Faridkot Tumbi Folk Instrument Making

The tumbi is a single-string plucked instrument of Punjab, a small gourd or brass resonator attached to a bamboo neck with a single wire string plucked with the index fingernail, producing the sharp high-pitched squeal that drives Bhangra and Punjabi folk music. Instrument makers in Faridkot and Ferozepur craft tumbis from brass or aluminium resonators, bamboo stalks, and iron tuning pegs; the instrument is inexpensive and portable, making it accessible to village musicians. Master tumbi players like Lal Chand Yamla Jatt from Ferozepur area elevated it to a solo instrument identity, and the tumbi sound has been adopted into global Punjabi pop music.