Ektara

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ektara

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the instrument classification?Drone lute, characterized by a single string and often a gourd resonator
2. What is the primary geographic distribution?Indian subcontinent, notably Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan
3. How does the Ektara make sound?When the player plucks the string with their fingernail, the string vibrates. The vibration travels to a bridge and then to a skin membrane that amplifies the sound, sending it out into the air.
4. Why do some Ektaras have more than one string or different shapes?The name "Ektara" is used for several instruments that share a single‑string idea. Some versions use a wooden bowl, others have a drum body, and a few have extra parts that let the player change the pitch.

Drone: A sustained, continuous musical note providing harmonic foundation, characteristic of the Ektara.
Lute: A stringed instrument characterized by a fretted neck and a hollow body, often with a rounded back.
Microtonal Inflection: Slight deviations in pitch between standard musical notes, used for expressive purposes.
Oral Tradition: The transmission of cultural knowledge, stories, and music from generation to generation by word of mouth.