Have you ever wondered who makes the sweet sound of a violin or the lively beats of a dhol? When preparing for competitive exams like SSC, UPSC, Railways, and state PSCs, General Knowledge (GK) is key. And that includes learning about the Persons Associated with Musical Instruments and the diverse Arts & Culture of India! In this post, we’ll explore the people behind the instruments and the different types of musical instruments that are part of India’s rich music tradition.
By the end of this blog, you’ll be ready to answer tricky GK questions about music and Arts & Culture, giving you an advantage in your exam preparation. So, future exam winners, let’s get started and hit the right notes for success!
List of Persons Associated with Musical Instruments
| Sl. No | Person | Musical Instrument |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Annapurna Devi | Surbahar |
| 2. | Ustad Alla Rakha Khan | Tabla and Pakhawaj |
| 3. | Raghunath Prasanna | Flute and Shehnai |
| 4. | Imrat Khan | Sitar and Surbahar |
| 5. | U Srinivas | Mandolin |
| 6. | Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh | Tabla and Harmonium |
| 7. | Ustad Enayat Khan | Surbahar and Sitar |
| 8. | Brij Bhushan Kabra | Guitar |
| 9. | • Ustad Bismillah Khan • Ali Ahmad Hussein • Krishna Ram Chaudhary | Shehnai |
| 10. | • Hari Prasad Chaurasia • Pannalal Ghosh • T.R. Mahalingam | Flute |
| 11. | • Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma • Pandit Ulhas Bapat [Mumbai, Maharashtra] • Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya • Bhajan Sopori • Abhay Sopori • Rahul Sharma | Santoor |
| 12. | • Zakir Hussein • Pandit Anokhelal Mishra • Pandit Kishan Maharaj • Ahmed Jan Thirakwa • Ustad Sabir Khan • Sandeep Das | Tabla |
| 13. | • Allauddin Khan • Amjad Ali Khan • Ali Akbar Khan • Buddhadev Das Gupta • Wajahat Khan | Sarod |
| 14. | • Pandit Ravi Shankar • Vilayat Khan • Budhaditya Mukherjee • Shahid Parvez Khan • Anushka Shankar | Sitar |
| 15. | • Zia Mohiuddin Dagar • Bahauddin Dagar • Asad Ali Khan • Asit Kumar Banerjee | Rudra Veena |
| 16. | • Sundaram Balachander • Venkatesha Doraiswamy Iyengar | Veena |
| 17. | Pt. Gopal Krishan | Vichitra Veena |
| 18. | Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhat | Mohan Veena |
| 19. | • Lalgudi Jayaraman • V.G Jog • T.N Krishnan • M.S. Gopalakrishnan • L Subramaniam • R.P Shastri • Smt. N Rajam | Violin |
| 20. | • Thetakudi Hariharan Vinayakram • E.M. Subramaniam • Suresh Vaidyanathan | Ghatam |
| 21. | • Palghat Mani Iyer • Pudukkottai Dakshinamurthy Pillai • Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman | Mridangam |
| 22. | • Ustad Shakoor Khan • Ustad Sultan Khan • Ustad Sabri Khan • Pandit Ram Narayan • Ramesh Mishra | Sarangi |
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Types of Musical Instruments
| Percussion Instruments | String Instruments | Wind Instruments |
|---|---|---|
| Drum | Guitar | Trumpet |
| Mridungam | Violin | Piano |
| Tabla | Sitar | Shehnai |
| Dholak | Banjo | Harp |
| Cymbal | Mandolin | Bagpipe |
| Bells | Surbahar | Harmonica |
| Ghatam | Veena | Flute |
| Pakhawaj | Surbahaar | Clarinet |
| Xylophone | Sarod | Saxophone |
Multiple Choice Questions on Person Associated with Musical Instruments
1. Which of the following is a wind instrument?
A. Sitar
B. Pakhawaj
C. Saxophone
D. Mandolin
- Notes: The saxophone is a wind instrument. Sitar and mandolin are string instruments, and Pakhawaj is a percussion instrument.
2. Which musical instrument is Alla Rakha Khan famous for?
A. Flute
B. Sarod
C. Sitar
D. Tabla
Key Points
- Name: Ustad Allarakha Qureshi (Popularly known as Alla Rakha)
- Profession: Indian Tabla Player
- Born: 29 April 1919, Ghagwal, Jammu and Kashmir, British India
- Died: 3 February 2000 (aged 80), Mumbai, Maharashtra
3. Which stringed instrument has 6 strings?
A. Guitar
B. Sitar
C. Violin
D. Sarod
Note:-
• Violin — 4 String
• Guitar – 6 String
• Sarod – 17 to 25-string
• A Sitar – 18, 19, 20, or 21 strings.
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4. With which musical instrument is Zakir Hussein associated?
A. Violin
B. Sitar
C. Santoor
D. Tabla
5. Which musical instrument is Arvind Parikh associated with?
A. Pakhawaj
B. Sitar
C. Violin
D. Tabla
6. Hariprasad Chaurasia is associated with which musical
instrument?
A. Tabla
B. Flute
C. Shehnai
D. Santoor
7. Which musical instrument is Ali Akbar Khan famous for?
A. Flute
B. Veena
C. Sitar
D. Sarod
8. Amir Khusraw is associated with the invention of musical
instrument?
A. Pakhawaj
B. Sitar
C. Violin
D. Tabla
9. Which of the following musical instruments is Indian
origin?
A. Guitar
B. Drums
C. Piano
D. Flute
10. Which musical instrument is Amjad Ali Khan famous for?
A. Violin
B. Tabla
C. Flute
D. Sarod
11. Which musical instrument is M.S. Gopalakrishnan associated with?
A. Sarod
B. Tabla
C. Sarangi
D. Violin
12 . Which musical instrument is Bismillah Khan famous for?
A. Veena
B. Flute
C. Sitar
D. Shehnai
Key Points:
- Original Name: Qamruddin Khan
- Birthplace: Dumraon, Bihar and Orissa province, British India
- Date of Death: August 21, 2006
- Place of Death: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Major Awards:
- Padma Bhushan
- Padma Shri
- Bharat Ratna
- Padma Vibhushan
13. Which musical instrument is Pandit Ravi Shankar associated with?
A. Sitar
B. Guitar
C. Shehnai
D. Flute
Key Points:
- Pandit Ravi Shankar’s birth name: Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury
- Born: 7 April 1920 [Benares, Benares State, British Raj]
- Died: 11 December 2012 (aged 92) [San Diego, California, US]
- Instruments: Sitar
Major awards received by Pandit Ravi Shankar:
- Bharat Ratna (1999)
- Padma Vibhushan (1981)
- Padma Bhushan (1967)
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1962)
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (1975)
- Ramon Magsaysay Award (1992)
- Commander of the Legion of Honour of France (2000)
14. Which musical instrument is Hari Prasad Chaurasia well known for?
A. Flute
B. Sarod
C. Tabla
D. Santoor
15. Which musical instruments is Pudukkottai Dakshinamurthy Pillai associated with?
A. Violin
B. Guitar
C. Mridangam
D. Santoor
Key Points
- Dhakshinamoorthy Pillai (1875–1936), was a leading mridangam and kanjira artist.
- He associated with Carnatic music.
