Audiphone
Assamese
Patital (Small Cymbal): It is a kind of Cymbal, the diameter of which is six inches having protuberance at the middle. It is one of the most widely used musical instruments in Assamese culture, used in singing devotional songs like Borgeet besides Bihunam and Bihudhol.
Bortal: It is made like the Bhortal. Bortal is a bit smaller in size than that of Bhortal. Besides various religious functions it is unavoidable in the presentation of Ganika ceremony.
Kortal: It is made of a piece of bamboo about half cubit long bifurcated and levelled. It is played by placing it in the palm in accompanying devotional music.
Kodital : It is made of a small bamboo spike about 3 ft. long to be grasped with the hand. Small calibers are cut at half inch intervals. It is dragged across a cowrie shell holdings in the left-hand palm to emit musical sound in accompaniment with devotional songs.
Toka(bamboo clapper or castanet) : Toka is made of a piece of bamboo having two nodes. One end is cleared off some portion from both the sides. The other end with the node is bifurcated in the middle so that it becomes pliable. The Toka is unavoidable in the Bihu festival especially in the nocturnal Bihu of the girls. It is believed that the ‘Tok-tok’ sound of the Toka in the nocturnal Bihu of the women folk drives away harmful insects from the rice field.
Tengteng : It is another folk instrument made of a piece of bamboo having nodes at either end. Two strips of bark from one side of the bamboo cylinder are taken out. Once removed the remaining parts in between are scrapped and bamboo bridges are provided at each end of the strips. It is played with a small bamboo stick. This instrument of the cowherd is not seen nowadays.
Khutital : The miniature variety of Cymbal is called Khutital. It is made like a Patital and is used in Oja-Pali dance in various religious functions.
Karbi Tribe
Cheng-Lang-Pong : It is a pair of bamboo sticks having nodes at one end. They are thumped on the ground to keep time and rhythm dance and music. It is played with lullaby, bucolics and other songs.
Cheng-Kum-Bang : It is an improved device of Cheng-long-pong. It is accompanied with lullaby, bucolics and in the recitation of Karbi Ramayan called Sabin Alun.
Bodo Tribe
Jhap-Ching-Ring or Khanjari: It is made of two pieces of wooden sheets each 10 inches long. The end portions are bored and fitted with small cymbals by means of sticks. It is operated by grasping at the middle. It is used in most of the folk festivals. They use this in their folk dances and songs.
Rabha Tribe
Bakok-Tamkai : It is made from a pair of bamboo cylinders each 1 ft long. It is played by thumping on the ground. It is played by thumping on the ground. It is played by the Rabhas in Garja and Tura pujas.
Bakao-Dangdai : It is like the Bakok-tamkai differing slightly. Here one of the bamboo cylinders is a bit shorter and it is played with 2 nos of sticks. It is also played by Rabhas in Gajra and Tura pujas.
Badung-Duppa : This is made from a bamboo cylinder having nodes at both ends. The outer coating of the cylinder is torn like wires. Sticks are inserted at both ends. The wires are beaten with a stick to create sound. Rabhas use Badung-duppa instrument in most of their songs and dances.
Mising Tribe
Dumpak :It is made from a bamboo cylinder having node at one end and played with a bamboo stick. The end with the node is scraped slightly on one side and is struck with a stick to emit various sounds. It is accompanied with Ai-nitam, Lotta-choman and Lereli choman festivals.
Dentug : It is made from a variety of bamboo called ‘silung’. The outer rind of the bamboo cylinder is peeled off and struck with a stick to emit sound. It is accompanied with Ai-nitam, Lotta-Choman and Lereli-choman festivals.
Sapraung :5 or 6 pairs of shells of snails are arranged in opposite order on a bamboo stick. When the frame is agitated at the other end it emits a sweet musical sound . It is accompanied with songs and dances.
Tea Tribe
Rogoidang : It is made from a bigger size of Dalbamboo used in dance and song but it is obsolete now.
Kortal : It is made from a wooden frame fitted with a few pairs of small cymbals used in songs and dances.
Khersang or Segorh : It consists of a pair of bamboo brooms bound crosswise and played by friction with a rough bamboo splinter. It is normally played by women. It is used in puja and marriage festivals.
Daskathiya : It is made from two bamboo strips about 8 inches long and 2 inches wide. It accompanies devotional songs.
Moran Tribe
Dhutong : It is made from one cubit long bamboo cylinder about one year old. The nodes and the outer rinds are cleared off and made thinner. It is then baked for a while. One of the open ends is placed on the abdomen and struck twice with a bamboo stick about 1 foot long. It is then lifted and again struck twice. By repetition of the process a sweet musical sound “tung-tung-tang-tang” is produced. In earlier days, it used to be the main instrument of the folk festivals.
Hajong Tribe
Ramtal : Small Cymbals are attached to a wooden frame of about 1 foot to make the Ramtal. The Hajongs use this in almost all songs and dances.
Samuktal : 3 or 4 pairs of snail-shells are tied to a bamboo splinter. They are rubbed with a bamboo stick to emit a sweet sound. Almost all the tribal ceremonies are attended with Samuktal.
Therthera : It is made from a piece of a bamboo cylinder having two nodes finely split at one end. It is then played by striking against the palm of the left hand. It is a common instrument used in almost all ceremonies.