Musical Instruments and Their Players: How SSC Asks It
SSC CGL, CHSL, MTS and RRB NTPC papers ask one or two "matching" questions from this topic almost every year: "Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is associated with which instrument?", "Who among the following is a renowned tabla maestro?", or "Shivkumar Sharma played which instrument?". The answer is always a famous instrument-player pair, so a clean, exam-sized table beats a long history.
Key takeaway: Sitar = Ravi Shankar, Vilayat Khan. Sarod = Amjad Ali Khan, Ali Akbar Khan. Tabla = Zakir Hussain, Allarakha. Santoor = Shivkumar Sharma. Shehnai = Bismillah Khan. Flute (bansuri) = Hariprasad Chaurasia. Mohan veena = Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. Sarangi = Ram Narayan, Sultan Khan. Ghatam = Vikku Vinayakram. Mandolin = U. Srinivas.
The pairs below are standard and stable. The two dated facts (Zakir Hussain's three Grammys on 4 February 2024 and his death on 15 December 2024) were checked against Grammy.com and BBC/Reuters reports on 17 October 2026. For dancers, use the companion note on classical dances of India and their states.
Musical Instruments and Their Players: Master Table
| Instrument | Type | Famous players (most asked first) |
|---|---|---|
| Sitar | String (plucked) | Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Nikhil Banerjee, Anoushka Shankar, Shahid Parvez, Budhaditya Mukherjee |
| Sarod | String (plucked) | Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Buddhadev Das Gupta, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash, Allauddin Khan |
| Tabla | Percussion | Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ustad Allarakha, Pt. Kishan Maharaj, Pt. Samta Prasad, Pt. Anindo Chatterjee, Shafaat Ahmed Khan |
| Santoor | String (struck with hammers) | Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, Bhajan Sopori, Rahul Sharma, Tarun Bhattacharya |
| Shehnai | Wind (double reed) | Ustad Bismillah Khan, Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan |
| Flute (bansuri) | Wind | Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pannalal Ghosh, Rakesh Chaurasia |
| Flute (Carnatic) | Wind | T. R. Mahalingam, N. Ramani |
| Sarangi | String (bowed) | Pt. Ram Narayan, Ustad Sultan Khan |
| Violin (Carnatic) | String (bowed) | Lalgudi G. Jayaraman, L. Subramaniam, M. S. Gopalakrishnan, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan |
| Violin (Hindustani) | String (bowed) | Dr. N. Rajam (Padma Vibhushan 2026) |
| Veena (Saraswati veena) | String (plucked) | S. Balachander, E. Gayathri |
| Rudra veena | String (plucked) | Ustad Asad Ali Khan, Zia Mohiuddin Dagar |
| Mohan veena | String (slide guitar) | Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Grammy 1994, with Ry Cooder) |
| Mridangam | Percussion | Palghat Mani Iyer, Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, Karaikudi R. Mani |
| Ghatam | Percussion (clay pot) | T. H. "Vikku" Vinayakram |
| Mandolin | String | U. Srinivas |
| Saxophone (Carnatic) | Wind | Kadri Gopalnath |
| Nadaswaram | Wind | T. N. Rajarathnam Pillai, Sheik Chinna Moulana |
| Hawaiian / slide guitar | String | Brij Bhushan Kabra |
Who is the famous tabla player of India?
Ustad Zakir Hussain (1951-2024), son of Ustad Allarakha. He won three Grammys at one ceremony on 4 February 2024, the first Indian musician to do so, and died in San Francisco on 15 December 2024.
Bharat Ratna Musicians (Frequently Asked)
| Musician | Field / instrument | Bharat Ratna |
|---|---|---|
| M. S. Subbulakshmi | Carnatic vocal (first musician to get it) | 1998 |
| Pt. Ravi Shankar | Sitar | 1999 |
| Lata Mangeshkar | Playback singing | 2001 |
| Ustad Bismillah Khan | Shehnai | 2001 |
| Pt. Bhimsen Joshi | Hindustani vocal (Kirana gharana) | 2009 |
| Bhupen Hazarika | Singer-composer (posthumous) | 2019 |
No Bharat Ratna has been announced since the five awards of 2024 (none of them musicians), so this list still stands in October 2026.
Ravi Shankar and Bismillah Khan are the only instrumentalists in this list, which makes them a favourite trap.
Types of Indian Musical Instruments (Natya Shastra Classification)
| Class (Sanskrit) | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Tata vadya | String instruments | Sitar, sarod, veena, santoor, sarangi, violin |
| Sushira vadya | Wind instruments | Bansuri, shehnai, nadaswaram, harmonium (later addition) |
| Avanaddha vadya | Membrane / skin drums | Tabla, mridangam, pakhawaj, dhol |
| Ghana vadya | Solid instruments (struck) | Ghatam, cymbals (manjira), jaltarang, kartal |
Instruments by Region and Tradition
- Hindustani (North): sitar, sarod, tabla, shehnai, sarangi, santoor (from Kashmir), bansuri, pakhawaj.
- Carnatic (South): veena, mridangam, ghatam, kanjira, nadaswaram, thavil, violin (adopted).
- Folk and regional: ektara (Bauls of Bengal), pena (Manipur), dotara, ravanahatha (Rajasthan), pung (Manipur drum), dhol, chenda (Kerala).
How to Remember Musical Instruments and Their Players (Tricks)
- "Ravi on Sitar, Amjad on Sarod": both start with S; the two most confused plucked instruments.
- "Shiv strikes the Santoor": S-S; santoor is struck with hammers, not plucked.
- "Bismillah blows the Shehnai": shehnai is the only wind instrument with a Bharat Ratna player.
- Father-son pairs: Allarakha → Zakir Hussain (tabla); Ravi Shankar → Anoushka Shankar (sitar); Amjad Ali Khan → Amaan and Ayaan (sarod); Hariprasad Chaurasia → nephew Rakesh Chaurasia (flute); Shivkumar Sharma → Rahul Sharma (santoor).
Common Mistakes in Musical Instruments Questions
- Marking Amjad Ali Khan for sitar. He plays sarod.
- Marking Hariprasad Chaurasia for shehnai. He plays flute.
- Confusing N. Rajam (violin) with N. Ramani (flute).
- Calling Vishwa Mohan Bhatt a sitar player. He created and plays the mohan veena.
- Thinking L. Subramaniam plays veena. He is a violinist.
Musical Instruments Questions with Answers (Practice Set)
- Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is associated with which instrument? Answer: Sarod.
- Pt. Shivkumar Sharma was a maestro of which instrument? Answer: Santoor.
- Ustad Bismillah Khan is famous for which instrument? Answer: Shehnai.
- Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia plays which instrument? Answer: Flute (bansuri).
- Who among the following was a renowned tabla maestro: Zakir Hussain, Amjad Ali Khan, Ravi Shankar, Hariprasad Chaurasia? Answer: Zakir Hussain.
- Ghatam is played by which artist? Answer: T. H. Vikku Vinayakram.
- Pt. Ram Narayan is associated with which instrument? Answer: Sarangi.
- Mohan veena was created by whom? Answer: Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.
- Which musician was the first to receive the Bharat Ratna? Answer: M. S. Subbulakshmi (1998).
- U. Srinivas is known for which instrument? Answer: Mandolin.
- Which violinist received the Padma Vibhushan in 2026? Answer: Dr. N. Rajam.
See how the question is framed in a real paper: the RRB NTPC Graduate 2026 Question Paper (16 March, Shift 3) asks for a renowned tabla maestro. For mixed art and culture GK, take the SSC CGL General Awareness Sectional Mock Test 05.
Musical Instruments and Their Players FAQs
Which instrument did Ustad Zakir Hussain play?
The tabla. He was the son of tabla maestro Ustad Allarakha, won three Grammys on 4 February 2024, and died on 15 December 2024.
Who is the famous sarod player of India?
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is the most asked name. Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and his father Allauddin Khan are also well-known sarod players.
Which instrument is Pt. Ravi Shankar associated with?
The sitar. He received the Bharat Ratna in 1999.
Who is known as the santoor maestro?
Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, who made the santoor of Kashmir a classical concert instrument. His son Rahul Sharma also plays the santoor.
Which musicians have received the Bharat Ratna?
M. S. Subbulakshmi (1998), Ravi Shankar (1999), Lata Mangeshkar and Bismillah Khan (2001), Bhimsen Joshi (2009) and Bhupen Hazarika (2019, posthumous).
Practice Next
- Mock tests: SSC CGL General Awareness Sectional Mock Test 05, SSC CGL General Awareness Sectional Mock Test 03 and RRB NTPC General Awareness Sectional Mock Test 01.
- Related notes: classical dances of India and their states, important days list 2026, UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India 2026, president of India list 1950 to 2026 and folk dances of India state wise.
- Exam details: SSC CGL 2026.
- Browse all study notes.