Banjo

<p style="color:#dbdbdb ;padding:20px; border-left:5px solid #6D4C47">Music knows no boundaries. It is an art which expresses itself in the form of a rhythm, a sound and a joyful melody. Touched by the heart and played by the hand, Banjo is one such instrument, which finds its roots in the African countries. Happy, joyous and exciting is the sound of the Banjo. It is considered as a primary contribution from Africa, was made popular in America and occupies a central place in the African–American traditional music. Once widely used in minstrel shows, today Banjo is the mainstay of the old time American music. Banjo is an instrument used to create fast and happy music. It belongs to the family of stringed instruments. It has a long neck and a circular drum–like body overlaid with a parchment and the strings are plucked with the fingers or a plectrum to create music. Let us learn more about this instrument.</p>
Read More

Bagpipe

<p style="color:#dbdbdb ;padding:20px; border-left:5px solid #C23061">Which is the image that flashes before your eyes when you think of the great Scottish highlands? Indeed, it is of the Bagpipe. As the name suggests, the Bagpipe is made from ‘bag’ and ‘pipes’ and belongs to the family of the wind instruments. Peasants, farmers and even gypsies were the earliest ones to play the Bagpipes. An outdoor musical instrument, it is seen more as a rustic and rural country side musical instrument. The Bagpipe can be traced to ancient civilizations and it eventually finds its home in the British Isles. According to the historical records, the Bagpipe is said to replace the loud–sounding trumpet on the battlefield. The melody of the Bagpipe creating soulful music was replaced by the one of battles, marches, gatherings, salutes and laments. Since a very long time, the Bagpipe has been played and continues to be played throughout Europe, Scotland, Ireland, Turkey, the Caucasus mountains, around the Persian Gulf, Northern Africa and some parts of North America. Let us learn more about Bagpipes.</p>
Read More

Accordion

<p style="color:#dbdbdb ;padding:20px; border-left:5px solid #FD8628">Music has always been a common thread which binds different cultures together. It has always acted as a symbol of euphony and harmony. However, the connecting beat to this feeling of harmony is through the musical instrument Accordion. Derived from the German word ‘akkord’ meaning ‘agreement or harmony’, Accordion is one such musical instrument which has been an essential part of the traditional music in the eighteenth century. Also known as the Squeeze–box, it is an important part of music which produces loud sounds. The Accordion is considered to be inspired by the Chinese ‘cheng’, the first known musical instrument to use a free vibrating reed to create sound. Also, it comes from the French word ‘accord’ which means ‘a musical chord or a concord of sounds’. It is a wind instrument and belongs to the same family of American reed organ and harmonium of box–shaped musical instruments which are bellow–driven, free–reed aero phone type. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist. Let us learn more about Accordion.</p>
Read More