Instruments

Sarangi

Even though the origins of Sarangi remain obscure in the leaflets of history, the sound of the instrument has become synonymous with the Indian subcontinent. Considered to be one of the most difficult instruments to play, Sarangi forms the core of the melodies of the various ragas of the Indian classical music. The tradition of the Sarangi is linked with classical dance used to be practiced in the Shahi Mohalla of Lahore, which has been outlawed since the Islamization during the period of General Zia-ul-Haq.

Suroz

Suroz is the Baloch variant of the Persian bow and string family of instruments. The musical instrument is primarily used to play traditional Balochi tunes, especially the folk tales such as the Hani Shah Mureed. The instrument is played with a bow on three strings, with the sympathetic strings used to adjust the tunes.

Balochi Banjo

An unlikely innovation, Balochi Banjo was adapted from the Japanese toy organ Taishogoto in 1919 by Gul Muhammad Baloch. Balochi Banjo is string instrument that is played with the help of tipson a meter-long deodar board. Modern form of the instrument often come paired with the Svarmandal. Musicians such as Ustad Mumtaz Sabzal have brought in innovations such as playing the instrument by the bow and the xylophone baton? A variant of this instrument is known as bulbultarang in India.

Murli Been

Coming from eons old tradition of Jogis or the snakecharmers of India, the Murli Been is as unique as the culture of this community. The Murli Been, crafted out of a pumpkin and sealed by beeswax, has a mesmerizing organic sound to it. In the Indian subcontinent, this instrument has forever been associated with snakes and snakecharmers, but who knew it would turn out to be an inseparable part of the traditional music of Sindh.

Alghoza

A unique wind instrument indigenous to the cultures on the eastern bank of the Indus, Alghoza is a wind instrument with a double pipe structure. Crafted from Acacia or Rosewood, the male pipe gives a constant drone to support the female melody flute, which allows the player to produce various tunes on the tonic scale.

Chardha

Chardha or the Pamiri Rabab is a variant of the Rabab of Kabul popular in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Chardha has its roots in the Persian and Tajik culture and was popularized by the Persian mystic Pir Nasir Khusrow who used it for proselytizing. Today, Chardha is gaining popularity in the Hunza region of Gilgit-Baltistan, apart from Tajikistan and the rest of Central Asia.

Boreendo

The haunting sound of Boreendo takes you centuries back into history. Local legend holds the origin of the Boreendo in the Moenjodaro. Whatever may be the case, no instrument among the cultures of the Indus is as closely linked to Mother Earth as the Boreendo. Boreendo is crafted using the same clay used to that make utensils and building bricks used in the villages in Sindh, so no other instrument is connected more to the soil. The holes in the baked vessel enables the artist to control the tonic.

Sarinda

Sarinda is a bow and string instrument that had become synonymous with the Pashtun culture over the years. This instrument of the Persian family is thought to have been originated in the Tirah valley of the tribal areas of Pakistan along the border with Afghanistan. In the recent years, the instrument was popularized by folk artist Muneer Sarhadi, with the mantle now carried by his son Ejaz Sarhadi, the only known Sarinda master player in Pakistan.