Have you ever wondered who brings the melodious tunes from a violin or the rhythmic beats from a dhol to life? Cracking competitive exams like SSC, UPSC, Railways, and various state PSCs often involves brushing up on your General Knowledge (GK)—and that includes understanding the world of music! This post delves into the fascinating connection between people associated with musical instruments.
Not only will you discover the names of these instrumentalists, but we’ll also explore the diverse types of instruments that make up the rich tapestry of Indian music. By the end of this blog, you’ll be well-equipped to tackle those tricky GK questions related to music, giving you an edge in your competitive exam preparation. So, aspiring candidates, pick up your metaphorical instruments – it’s time to learn the notes to success!
✅ 8 classical dance forms of India UPSC
List of Persons Associated with Musical Instrument
| 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 |
✅ Famous Temples in India GK: Complete Details
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
◘ Ustad Allarakha Qureshi popularly known as Alla Rakha.
◘ He was an Indian tabla player.
◘ Born on 29 April 1919 [Ghagwal, Jammu and Kashmir, British India]
◘ Died on 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.
✅Classical languages of India with important One-liners
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 of Bismillah Khan: Qamruddin Khan.
• Birthplace: Dumraon, Bihar and Orissa province, British India
• Died on August 21, 2006 [Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh]
• Major awards received by Bismillah Khan: Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Bharat Ratna and 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.
