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Shehnai
:
The word shehnai comes from the Persian 'shah' meaning king and 'nai' meaning flute. It is therefore, an instrument used for important occasions, both religious and secular. Traditionally, it is associated with weddings. A double reeded flute, the shehnai's seven, eight, or nine holes are on the staff and stopped by the fingers.
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The last two holes
are used for tuning are either left open or
stopped with wax. The drone accompaniment of a shehnai another
shehnai. Strong breath control is needed to play this instrument,
particularly for long sustained passages, which can be in an incredibly
fast
tempo. The shehnai's nearest western equivalent is the oboe.
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Nadaswaram
:
This
is the shehnāi's sister instrument in south India. Much
larger that the shehnāi, sometimes made of silver but more
often of wood, the nadaswaram has twelve holes,
six of which are for playing and six to
regulate pitch. The ninkirna is a smaller type of nadaswaram.
The pongi is another type, which is used to give the drone
accompaniment during a nadaswaram recital.
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