Iktara

This String instrument of India basically means a single-stringed (ek - one, tara - string) instrument. It is also known as iktar, ektar or gopichand and perhaps the oldest of the stringed instruments in the Indian subcontinent.

It is famously associated with the saint Mirabai. Originally, this instrument was a regular string instrument, which is plucked with one finger. Thus, the playing style of this instrument is a simultaneous pluck and gong, matching the rhythm of the music. This instrument is very popular in folk music, having a strong rustic connotation. Thus, these instruments are commonly used in chanting kirtans by Sadhus, holy men or also for Sufi chanting as well as by the Bauls of Bengal. It is also used for the traditional and modern forms of Bhangra, which sometimes use it to accompany the singer and dhol. 

The ektara usually has a stretched single string, an animal skin over a head, which is made of dried pumpkin/gourd, wood or coconut and pole neck or split bamboo cane neck. By pressing the two halves of the neck together, can change the pitch, thus creating an unusual sound. The strings of the ektara give a range of tones by applying pressure at various points along the neck. This is a musical instrument that does not have markings for notes, and is played by assumption. The various sizes are a soprano ektara, tenor ektara, or bass ektara. The bass ektara, sometimes called a dotara often has two strings. 

But a typical Bengali Ektara is constructed out of a half of a dried gourd shell serving as the sound-box, with a metal string running right through the middle of the shell. At the top, the string is tied to a knob, which adjusts the tension of the string and thereby, the tuning-the knob and the string-tension is supported by two bamboo-strips, tied to two opposite sides of the gourd shell. The Ektara and the Ghati Baya, together form a complete set accompaniments, especially to Devotional and Deolati musical traditions. The string, as in a Dotara, is tuned to the main/root note of the composition.

Tambura or Tanpura

Tambura is a type of a stringed instrument. It is a long-necked Indian lute, which is unfretted and round-bodied. It has derived its name from the Persian word Tanbur.

It possesses three different styles which are chosen according to the preference of the performers. This Indian musical instrument contains the vital element of music, drone. The harmonic or monophonic effect is continuously sounded throughout the piece, sustained or repeated, which establishes a tonality upon which the rest of the piece is built. 

The name `tanpura` is believed to have derived from `tana` that refers to a musical phrase and pura which means "full" or "complete". Thus the tanpura is an instrument which supports and sustains the melody by providing a dynamic harmonic resonance field based on one precise tone, the basic note or key-note. Tanpura or Tambura works on the principle of jivari. 

The Tambura is also commonly known as tanpura, whose neck is hollow, with four or five wire strings. The strings are plucked one after another in a regular pattern to create a tonic resonance field. In the Hindustani classical music, the tambura comes in different sizes: bigger "males" and smaller "females". The male instrument has an open string length of one metre; the female is sized down to 3/4. This Indian musical instrument is available with standard tuning. This instrument produces rich buzzing sound and is applied in order to attain the overtone-rich sound. 

The Tambura is designed in three different styles namely Miraj Style, Tanjore Style and Tamburi Style. Each style features different shapes as well as varied working pattern. 

The styles of Tambura are described as: 

Miraj Style :

It is the favourite form for Hindustani performers. Miraj style is usually available between three to five feet in length, with a well-rounded resonator plate (tabali) and a long, hollow straight neck. The round lower chamber to which the tabli and the neck (dandh) are fixed is actually a selected and dried gourd (tumba). 

Tanjore Style :

It is a south Indian style of tambura, which is used widely by Carnatic music performers. It has a different shape and style of decoration, but is otherwise much the same size as the Miraj style. Typically, no gourd is used, but the spherical part is gouged out of a solid block of wood. The neck is somewhat smaller in diameter. 

Tamburi Style :

This style is much more popular recently, due to its small size and portability. It is two to three feet long, with a shallow resonator and a slightly curved tabali. It has about four to six strings. The small five-string tamburi are tuned to the higher octave and are the preferred instruments for providing the drone for solo-performances by string-playing artists.

Sarod

Sarod is a classical Indian musical instrument belonging to the family of string instruments. The Sarod is played with a plectrum and is notable among string instruments for the absence of frets along the neck.

Sarod is one of the leading concert instruments of North Indian Classical Music. This string instrument is most likely non-Indian in origin. The Sarod has four melody strings tuned to Sa, Pa, Sa, Ma and it is played with a triangular plectrum. 

History of Sarod 

The details of its development in India are quite different to trace. In all likelihood, it originated from the Rebab, an instrument from the Middle East. Its use in Indian Classical Music can be traced back to one of the master musicians of Indian music, Tansen. He was one of the most fantastic singers andBbinkars in the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar. Today, the Rebab has been replaced by the Sarod in the performances of Indian Classical music. It is said that Khan Saheb Asadullah Khan introduced the Sarod in Bengal over a century ago, and since then Bengal has become noted for the manufacture and popularization of this instrument. 

Structure of Sarod 

It has a hollow circular belly to which is attached a tapering neck whose slim top portion holds the tuning pegs. Therefore it is a lute-type instrument. The shape of the belly of the instrument is distinctive in that it is pinched just below the place where the neck is attached. The use of wood for the belly of the Sarod and the use of parchment to cover the belly were retained from Rebab construction. The Sarod is usually three to three and a half feet long and has a body of teakwood overlaid with a fingerboard of polished metal, which facilitates sliding the finger along the strings. One of the distinctive features of the Sarod is that unlike the other string instruments it does not have a fret. The job of the frets is done by the left hand which is used for stopping the strings along the smooth fingerboard. 

There are four or five metal strings on the Sarod. These are tuned Pa Sa Pa Sa Ma and Sa Pa Sa Ma, respectively. The lowest string is brass and the rest are steel. The lowest-pitched string, Kharaj Sa (or Pa), is closest to the player`s face. In addition, there are three to five Chikari (drone and rhythm) strings and anywhere from eleven to sixteen sympathetic strings. The Sarod has four bridges, the main one that sits on the parchment over the belly, a secondary bridge (called a Jawari bridge) at the neck of the instrument, and two smaller bridges attached to the pegged side of the instrument. The Jawari bridge is wide, and is constructed such that it will add a buzz to the sounds produced by the four strings it supports (one drone string and three sympathetic strings, all of which are called jawari strings because they cross that bridge). The main bridge holds strings at three levels. Over the top go the playing strings, one jawari string (a drone string tuned to Sa), and the other two drone strings (tuned to Sa and Sa). One level down, the remaining three jawari strings (the sympathetic strings) go through small holes in the bridge. The lowest level of holes is for the remainder of the sympathetic strings. The sympathetic strings, called tarab, are all made of steel. 

Playing of Sarod 

The Sarod is played with a plectrum held in the right hand. The plectrum is like a rounded-off triangle about one and a half to two inches across the base and from apex to base. The apex hits the strings. The plectrum is made either of coconut shell or of wire. Its base is embedded in beeswax so that it is easier to hold between the thumb and index finger. 

Two of the most well know Sarod players in India are Sharan Rani and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.

Swarmandal

The Swarmandal is basically a small harp and a type of an Indian stringed instrument. It is generally used for the drone to accompany the vocalists. The Indian harp is used in many traditional Hindu and Muslim rituals, and is a traditional instrument. 

The Swara (notes) and Mandal (group) represent its ability to produce a large number of notes. It has been used for many generations, dating back to the pre-Moghul era; though still used today; its use is not as widespread. 

This instrument measures from twenty four to thirty inches in length and twelve to fifteen inches in width. The singer may choose to employ any number of strings from 21 to 36. 

The strings are hooked in the nail lodged in the right edge of swarmandal and on the left, twirl around rectangular pegs which can be tightened with a special key. A sharp half-inch ridge is built on both sides of swarmandal a little apart from the nails on which the strings are tightened. This ridge functions as bridge on both sides. 

There is no standarized size for the surmandal, since there are no standard number of strings. Also different individuals will sing from different keys, thus the tunes of the surmandal, which every musician tunes, is different from the other.

Shehnai

Shehnai is the predominant double-reed instrument used in North Indian music. The size of the Shehnai ranges from one to one and a half feet. Whether the instrument Shehnai was imported into India from Central or West Asia is not certain; the word certainly was. Other instruments related to this one are the Sundri and Naferi which are small sized oboes. 

History of Shehnai :

The instrument of the Shehnai (or Surnai) is believed to have been introduced in India by the Muslims. One of its most prominent uses was in the ensemble called the naubat (or nahabet), which played at the courts of the Mughal Emperors. 

The naubat consisted of a varying number of specific instruments - kettledrums of various sizes, other types of drums, trumpets, horns, cymbals, and Shehnais with their accompanying drones. This naubat disseminated the status of the Shehnai, which came to be regarded an indispensable part of every celebrations of every religion. Slowly, it began to be during pujas. 

The Shehnai came to be associated with the temple and thereby came to be called a `mangal vadya` or an auspicious instrument. While a person belonging to the priestly class blew the Shankh, or the conch, during sacred rituals inside the worship area, Shehnai players, who belonged to the lower caste, played the reed instrument from outside the worship area. No social ceremony such as engagement, marriage, childbirth and the investiture of the sacred thread was complete without the soothing strains of the Shehnai. Again, the Shehnai players had to play their instrument from outside the precincts of the house for reasons related to caste. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that this instrument was granted the status of a classical instrument. 

Construction of Shehnai :

It is made completely of wood except for the metal bell at its enlarged lower end. The bore is conical. The basically functional parts are two: the reed and the tube. There are two small reeds held together, leaving small gap between them. The reeds are fixed to the tube of the instrument, either directly or by means of a metallic staple. The main body of the instrument is the tube which is the resonator. It is conical in shape, narrow near the blowing end and opening out gradually. Usually, there is metallic `bell` at the farther end. 

The tube is usually of wood, but may be of metal also. It has a total of seven playing holes and one or two more for adjusting the pitch. The double reed is attached to a narrow stem that rises out of the top of the instrument. Like the Nadasvaram, one plays the Shehnai by controlling the flow of air through the column (though with a different technique), and obtains desired pitches by partially or completely covering the holes. The accompanying drone (sruti or sur) is provided by a fellow reed instrument, which looks like the Shehnai but has only two or three holes. These are stopped wholly or partially with wax so that the player can tune the drone to the desired pitch. 

Playing of Shehnai :

As with flute, all musical notes are produced by the controlled flow of breath through the reed into the tube area. Agile finger-work is required to execute the movements, graces and ornaments of classical music. The production of musical notes is wholly dependent on the manipulation of the fingering technique - i.e., the full closure or partial closure of the blow holes. Alongside the various positioning of the jaw, the tongue and the lips also help in the production of various musical movements and graces. 

A seasoned player uses a combination of lip and tongue-work along with dexterous fingering during recitals. The drone during the concert is provided by a pipe, called the Sur, whose seven blow holes are blocked-up with wax, is used to provide the continuous drone. A small earthen kettle drum, called Duggad, provides the rhythmic accompaniment. However, these days it is not uncommon for the Shehnai player to use the Tabla alongside the Duggad. Varanasi is to this day the leading producer of some of the finest Shehnais in the country. 

Players of Shehnai :

The contributions made by players such as Chhote Khan, Gaurishankar and Nandlal, who was Chhote Khan`s disciple, belonging to Benaras, to elevate the Shehnai to the level of a concert instrument has been immense. In fact, more than any other city, it is Benaras that has come to be associated with the instrument and still continues to produce some of the finest players on the country. More than anyone, it is Ustad Bismillah Khan who was solely responsible for popularising the Shehnai as a concert instrument both nationally and internationally.

Santoor

The santoor is essentially a stringed instrument, having its origin in the Vedic times, during which it was referred to as a veena of the forests. However, with the passage of time, it got lost in the tumults and tribulations. Yet, it had a gained a lasting inpression in human mind, with its rhythmic tonal quality sustained in various countries in various names. 

Extensively associated with Kashmir and its heavenly valleys, the origins of santoor also lie in Kashmir, with the override of the Muslim invaders into Shaivism. Thus, Sufi santoor came into use; but, it vastly differs with the santoor of today, precisely played by Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma. The santoors of the Soofiana Qalam and Shiv Kumar Sharma ensemble differ in terms of number of strings, number of bridges, the way in which it is played and the material with which it is manufactured. The lilting sound, the tingling tone of the strings, lithely strummed brings out the musical wonder in every listener. Yet, with all these fascinating features, the santoor does have some shortcomings, that need to be bettered by the playing geniuses. 

No other Indian instrument can capture the cool luxuriance and mist-laden beauty of the Himalayan valley as the santoor, which has become synonymous today with Kashmir. The modern day santoor hypothetically traces its origins to the shata-tantri veena of Vedic times. This instrument was made of strings of the munja grass, and was called the vana veena, or the veena of the forests in ancient times and was played using strikers. Though this veena got lost in the flow of time, the vernal splendour of the forests it encapsulated in its strings, echoes in its successor, the 100-stringed santoor of today. Musicologists hold that variants of the santoor exist in countries as diverse as China, where it is called the yang chin, Greece, where it is called the santoori, as also Iran, where a 72 string version of the instrument is used. The folk instrument called the hammered dulcimer, found in certain parts of Europe, also bears a close resemblance to the santoor. 

While the instrument is said to have existed in Kashmir, after a series of Islamic invasions during the medieval times, during which the original Shaivite inhabitants of the valley were mercilessly slaughtered or forcibly converted, it underwent many modifications. After the living religious practices of the land were desecrated by pillaging armies, the culture of the region too underwent sweeping changes. Sufism took the place of the predominant Shaivism. The Sufis adopted the santoor as part of their musical ensemble called the Soofiana Qalam, where it was played along with instruments like the rabab and the sitar to the accompaniment of religious singing. Yet the raaga-based mode of playing remained largely intact because the Sufis adopted the Persian musical scale, muqqam, which resembles the Indian raaga system. The santoor used in the Soofiana Qalam had 100 strings stretched over 25 bridges, with each bridge possessing four strings. Each set of four strings, two tuned to the upper and two to the lower octaves, produced a distinct musical note. The strikers were made of kashta wood, which is peculiar to Kashmir. 

The santoor as one understands today is largely the result of the innovations and changes of brought about in the Soofiana instrument by Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma. Yet there are other players like Bhajan Sopori who still use the Soofiana instrument consisting of 100 strings. The santoor used by Shiv Kumar Sharma has only 86 strings and is tuned differently. There are other differences as well between the modernized santoor used by Shiv Kumar Sharma and those who follow his style, and the traditional Soofiana instrument. In any event, being an instrument that has been elevated to the level of a classical instrument since 1960s, its design and technical features have not been standardized as yet. Variations exist with regard to the number of strings, their arrangement and thickness, the number of bridges as also the modes of playing adopted by different players. 

The sound box of the santoor, which acts as a resonance chamber, is made of the wood of mulberry or, in some instances, walnut. The bridges are made of rosewood, and their upper portion is covered usually with ivory to obtain a fine tone. The strings, which are approximately 86 to 100 in number, are tuned differently. The ones made of steel are tuned to the higher octave, while the thicker strings made of copper or bronze are tuned to the lower octave. The strings are hooked to metallic pins on one side and, on the other, tied to tapering tuning pegs through a hollow drilled in them. The player tunes the instrument by using a tuning key with which he tightens or loosens the strings. The number of strings passing through each bridge is usually three or four. Shiv Kumar Sharma used only three strings tuned to the middle and upper octave per bridge, while the Soofiana santoor uses four. The number of bridges varies from 25 to 29. The player usually places the instrument on his lap and strikes the strings with a pair of strikers, resembling the upper body of a snake, made of rosewood or walnut. The strikers used by Shiv Kumar Sharma are heavier than the ones used by the Soofiana players, because heavier strikers give a more sustained tone. 

Notes are produced by striking the set of strings that produce the notes of the raaga using both the strikers. The left hand strikes have to be complemented by the right hand strikes to produce the desired notes. The volume of each note would depend on the strength of each stroke. Players get the desired tonalities and pitches by shifting the angle of the striker, as also the stress given to the strikes. Stylistic variations are numerous in this regard. 

Though a very popular concert instrument in contemporary times, as an instrument, it possesses certain inherent limitations. For instance, since each set of strings can produce only certain notes, the instrument offers little scope for producing subtler tones or the shrutis so characteristic of Indian classical music. Importantly, the struck sound decays no sooner than it is produced, given that the strings cannot give a continuous and sustained sound, as in the case of the sitar or the sarod. Therefore, this instrument cannot produce complex musical graces such as meends and gamaks. Numerous techniques have been adopted by major players to overcome this serious deficiency, yet most measures have only proved to be partially successful in overcoming this constraint. While many highly accomplished players like Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma and Bhajan Sopori have attempted to render many of the solemn raagas using a variety of techniques and effects, the results have not left one convinced of the range and possibilities of the existing santoor. Yet such attempts themselves are not pointless, for they may lead to radical modifications to rectify such inherent limitations in the future. However, despite its limitations, the santoor possesses the most refreshing tone of all the instruments that achieved classical status in the 20th century.

Sarangi

The sarangi is such an instrument that possibly has experienced every kind of hostile and smooth atmosphere to finally see the brilliant light of the day. 

Sarangi has its origin in the initial folk instruments of Rajasthan or the ones the Sindhis used to play. Traditionally, the name suggests a hundred hues of tonal colours. It is an extremely diversified instrument, closely resembling the human voice. This character makes the instrument a favourite of the now-a-days sarangi concerts. However, it had a hard time to compete with the rather illustrious instruments like sitar or sarod. So much so that, during the 19th century, when thumri was at its peak, the sarangi and its players were just basely associated with the nautch girls and the kothas. 

Additionally, the primary playing strings were made of animal gut, which meant that aristocratic Hindus would never touch it. The sarangi is much hefty looking and it does not possess any frets. The player requires sitting in a special synchronized position to play it with ease. 

Among all the bowed North Indian instruments, it is the sarangi that comes closest to the human voice. Instruments resembling the sarangi can be found among several tribes, local groups and communities in the country. 

The Ravanahatta veena, a kind of folk fiddle, used in Rajasthan is one that is played with its sound box facing the body of the player, unlike the sarangi whose sound box faces downwards. Most scholars` hold that the sarangi originated from folk fiddles, like the kamaicha or the Sindhi sarangi, prevalent in Rajasthan and other parts of North-Western India. 

The Langa and Manganiya communities of traditional musicians of Rajasthan use folk versions of sarangi to this day. The skin used to cover the sound box of the sarangi was that of the spotted deer or the saranga as it is called in Sanskrit. Some musicians and sarangi players suggest that there is a pun on the word sarangi as it also suggests saurangi or 100 spotted or tonal colours. 

As an instrument, the sarangi is somewhat ungainly looking compared to the elegant and sleek sitar or sarod. Its design and structure are not as standardized as several other instruments. Variations do exist. Yet structurally, it comprises of the deep-set belly (peth), the narrowed neck (chhathi) and the head (magaj). These parts are all made from one single hollowed piece of wood, usually the tun. 

The sound box or the body is covered with the skin of a young goat. The main playing strings, which are three in number corresponding to the low, middle and high octaves are made of animal gut; there is also a fourth sympathetic string made of brass. It also has as many as 35 to 40 metallic sympathetic strings running below the main playing strings. These are tuned using elaborate sets of wooden tunets placed on the side of the instrument. They are divided into 4 different "choirs". On the lowest level are a diatonic row of 9 tarabs and a chromatic row of 15 tarabs, each encompassing a full octave plus 1-3 extra notes above or below. 

Between these lower tarabs and the main playing strings are two more sets of longer tarabs, which pass over a small flat ivory bridge at the top of the instrument. Being a fretless instrument, the player uses the base of his nail and finger tip of his left hand to stop the sound while bowing the instrument, using a horsehair bow or gaz with his right hand. 

While playing, the player places the belly of the instrument on the floor or between the feet and the upper end rests on his shoulder. The coordination of the right hand bowing technique with the left hand fingering and stopping calls for great skills in synchronization. The best players are those who can harmonise both the bowing and the fingering in graceful and sustained ways. 

Historically, it is not until the 19th century that one gets prominent references to the sarangi, as it exists in the present form, as the favourite accompanying instrument for khayal and thumri concerts. Following the eclipse of dhrupad and the confinement of khayal in princely courts in the 19th century, thumri rose in popular esteem. 

The only instrument which could appropriately capture the fleeting nuances of the human voice as also the romantic and tuneful turns of thumri was and is the sarangi. Miserably, it also came to be associated with the hedonist and aesthete culture of the kothas and nautch girls; so much so that sarangi players began to gather a sleazy reputation in the eyes of moral prudes, influenced as they were by the uptight morality of the colonial British ruling class. The decline of the kothas, from the late 19th century, owing to several social, cultural and historical factors, added to the instrument`s list of woes. In several parts of North and East India, the decline of the aristocratic class and landed gentry who patronized the courtesans as also the corresponding rise of the puritanical middle class, who took a prejudiced view of the courtesan culture, contributed greatly to the marginalisation of the sarangi players. 

Even earlier, few musicians hailing from a sound background took to the instrument, allured as they were by the more `respectable` instruments like the sitar and the sarod. Some of the reasons for this seem quite obvious, given the unwritten taboos operating in one`s cultural unconscious. For one, the strings of the sarangi were made of animal gut, which meant that Hindus kept away from it. Therefore, only Muslims and low caste Hindus took to it in the 19th century, leading to their lowly musical status made, of course, worse by their lowly social status. Their knowledge of the principles of classical music, for some reason, was considered to be inadequate or scanty, as they had not undergone rigorous training in vocal or instrumental music under finicky and fastidious ustads. 

These factors, coupled with the prudery of the new middle class patrons and listeners hailing from Maharashtra, naturally led to the decline of the instrument well into the 20th century. Yet it is also a fact that reputed sarangi players taught classical vocal music to courtesans well into the 20th century; for few know the nuances of tuneful music as they do. 

During the later part of the 19th century, and early parts of the 20th century, several khayal singers started using the sarangi as their chief accompaniment. However, with the entry of the `meek` harmonium, first in Calcutta and later in other parts of the country, during the very end of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th centuries, the fortunes of the sarangi suffered an irreversible setback. 

The upstart harmonium, caustically referred to by some musicologists as the `bastard progeny` of a despicable Indo-European fling, soon became the preferred instrument for accompaniment of several khayal, thumri and ghazal performers. As many serious musicians have said time and again, the unsubtle harmonium with its limited advantages cannot bring out the rich shruti or tonal shades so characteristic of Hindustani music. Importantly, neither can it execute the meends nor bring out the inflections, ornaments and intonations so typical of Hindustani music. In fact, Hindustani vocal recitals, both classical and light, achieve a tonal fullness and roundedness only when accompanied by its natural spouse, the sarangi. Given its natural ability to imitate the refinements of the human voice, the sarangi can tone with the singer`s voice and give it rich shadings or trail the singer while he or she sings. 

The sarangi can also produce an endless stream of continuous melody while the singer pauses for breath or rest during a recital. Curiously, vocal gharanas, which have a sarangi background like Kirana, Indore, Benaras and Patiala, soon began to resort to the harmonium either partially or totally, probably in a bid to disregard their true musical roots and thereby attain social respectability in the eyes of the musical community in the process. 

Yet they conveniently forgot that it was their sarangi background that gave their music its affecting tunefulness, as also the supreme focus on the beauty of note production. But they chose to leave behind the tradition that nurtured them. 

Today, a majority of the established sarangi players hail from parts of Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Towns like Moradabad, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Benaras, Meerut, Panipat and Sonipat have all along produced some of the best sarangi players of the 20th century. 

The sarangi`s stirringly emotional tone, so evocative of Indian landscapes and its changing moods at various times of the day and seasons, soon lost out to the sober keyboard instrument, due to the disloyalty committed by numerous singers. Singers had their own reasons for preferring the poorly nuanced harmonium to the tonally resplendent sarangi. 

They felt that while the sarangi sounded excellent in the vilambvit, it had a predisposition to screech when the fast sections were played. This last factor, which proved distracting and irritating to the singer, also quickened its exit from the stage. Also some singers felt that gifted sarangi players had a tendency to upstage them with their virtuoso improvisations leading again to the loading of the scales against the instrument. By the middle of the 20th century, the community of brilliant sarangi players, noted for their classical excellence, were either reduced to destitution or were compelled to return to the handful of kothas that existed in some parts of North India to eke out a living. 

For many decades, until a revival from the 1970s and 1980s on, the sarangi players went through bouts of insecurity made worse by their diminished self-esteem and sidelining by cultural establishments and institutions. Many noted players who were hereditarily sarangi players, even refused to teach their children the instrument and encouraged them to pick up more popular and lucrative instruments like the sarod and the sitar. The state of affairs was indeed sorry until some time back. This was the time which incited some of the gifted players to strike out on their own as soloists and help the instrument win back its lost glory on the national and international stage. In the hands of such players of genius as Ustad Bundu Khan, Pt. Ram Narayan, Ustad Ghulam Sabir Khan, Ustad Sagiruddin Khan and Pt. Gopal Mishra, and brilliant contemporary artists like Ustad Sultan Khan and the late Ustad Abdul Latif Khan of Bhopal, the fortunes of the instrument have revived considerably. The Sarangi Mela held in 1989 in Bhopal proved to be an important event for the more than 100 leading and upcoming instrumentalists who gathered there.

They reminded themselves of the urgent need to preserve and propagate their hoary and splendid traditions in the best way possible. Many talented young players, especially from traditional sarangi communities, are now coming forward to continue their family traditions and are making a name for themselves in the field. 

While there is much room for concern about the future of this instrument, given the slow ousting of it from the film industry, following the overthrow staged by electronic keyboards, there is definitely none for despair.

Veena

Veena is a classical Hindu Lute belonging to the family of string musical instruments. It is an ancient musical instrument which is said to have been invented by Narada, one of the seven great rishis, who was also a Veena maestro. 

The Veena is a plucked string instrument, four feet long, carved and with a hollowed structure made of wood, generally, jackwood. Good quality Veenas are carved from a single block of wood, whereas, the ordinary Veenas are divided into three sections, resonator, neck and head. Its tapering hollow neck contains metal frets set into wax on wooden tracks. One more resonator is present on the top of the long neck of the Veena. This is used as a stand to in the positioning of the instrument. Usually it has seven strings, made up of steel along with a long finger board containing 19 to 21 frets or supports. According to the number of strings there are several variations of the Veena. The performer has to place one gourd on the shoulder and the other one on the hip. 

There are several variations of the Veena and its designs have been evolved over the years. In the field of North Indian Classical Music, the bin, is most commonly used. It consists of a stem about three feet long that supports a bamboo fret board approximately twenty-two inches long and two and a half inches wide. It has twenty-four metal frets, which are set to the half-steps in two octaves. The frets are stationary, fixed in a resinous substance. The two resonating gourds are large, about fourteen inches in diameter. It has four main playing strings, which are tuned to Ma, Sa, Pa, and Re. This gives the instrument a total range of over three octaves. Most of the melody, however, is produced on the first string, which is closest to the player`s body. Three additional strings, which are suspended on the sides and not over the frets, are tuned to Sa, Sa, and Sa. These are drone and rhythm strings. The index and middle fingers of the right hand are used for plucking the melody strings; the little finger plays the drone. The index and middle fingers and occasionally the ring finger of the left hand reach around from under the stem to stop the strings. The plectrum used for the bin is like that of the sitar, but is worn sideways on the finger. Some binkars use their fingernail rather than a plectrum for plucking. The performer sits cross-legged and holds the instrument at a slant to the left shoulder, the upper gourd resting on the shoulder and the lower gourd on the right knee 

The Bin was the main stringed instrument of Hindustani Classical Music well into the 18th century. It was used as an accompaniment for vocal music. Accordingly, the bin players in the courts of the Mughal emperors had to sit behind the vocalists whom they accompanied. As the type of vocal music that the bin accompanied gave way in popularity to other types, the use of the instrument declined. On the other hand, it was gradually developed into a concert (i.e., solo) instrument by such musicians as Wazir Khan of Rampur early in the twentieth century. It is seldom played nowadays, but aficionados appreciate its deep and full tone. 

The modern Veena used in Carnatic music is quite different in construction from the northern Veena. Called the Saraswati Veena, the most noticeable difference in this type of Veena is the repositioning of one of its gourds so that the stem runs into it and is thus part of the body of the instrument. This Veena is therefore a lute-type instrument rather than a zither, since its stem becomes a neck. Its `gourd` is not actually a gourd any longer; it is a hollowed-out chunk of wood, usually jackfruit that is closed in by a flat piece of wood. At the opposite end of the stem is attached a scroll, which is usually carved into the head of a dragon. With the dragon head covered with gold leaf, as it often is, and the rest of the instrument, including the remaining gourd, gaily painted, the modern Veena is a gorgeous instrument. The dragon`s neck conceals a compartment containing a small amount of sandalwood paste that the player uses to help his fingers slide easily along the wire strings. The Saraswati Veena is said to be the abode of divinity as the Veena Danda represents Lord Shiva, the strings Parvati, the dragon head Lord Vishnu, the bridge Goddess Lakshmi, the balancing gourd Lord Brahma and the connecting metal cone Sarasvati. 

The Veena`s twenty-four metal frets, which are placed to produce the semitones of two octaves, are fixed in a resinous substance, as they are on the bin. Also as on the bin, the Veena has four playing strings and three strings (called talam strings) used for drone and rhythm. The Veena is tuned as the bin is. The player (vainika) sits cross-legged on the floor. The Veena is sometimes played vertically, like the bin, but is generally played horizontally, with the bowl of the Veena on the ground but supported by the right thigh. The small balancing gourd is to the left, touching the left thigh, so the degree of slant is small. The index and middle fingers of the right hand pluck the main strings with wire plectrums or false fingernails while the little finger strokes the drone strings. The left-hand fingers stop the strings and pull them sideways over the frets to produce ornaments and additional pitches. 

Other kinds of Veenas used in the realm of Indian music include: 

Vichitra Veena: This is a plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music and it is a comparatively recent addition to the Veena family. It is similar to the Gottuvadhyam Veena, since it has no frets and is played with a slide. The Vichitra Veena is made of a broad, fretless, horizontal arm or crossbar (dand) around three feet long and six inches wide, with two large resonating gourds (tumba), which are inlaid with ivory and attached underneath at either end. The narrow ends of the instrument are fashioned into peacock heads. This Veena has a five-octave range. There are four main playing strings and five secondary strings (chikaris), which are played openly with the little finger for a drone effect. Underneath them are 13 sympathetic strings tuned to the notes of the appropriate raag. 

Gottuvadhyam Veena: This musical instrument is also known as the Gottuvadyam, Chitra Veena or Mahanataka Veena and it is a Carnatic music string instrument. It is played mainly in South India and it is usually also used as a solo instrument in Carnatic music. This instrument resembles the Saraswati Veena in its general form, but in many ways it is unique. The name Gottuvadhyam literally means `block instrument.` It is a complicated ancient instrument with twenty-one strings, out of which there are six main strings used for melody that pass over the top of the instrument, three drone strings and about twelve sympathetic strings that run parallel and below the main strings. It is played with a slide in a manner somewhat like a lap steel guitar. The fingers on the right hand are usually used with plectra to pluck the metal melody strings while a cylindrical block made out of hardwood (often ebony), water buffalo horn, glass, steel, or teflon held by the left hand is used to slide along the strings to vary the pitch. It is made from a cylindrical block, hence the name. 

Mohan Veena: This is a stringed musical instrument used in Indian classical music and this was invented and popularised by Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. Though it comes in the category of classical instruments, it is not an ancient one, since it is actually a modified slide guitar with 20 strings: three melody strings, five drone strings strung to the peghead, and twelve sympathetic strings strung to the tuners mounted on the side of the neck. A tumba or gourd is screwed into the backside of the neck for improved sound quality and vibration. It is played by placing it in one`s lap. 

The Veena used to be considered an aristocrat among instruments. It was, and still is, used to accompany singing, and also functions as a solo instrument.