Handmade Wooden Kartal

Wooden Kartal is an ancient instrument mainly used in devotional / folk songs. It has derived its name from Hindi words ‘kara’ means hand and ‘tala’ means clapping. This wooden clapper is a Ghana Vadya which has discs or plates that produce a clinking sound when clapped together. A pair of wooden castanets with bells attached to them was the earliest form of the kartal. These pieces of wood are not connected in any way, however they can be clapped together at high speeds to make rapid complex rhythms.

Kartal Indian Music Instrument

Kartal is an ancient instrument mainly used in devotional / folk songs. It has derived its name from Hindi words ‘kara’ means hand and ‘tala’ means clapping. This wooden clapper is a Ghana Vadya which has discs or plates that produce a clinking sound when clapped together. It falls under the class of idiophones of self-sounding instruments that combine properties of vibrator and resonator. A pair of wooden castanets with bells attached to them was the earliest form of the kartal. These pieces of wood are not connected in any way, however they can be clapped together at high speeds to make rapid complex rhythms. Aside from being an excellent accompaniment instrument, kartal is the most portable percussion instrument in the world.