Module 8: Instruments · Lesson 2

Melodic instruments

◐ Confidence: medium Last verified: 12 Oct 2026

Instruments that carry the melody

Several instruments are used to play melody. They are all expected to imitate the voice, with sliding notes and ornaments, rather than hitting separate notes like a piano.

Veena

The Veena , properly the Saraswati veena, is a plucked string instrument about four feet long. It has a large hollow body (usually jackfruit wood), a neck with 24 metal frets, four main playing strings and three side strings that provide the drone. The player sits on the floor with the instrument resting on the lap and the floor. Its present form is said to have developed in Thanjavur under the Nayak ruler Raghunatha, which is why it is sometimes called the Raghunatha veena. The veena is associated in tradition with the goddess Saraswati.

Violin

The Violin came to Carnatic music from the West and became one of its most important instruments. It is played seated on the floor and tuned to the performer’s Sa. In a vocal concert the violinist follows and echoes the singer’s phrases and also plays solo passages. It is often credited that Baluswami Dikshitar, brother of Muthuswami Dikshitar, was a pioneer of the violin in Carnatic music, and Vadivelu of the Tanjore Quartet is also associated with it.

Flute

The Venu (flute) is the bamboo side-blown flute. It is used both solo and as an accompaniment and, like the other melodic instruments, it follows the style of singing.

Nadaswaram and tavil

The Nadaswaram is a loud, double-reed wind instrument from Tamil Nadu. It is played at temples and weddings, usually in pairs and with the drum called the Tavil . It is among the loudest acoustic wind instruments, so it is generally played outdoors. It belongs to the family of “auspicious” instruments, which are played at ceremonies, and it has its own repertoire and a very long history in the South.

What they have in common

All of them play the same ragas and talas and follow the same composed songs, which means that a kriti can be sung or played, and its melody is the same either way.