|| Chordophones|| ||Drums|| ||Idiophones|| ||Pahari Instruments||
|| Rajasthani Folk Instruments|| || Other Musical Instruments||

Aerophones are also known as Sushira Vadya. Sushira means 'hollow'. All wind instruments belong to this class. Some of the Sushira Vadyas are: Bansuri (Flutes), Nadaswaram (Nagaswara), Shehnai, ninkirns, Bean (not to be confused with the Rudra Veena) pungi, Sumai, Mohuri, Karna, Khung, bhuri, kombu (sringa), sankh and Singe.

FLUTE

The bamboo flute is one of the oldest Indian musical instruments. The flute in its many forms has been in use in India since the Vedic period. References to the flute called tunava and nadi are abundant in the Vedas. Numerous archaeological evidences point to the common use of the flute in the religious music of the Buddhists. Sculptures at Sanchi, Amravati and numerous paintings and frescoes in the Ajanta and Ellora depict flute being used both by human beings and the celestial beings. The flute holds a revered position in India for its close association with Lord Krishna. It is popular all over India and is called by many names like bansuri, murali, vanshi, venu and khuzhal. Technically limited to two octaves, the flute has many drawbacks when it comes to performing a raga; the glissandos that are absolutely necessary are difficult to make on a wind instrument. Its two main varieties are the horizontal and the vertical flute. The horizontal flute is perhaps the only instrument to be active in all categories of music namely folk, classical, popular and devotional. It is recognised as both as a solo and accompanying instrument to musical forms like bhajan and tillana. The vertical flute is not used in classical music and is only a folk instrument popular in north India.

Maestros: T.R. Mahalingam, Pannalal Ghosh, Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Mahalingam Ramaswamy Iyer, the Sikil Sisters, N. Ramani, Nityanand Haldipur, K.S.Gopalakrishnan, Vijay Raghav Rao and Shashank Subramaniam are some of the renowned exponents of this instrument.

HARMONIUM

Harmonium is a wind instrument employed widely as an accompaniment to classical, light-classical and devotional singing in Hindustani music. It is essentially a western instrument and was incorporated into Indian music sometime in the 19th century. In many places, it has taken over the role of an accompaniment to vocal or instrumental music because it is easier to play and does not require much tuning. The harmonium is however criticised for its inability to produce the shrutis or even the meend or glide, which form the very essence of Indian music. It is mainly used in Khayal, Thumri and Qawwali. The instrument has 42 black and white keys, corresponding to the equal temperament of Western music. The musician plays it with the right hand, and the left hand activates the bellows of the instrument.

Maestros: Mohammad Dholpuri, Nasir Ahmed Khan, and Amir Ali Khan are some of the greatest harmonium players of India.

NAGASWARAM

Nagaswaram consists of a wooden conical base with seven finger holes in the body and five others at the base to serve as controllers. Otta is the companion instrument to the nagaswaram to provide the drone. It resembles the nagaswaram in shape but is a little longer.

SHANK

Shankh or conch is probably the most ancient wind instrument contrived by man. It is blown through a hole made in the spiral. It is indispensable in many religious celebrations.

SHEHNAI

Shehnai is a double reeded wind instrument with a widening tube towards the lower end. There are eight or nine holes, the upper seven for playing, and the lower ones for tuning. The Shehnai is considered auspicious and is played on all festive occasions in India. It is also called mangal vadya or 'auspicious instrument' for this reason. Shehnai is one of the oldest wind instruments, having been present in the folk panorama of India for many years. It is known by the various names of mohori, kuzhah, mukhaveena, sundri, naferi, mela and nagaswaram in folk music, depending on the size and the region. The Shehnai is always accompanied by a drone instrument called shruti. Shehnai is of Persian origin and was brought into India by the Mughals in the 15th century AD. The instrument was named after its inventor Hakeem Bu Ali Shehnai. The Ain-i-Akbari ascribes the introduction of Shehnai in India to Ustad Shah Mohammad, an expert Shehnai player.

Maestros: Ustad Bismillah Khan and Anant Lal. Sheikh Chinna Moula is a renowned player of Nagaswara.