique of drumming among the tribals is fascinating. In Bastar there are big drums played by sticks.

The Bhils use heavy Dhols and Mandals. There are small -sized drums. The Durbari of the Bhils, that is the Dumri of the Gonds is identical to the Goga Dhol of Dandakaranya. The Mandri is a mini Mandal. Like the narrow-waist Dhak of the Bhils, there is the Parang drum of the Murias. The Ghera is an octagonal rim stretched with goat hide played by one padded stick. The Dphala, the Chang, the Damahu, the Timki and the Tasa are different types of membranophonic instruments. The drumming is an invitation or a call for dancing.

Of the aerophonic instruments, the Bans is peculiar of Madhya Pradesh. It is a long bamboo stem about four feet in length, used mostly by the Rawats who were the cowherd community of Chhattisgarh. As an uncommon instrument of the flute category, the Bans is moreover akin to the Ayar Kuzhal of the south. The instrument produces peculiar sounds resembling the thundering of clouds or the hoofs of wild beasts. The other instruments of the areophonic group are the Pawli of the Bhils and the Algoza which is a pair of flutes. The professional musicians Dewars use a crude type of Sarangi to recite legendary tales. This instrument is made of a coconut shell resonator and horse-hair strings. The Dhungru is a plucked instrument having catgut strings. The Sindhi or Sing is a horn-shaped instrument used all over the state. The Been or the Pungi is the snake-charmers instrument. The Morchang (jews harp) and the Ghangli of the Bhils are favourite mini instruments of the rural boys. The Ghangli is made of bamboo chip with a vibrating tongue.

Chatkora (Chatkauaa), the Thiski, the Thapi and the Zhanj are the auto phonics instrument. The chordophonics instruments are the Tonkya of the Bhils and the Chikara or the Kingri.

The scrapper is no more seen except in the Vindhyas and Dandakaranya. The Bhils call it Karkhara. In Bundelkhand it is named as Khirkhira. The oldest instruments of the tribes of Bastar are Dhankul which is the plucked instrument and Tirududi (or Jhunki) which is the dancing stick of the bison-horn Marias.