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.