Musical instruments of the Indian subcontinent can be broadly classified according to the Hornbostel–Sachs system into four categories: chordophones (string instruments), aerophones (wind instruments), membranophones (drums) and idiophones (non-drum percussion instruments).
Chordophones
Plucked strings
- Ancient Veena
- Bulbul Tarang
- Dilruba
- Dotar, Dotora, or Dotara
- Ektara
- Getchu Vadyam or Jhallari
- Gopichand, Gopiyantra or Khamak
- Gottuvadhyam or Chitravina
- Katho
- Sarod
- Sitar
- Surbahar
- Surshringar
- Swarabat
- Swarmandal
- Tambura
- Tritantri Veena
- Tumbi
- Tuntuna
- Hansa Veena
- Mohan Veena
- Nakula Veena
- Nanduni
- Pamiri rubab
- Rudra Veena, also called Bīn in North India
- Sagar Veena
- Saraswati Veena
- Vichitra Veena
- Yazh
- Ranjan Veena
- Mayuri Veena
- Rubab (instrument)
- Triveni Veena
Bowed strings
- Chikara
- Dhantara
- Dilruba
- Ektara
- Esraj
- Kamaicha
- Kingri
- Mayuri veena or Taus
- Onavillu
- Behala
- Pena
- Pinaka veena
- Pulluvan veena - one-stringed violin
- Ravanahatha
- Sarangi
- Sarinda
- Tar Shehnai
- Villu - arched musical bow
Other string instruments
Aerophones
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Single reed
Double reed
- Kuzhal
- Mukhavina
- Nadaswaram
- Shehnai
- Sundari
- Tangmuri
Flute
Bagpipes
Free reed
Free reed and bellows
Brass
- Bigul – see Bugle
- Ekkalam
- Karnal
- Kombu (instrument)
- Ramsinga
- Kahal
- Nagfani
- Turi
- Tutari
Membranophones
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Hand drums
- Dhad
- Damru
- Dimadi
- Dhol
- Dholak
- Dholki
- Duggi
- Ghat singhari or Gada Singari
- Ghumot
- Gummeta
- Kanjira
- Khol
- Kinpar and Dhopar (Tribal Drums)
- Madal
- Mardala
- Maddale
- Maram
- Mizhavu
- Mridangam
- Naal
- Pakhavaj
- Pakhavaj Jori – Sikh instrument similar to Tabla
- Panchamukha vadyam
- Pung cholom
- Shuddha Madalam or Maddalam
- Tabala / Tabl / Chameli – goblet drum
- Tabla
- Tabla Tarang – set of Tablas
- Tamate
- Thanthi Panai
- Thimila
- Tumbak, Tumbaknari, Tumbaknaer
- Tumdak'
- Udukku
Hand frame drums
- Daf, duf, or dafli – medium or large frame drum without jingles, of Persian origin
- Dubki, dimdi or dimri – small frame drum without jingles
- Kanjira – small frame drum with one jingle
- Kansi – small drum without jingles
- Patayani thappu – medium frame drum played with hands
Stick and hand drums
Stick drums
Idiophones
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- Chimta – fire tong with brass jingles
- Chengila – metal disc
- Elathalam
- Geger – brass vessel
- Ghanti – Northern Indian bell
- Ghatam and Matkam (Earthenware pot drum)
- Ghungroo
- Khartal or Chiplya
- Manjira or jhanj or taal
- Nut – clay pot
- Sankarjang – lithophone
- Thali – metal plate
- Thattukazhi mannai
- Yakshagana bells
Melodic
- Jal tarang, ceramic bowls with water
- Kanch tarang, a type of glass harp
- Loh tarang (लोह तरंग), a set of tuned gongs
- Kashtha tarang, a type of xylophone
Hand harmonium
Dwarkanath Ghose (Dwarkin) modified the French pedal harmonium.
Electronic
- Roland HandSonic
- Electronic tanpura
- Electronic (digital) tabla
- Talameter
