Tumbi

The instrument has made an amazing career: First, the tumbi became the standard accompaniment of folk singer in the Punjab during the 20th century. Then it became popular among the Indian and Pakistani expatriate communities in the UK and the U.S., together with the danceable Bhangra music. At the same time it was frequenly used in Bhangra scenes in Bollywood movies. And finally, after the turn of the millennium, it even became fashionable among international hip-hop stars.

The tumbi consists of a wooden staff with a small resonator made of pumpkin and covered by a skin attached to its lower end. At the upper end of the staff it has has a peg which holds a single string. The string is attached to the lower end of the staff and passes over a small bridge on the skin covering the resonator. With the fingers of the left hand, the string can be pressed onto the wooden staff to change the pitch. The tumbi is plucked with upward and downward movements of the right index finger. The other fingers of the right hand hold the tumbi at the staff directly above the resonator.