India, one of the oldest civilizations of the world, is also one of the most
populated and most diverse countries on the planet. Indian culture; which
the Western world often perceives as somewhat mystic and mysterious; is an
amalgamation of various
religions
and
rituals,
diverse spiritual and tantric practices and different schools of
philosophical thought as well. The above-mentioned factors have always had a
heavy influence on Indian art, dance and music and have verily shaped the
very fabric of this culture.
The deeply spiritual nature of India reflects in the dance and music of this
country. While the rich variety of folk dance and
music adds
color and vibrancy, the traditional classical art forms; which is personally
passed on from acharya (preceptor) to shishya (pupil) and spanning across
several years of training; brings with it a sort of dignity and royal feel
to the art itself.
What sets apart Indian dance and music from that of the rest of world, is
that they actually mirror the land's religious and spiritual heritage - most
of them even have close links to Indian mythology.
Musical Instruments of India
This time on Dolls of India, we bring you a post on some of the most ancient
musical instruments of India - many of which hold a high degree of spiritual
significance and feature in tales of Indian mythology as well. Owing to the
sheer number of such
musical
instruments, we will be splitting the article into two parts; also
listing only the most popular instruments.
This section deals with stringed instruments.
Ektara
Ektara,
which literally means, "one string", is a one-stringed instrument, which is
typically used in traditional music across India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and
Egypt. It is alternatively called iktar, ektar, gopichand, gopichant, tun
tuna and yaktaro. This is essentially a drone lute, comprising a gourd
resonator, covered with skin. A neck of bamboo is attached to this and on it
is attached just one string. This instrument was originally used by
wandering bards and mendicants - they used to sing songs, plucking their
ektara with one finger, as musical accompaniment.
The
musician
could either hold the ektara with his hands or even hang it around his neck.
Pressing the two halves of the neck loosens the string, thereby reducing its
pitch. Further, it can be modulated by flexing its neck a little. This
drone-type instrument, which has a distinctive sound, has no markings on it.
Hence, it has to be played by the ear. A variant of the ektara, which is
more bass and has 2 strings, is called dotara (literally meaning "two
strings").
The Ektara is most commonly used by
Baul
singers from
Bengal, in Sufi music and during
Bhajan
and
Kirtan
(religious song and dance) sessions as well. Mirabai, one of the greatest
ever devotees of Lord Krishna, is often depicted holding the ektara; while
singing and dancing the praises of her Lord.
A smaller version of this instrument, called Tumbi, is associated with
Punjab's
Bhangra
style of song and dance. In some parts of Orissa, it is referred to as
Dudumah and Dung-Dungi. Today, some music bands have begun to incorporate
the instrument into their music, in a more contemporary fashion.
Tanpura (Tambura)
The tanpura or the tambura (in South India), a long-necked stringed
instrument, is used as a drone. It forms an essential part of Indian
classical music - though it does not play melodies, it supports the musician
or instrumentalist with its constant harmonic bourdon. The name tanpura is
derived from the roots, "tana" and "pura". Tana refers to a musical phrase,
while Pura means "full" or "complete". The constant and regular motion of
plucking its four strings, going on in a continuous loop, produces a
continuous harmonic sound, soothing and silencing the musician's mind to the
exclusion of everything else.
If plucked in the prescribed manner, the tanpura emanates a sound similar to
the
"AUM", the
primordial sound of
nature itself. It helps the musician get into a
meditative
state and focus on his or her music. Regular practice of music with the
tanpura not only helps them sustain their shruti (pitch) while singing or
playing an instrument, but also keeps their minds from wandering while in
practice or performance.
The first clear reference to the tanpura can be found in the Sangit Parijat
(1620), a treatise on ancient Indian music. It cannot be found in earlier
texts or sculptures, but has been extensively used after that era. By the
end of the 16th Century, the tanpura had developed fully and was included in
most Moghul paintings.
Construction
The tanpura has no frets and, usually 4 strings. Rarely, one can find 5 or 6
stringed tanpuras. The strings pass over a curved-top bridge, the front of
which gently slopes away from the surface of the strings. Its rich,
overtone-type sound is achieved by means of the jivari or jiva (literally
meaning "soul"), which results in its highly resonant and "buzzing" sound.
A cotton thread can be used and shifted between the string and the bridge of
the tanpura, in order to manipulate its harmonic content. Every string
produces its own resonance and cascading range of harmonics as well.
Musicians often use this unique feature to fine-tune their tanpuras to
present a particular "raga swaroop"; to portray exclusive characteristics of
that particular raga or melody.
Tanpuras vary in size and shape. "Male" tanpuras are larger than "female"
ones and are more bass as well.
Variants
Tanpuras are of 3 different styles:
- The Miraj style tanpura, usually used in Hindustani
music, is about 3 to 5 feet long, with a carved resonator and a hollow
straight neck. Its base is slightly flat, which helps it sit upright
without support.
- The Tanjavur style tambura, which is usually used
in Carnatic music, looks somewhat different from its North Indian
counterpart. It uses no gourd and the spherical part is gouged out from
a piece of seasoned wood. The neck is somewhat smaller and the base is
usually more rounded, necessitating the musician to give it support at
all times.
- Tanpuris are small-scale tanpuras, which are used
to accompany instrumental soloists. Normally about 2-3 feet long, they
look slightly flatter and can have 4-6 strings.
- Today, electronic tanpuras are very popular among
musicians and students alike. They are light, box-shaped and extremely
portable; and most importantly, closely imitate the sound of the actual
tanpura. Needless to say, most purists scoff at electronic tanpuras,
accusing them of having no artistic or acoustic value whatsoever.
Yazh
The Yazh, a
harp
used in ancient Tamil music, is the earliest predecessor of the modern-day
Veena. It was given this name, because the tip of its stem was carved into
the head of the mythological animal Yali. The Yazh was an open-stringed
polyphonous instrument, which used a stem made out of ebony; a wooden,
boat-shaped, skin-covered resonator; and gut strings.
Thiruvalluvar, the Tamil poet from 200 BC, makes clear mention of the Yazh
in his work, the Thirukkural. Tamil classic works of literature, dating back
to the Sangam period, have mentioned the Yazh as well. Silappadikaaram,
penned by Tamil king Ilango Adigal, speaks about 4 kinds of Yazhs, namely,
Periyazh (21 strings), Makarayazh (19 stings), Cakotayazh (14 strings) and
Cenkottiyazh (7 strings). There are 2 more types, including the Mayil Yazh
(resembling a peacock) and the Vil Yazh (resembling a bow).
Several other treatises in Tamil literature too feature this instrument.
Besides, the Yazh can be seen in the sculptures of the Darasuram and
Thirumayam temples as well.
Saraswati Veena
The
Saraswati
Veena is a stringed instrument, named after
Saraswati,
the Goddess of Knowledge and the Arts. Incidentally, she is usually depicted
holding a Veena. The National Musical Instrument of India, it is also
sometimes referred to as the Raghunatha Veena, this is largely used in South
Indian Carnatic music. The Veena has several variants, including Chitra
Veena, Vichitra Veena, Rudra Veena, Mohan Veena and so on. A practitioner of
the Veena is called a Vainika.
The bass resonance of the Veena helps it come closest to the human voice -
it can be used to play any music at all, ranging from traditional to
contemporary to folk to film music.
History of the Veena
The
Veena
is probably one of the most ancient of Indian instruments - it dates back to
about 1500 BCE. In earlier times, the tone vibrating from the hunter's bow
string, as he shot an arrow, is what inspired the creation of the Vil Yazh
(mentioned above, in the Yazh section). This ‘twang' sound is even mentioned
in the ancient Atharva Veda.
Eventually, twisted bark, some grass strands and root, vegetable fiber and
animal gut were used to create the very first strings. Over the course of
time, the Veena went through various stages of evolution, till it started
being used in its present form.
The evolution of the Veena is most interesting. First, a harp-like
instrument called Akasa was created. This was tied up to the tops of trees
and sound would be produced by the strings vibrating in the wind! Then came
the Audumbari Veena, which was generally played by wives of Vedic priests,
during the course of their Yagnas (sacrificial rituals).
The number of strings too ranged from one string to a hundred; they were
made out of different materials as well, such as animal and bird bone,
bamboo, wood and even coconut shells. Earlier, the yazh was considered to
belong to the Veena family. However, as the Veena started developing more
and more and started including frets as well, the yazh faded out into
oblivion.
The Veena's fret system and the usage of strings passing over a bridge, made
it easy for vainikas to play ragas (melodies), with the subtle gamakas
(semitones and quartertones), which are a vital part of Indian classical
music.
In olden times, Veenas used to be played vertically. Temple sculptures and
books are proof of this. However, after the advent of great vainikas such as
Muthuswamy Dikshitar (one of the Trinity of Carnatic Music), they began to
be played horizontally.
The current form of the Saraswati Veena includes 24 fixed frets, sitting on
a long wooden fingerboard. This form evolved in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu,
during the reign of Raghunatha Nayak. This is why it is called Raghunatha
Veena or the Thanjavur Veena as well. In some of its earlier avatars, the
Veena used to have far less frets - in some cases, the entire fingerboard
was movable, much like the Harmonium.
The present form of the Veena was developed from the Kinnari Veena, which
was again made in Thanjavur. Besides this, the purest natural sound is given
by the grand Mysore Veena, the Bobbili Veena of Vijayanagaram and so on.
While the Saraswati Veena is generally considered to belong to the lute
family, other Veenas such as the Rudra Veena and the Vichitra Veena were
technically considered to be zithers. Out of respect for the instrument,
Tansen and his descendants reserved the Rudra Veena only for family, also
calling it Saraswati Veena.
Construction
The Veena is usually about 4 feet in length. The design comprises a kudam
(large resonator), which is carved and hollowed from a log of seasoned wood;
a dandi (tapering hollow neck) and a long fingerboard, on which 24 brass or
bell-metal frets are fixed with the help of a concoction made out of beeswax
and certain other substances. At the other end of the wooden fingerboard is
an ornamental yali (inverted dragon head). This can sometimes be a peacock
head as well. a wooden bridge, referred to as the kudurai, is topped by a
convex brass plate and is held in place with resin. Two rosettes, made of
either ivory or animal horn, adorns either side of the top board of the
resonator (palakai). Currently, ivory, animal horn and bone are substituted
with plastic. The dandi also features 3 large tuning pegs or beradais and
the yali piece (in case it is a different piece) consists of 4 more pegs.
Totally, the Veena has 7 strings - 4 main steel ones for playing and 3 steel
sympathetic strings. Interestingly, the 4 main playing strings are often
considered to be the 4 Vedas. These strings pass over the bridge and are
held in place with lungers, which are long hook-like "holders" for the
strings. The lungers are attached to the Veena with the help of a
Nagapasham, which is a horseshoe-style addition, fixed onto the extreme end
of the main kudam.
The Veena is usually made of 3 parts, which are firmly stuck together. The
front part consists of the kudam, the second is the fretboard and the third
part has the yali. However, some Veenas feature only 2 parts, with only the
kudam being different. Yet others, which are made of a single log of wood,
are called Ekanda Veenas. Due to that nature, their vibration is the highest
and they emit the most resonance. Ramji Veenas are yet another type, which
usually feature a large hole (with a removable lid) in the kudam. This helps
the instrument release much more resonance.
Nobel Prize awardee, Sir C.V.Raman, was one a great lover of the Veena. He
was always fascinated by the instrument for its unique construction. The
string terminations are not sharp - they curve gently. Besides, the frets
are also deeply curved over the fretboard and the beeswax acts as a sort of
sound filter. Hence, there is no rattling sound while playing - only pure
naadam or resonance is generated while playing this instrument.
Method of Playing
The Saraswati Veena is played sitting cross-legged, with the practitioner
holding it slightly tilted, away from the body. A smaller kudam (meant to
give balance and stability to the instrument) rests on the vainika's left
lap. This kudam could be made of gourd, fiber glass or metal. The left arm
moves from under the neck and over the fretboard, with the left index and
middle fingers coming in contact with the strings. The resonator is placed
on the ground, near the right thigh. While the index and middle fingers of
the right hand pluck the main playing strings, the little finger is used to
play the sympathetic strings as and when required. Subtle positioning and
flicking of fingers on the frets helps manipulate the sound, producing the
right type of gamakas for the concerned melodies.
Religious and Mythological Tales Associated with Veena
- The Veena enjoys much significance in Hinduism;
in religious, mythological and spiritual terms as well. Goddess
Saraswati is almost always depicted holding the Veena. Incidentally, the
instrument that she plays is referred to as the Kacchapi Veena.
- All the major Gods are believed to have their particular Veenas. Lord Shiva, who
was a lover of the Veena, is depicted as holding a Veena, in his
manifestation as Dakshinamoorthy. For this reason, he is also known as
"Veena Gana Priya".
- Sage Narada,
who was known to be a maestro of the Veena, always carried around his
own Veena, known as Mahati.
- Besides, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the Vedas and the Puranas,
all speak of the greatness of the Veena. This instrument features in
several works of early Tamil literature as well. In the Sangita
Ratnakara, Sarangadeva says that this instrument eradicates all evil and
bestows purity and good on the vainika. It is additionally believed to
bestow great good on people just listening or touching the Veena.
- Legend has it that sages such as Agastya and, more recently, Sri
Raghavendra Swami of Mantralaya and Paramacharya Jagadguru Sri
Chandrasekharendra Saraswati of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, were adept
at playing the Veena.
- Various Gods and Goddesses are said to be residing in the different
parts of the Veena. Lord Shiva resides in the body, while Parvati
is in the strings. Vishnu
lives in the bridge, while his consort,
Lakshmi, resides in the main resonator. Brahma
resides within the secondary kudam, Saraswati in the nabhi (center of
the board which gives out maximum sound), Vasuki in the pegs and Surya (Sun God) in
the Jeevala. Thus, playing this instrument is believed to invoke all
these Devas and Devis.
- Sage Yagnavalkya states, "One who is adept at playing the Veena, with
proper control of Sruti (pitch) and Jaati (melody) and has good
knowledge of Sound and Rhythm, attains Moksha (liberation) without
effort.
Hence, the Veena is no ordinary lute. It verily symbolizes all knowledge,
spirituality and divinity. When an expert vainika plays the instrument, one
can feel the notes echoing around, radiating around all directions.
Ravana and the Veena
Asura - Tale of the Vanquished (The Story
of Ravana and His People)
Ravana, the
terrible ten-headed King of Lanka, was an expert on the Veena. A staunch
devotee of Shiva, he was also a wise man, who had complete knowledge of the
Vedas, Shastras and all the arts. However, he was also extremely arrogant.
Once, Ravana decided to show off his strength to Shiva, by lifting mount
Kailash, with the Lord still residing in it. He reached down and
effortlessly lifted the huge mountain, with Shiva and Parvati still sitting
on its peak. Feeling a sudden quake and realizing that this was all the
arrogant Ravana's doing, Shiva decided to teach him a lesson. The Lord
lightly pressed down the big toe of his left foot. Immediately, the mountain
started coming down on the Asura King, threatening to crush him under it.
Ravana thought fast. Knowing how much fond Shiva was of music and the Veena,
he immediately tore open his chest with his fingernails, pulled out his own
nerves and wound them around his toes, so as to form a veena of sorts. Then,
sitting in the same uncomfortable position, he started playing on his own
jeeva veena - literally playing with his heart and soul.
Moved by the melodious music, Shiva, for a moment, swayed in bliss. Without
realizing it, he had lifted his toe off the ground. This eased the pressure,
letting Ravana scramble out hurriedly. The mighty King of Lanka realized his
folly - he approached Shiva and fell at his feet, apologizing profusely.
Spiritual Connection with Gross and Subtle Human Body
Veena is considered as one of the highest ever forms of Yoga. In fact, some
sources indicate that it used to be referred to as "Gupta Yoga" or "Secret
Yoga" in the past. It is believed by some that, in the earlier days,
vainikas used to play the instrument, sitting in pitch darkness. This used
to help them blend with the music and thus, attain bliss. In many of his
musical compositions; especially in his Navavaranams (special compositions
on the three Devis, Saraswati, Lakshi and Parvati), Muthuswamy Dikshitar
refers to the Sacred Feminine as the Gupta Yogini.
A practitioner, who plays the Veena with a spiritual intent in mind, handles
the instrument through the sheer force of his prana shakti (life-breath).
Such a vainika is in perfect control of his thoughts and breathing, thus
attaining a meditative, trance-like state while playing. Regular practice,
maintaining this very attitude, ultimately leads to the rising of the
kundalini shakti, thus helping him or her attain salvation through the
practice of naada yoga.
We can draw a parallel to the Veena and the human body as well.
Just as there are 24 vertebrae in the spinal column, there are 24 frets on
the Veena. The frets are well spaced out at the upper portion, but the
distance shrinks as the pitch goes up.
The division of the vertebrae found near the foot is larger than those near
the brain.
The lower end of the veena is called the simha-mukha or lion-face.
Incidentally, the lower stand of the vertebrae is shaped much like the
veena's simha-mukha.
Spirituality
says that, within our gross human bodies lie the unseen naadis, namely, Ida,
Pingala and Sushumna. These 3 naadis are responsible for our spiritual
evolution and growth, without us being aware of the same. Activating these
and the 7 chakras by means of the right spiritual practices leads to the
rising of the kundalini shakti within us. Similarly, while we can physically
see the strings, frets and dot indicators on the veena, we can hope to do
full justice to our playing only if we focus on going inward and playing
with our heart and soul. A merely academic approach to the veena cannot help
the practitioner in any way; be it spiritual or worldly.
My Own Experience with the Veena
Some of you, my esteemed readers, may wonder regarding the extra focus I
have given on the Veena. The reason is very simple - I am a vainika myself!
I am a practitioner of the Saraswati Veena since the past two-and-half
decades or so.
My tryst with the veena started in a very ordinary way. I had always been
fascinated with the veena and had wanted to try playing it. So I enrolled
myself in a music school, under Smt. Mangalam Muthuswamy.
What started playfully developed into a serious pursuit, within just a few
months and I realized I was getting really serious about it. I used to spend
hours playing on it - eventually, the weakest student in class (me!) started
improving at the art. I went on to receive focused, one-on-one training from
my Guru, over the next decade or so. After letting me perform in groups, my
teacher finally decided to send me solo.
Today, my wonderful Guru is no more. However, the knowledge she had imparted
to me during my 18 years of training under her; sustains me and helps me
perform different genres of music, including classical Carnatic and
Hindustani music, light music, folk music and fusion as well. All that I
have written here, about the spiritual nature of the Veena, is something I
have personally experienced. One of the most difficult instruments to play,
it is also one that bestows the greatest joy on the vainika.
Notable Vainikas
Some of the earliest pioneers of Veena were Muthuswamy Dikshitar, Veenai
Dhanammal, Veena Sheshanna, Veena Subbanna, Shatkala Chakravarthi Veena
Venkataramana Das, Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer, Karaikudi Subbarama Iyer,
Doraiswamy Iyengar, Emani Sankara Sastry, Chitti Babu, K.S. Narayanaswamy,
Veena S.Balachander and Smt. Veena Visalakshi (my Paramacharya - Guru's
Guru)
Some well-known artists of the present time include Smt. Ranganayaki
Rajagopalan, Smt. Rajeshwari Padmanabhan, Smt. Mangalam Muthuswamy (my own
Guru), Smt. Padmavathi Ananthagopalan, Smt. E.Gayathri, Smt. Jayanthi
Kumaresh, Sri Anantha Padmanabhan, Sri Rajhesh Vaidhya, Smt. Punya
Srinivasan, Smt. Revathy Krishna, Smt. Revathi Sadasivam, Smt. Saraswati
Rajagopalan, Prince Rama Varma, Sri B. Kannan and Sri Narayan Mani.
Santoor
The Santoor is basically a trapezoid-shaped stringed instrument, which is
made out of walnut. The National Musical Instrument of Iran, it is native to
the beautiful State of Jammu and Kashmir, also dating back to ancient
history. In the ancient days, this instrument was called the Shathatantri
Veena, or the 100-stringed Veena. Incidentally, a similar type of instrument
was found in Mesopotamia too, from around 1600-911 BC.
This instrument enjoys an important place in Indian music even in the
present day. In the past, it was used as accompaniment for the folk music of
Kashmir. It is also played in a genre of music referred to as Sufiana
Mausiqi. The Sufis used it as musical accompaniment to their hymns.
Construction
Typically, a Santoor has a flat trapezoid frame, which is made either of
walnut or maple wood. The boards at the top and bottom are made either or
plywood or veneer. The top board, known as the sound board, is what houses 2
wooden bridges, which provide the complete range of 3 octaves. The metal
strings are stretched across these bridges. On the right side of the
instrument are steel tuning pegs, which help in tuning each string as per
the musician's preferences.
The Indian santoor is more rectangular as compared to its Persian
counterpart and sometimes has more strings as well. The Indian santoor also
includes specially shaped lightweight mezrab or mallets, which are held
between the index and middle fingers of both hands. These, when struck on
the strings, produces sweet, bright musical notes.
Method of Playing
The santoor is played, sitting in a special position, known as the
ardha-padmasana. The musician holds it on the top of his or her lap. During
the course of playing, the broader side of the instrument is held closer to
the waist and the narrower side is held away.
The instrument, being very delicate, is extremely sensitive to the lightest
touch, strikes and glides. Sometimes, strokes are played with one hand,
placing the other over it, so as to muffle the sound; thereby creating a
variation in the melodic pattern.
Notable Players
Some of the most noteworthy players of the Santoor include Pt. Shivkumar
Sharma, Pt. Tarun Bhattacharya, Bhajan Sopori, R. Visweswaran, Ulhas Bapat
and Rahul Sharma.
Sitar
The
Sitar
is a stringed instrument, which is used mostly in Hindustani music. Believed
to have evolved from the Veena and then modified by a Moghul court musician,
it was named after a Persian instrument called the Setar or Sehtar
(literally meaning, ‘three strings').
Some others believe that the instrument has derived its name from the
Sanskrit words, ‘Saptatantri Veena', which means ‘seven-stringed veena'. It
was then later called sat-tar (7 strings in Hindi), which eventually became
Sitar.
Emerging as a very popular instrument in the 16th and 17th Centuries, this
started being used widely all over the Indian subcontinent, from the 18th
Century onward. Pt. Ravi Shankar was responsible for further propagating the
sitar around the world. In fact, this created a transient trend of using the
instrument to accompany even Western music. In the 1960s, popular bands such
as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Doors tried incorporating this
versatile instrument in their music.
Construction
A sitar usually has 18, 19, 20 or 21 strings. Six or seven of these are the
main playing strings and run over curved, raised frets. The rest are
sympathetic strings, which are used to sustain the resonance. These
sympathetic strings, also known as tarb, taarif or tarafdaar, run underneath
the frets and resonate while the main strings are being played on. While the
main strings are fixed to tuning pegs, the other strings pass through
smaller holes and attach themselves to smaller tuning pegs, which run along
the entire length of the fretboard. The frets are movable, thereby aiding in
fine tuning.
The Sitar has 2 bridges. The badaa goraa or the larger bridge is for playing
the drone strings and the chota goraa or the smaller bridge is for the
sympathetic strings. The bridges are fixed to a large resonator, called
kaddu. Some sitars have a secondary resonator, called the tumba, near the
top of the instrument's neck. The interaction between the main and the
sympathetic strings results in the distinctive, sharp and resonant sound of
the sitar. It closely resembles the tanpura, except that the latter has no
frets and can only be played as a drone instrument.
The materials used in the construction of the Sitar include teak wood, a
variation of mahogany for the neck and gourds for the resonator. The bridges
are made of ebony, deer horn, sometimes camel bone and in the present day,
synthetic material.
Sitar Decoration Styles
Sitars are usually decorated in one of 3 styles, namely, two gayaki styles
and one instrumental style. The gayaki style of decoration, also known as
Vilayat Khan style sitars, are usually made of seasoned toon wood. They are
stately and comprise very few decorations. They often have a dark polish and
the inlay work is mostly done out of mother or pearl. The number of
sympathetic strings ranges from 11-13.
The instrumental syle sitar, popularized by Pt. Ravi Shankar, is made of
either toon wood or of Burma teak. Often featuring the second smaller
resonator, this type of sitar is usually fully decorated with elaborate
carvings, patterns and colored celluloid inlay work. This sitar usually has
13 sympathetic strings.
Surbahar
Surbahar, literally meaning, "Spring Melody", is another ancient Indian
stringed instrument, which is also sometimes referred to as bass sitar.
Mostly used in North Indian Hindustani classical music, it is similar to the
sitar, but has a lower tone.
It includes a dried gourd for a resonator and has a neck with wide frets.
These frets help the musician play a glissando of up to 6 notes on the very
same fret, by pulling the string and staying on that point. The neck is made
out of teak or toon wood.
The surbahar has 4 playing strings, 4 rhythmic strings (cikari) and 15-17
sympathetic strings. The instrument features 2 bridges - the main playing
strings pass over the larger bridge, which is connected to the table with
small legs, firmly adhered to the table with glue. The sympathetic strings
pass over the smaller bridge, which is directly glued to the table. The
musician plays this instrument with the help of the mizrab, a metallic
plectrum, which he or she attaches to the index finger of the right hand.
Some experts believe that the surbahar came into being as early as 1825; and
that it was invented by Omrao Khan Beenkar, the grandfather of Wazir Khan of
Rampur. There is some difference of opinion regarding this point, though.
Many attribute the invention of this instrument to Ustad Sahebdad Khan,
while recent research seems to indicate that the actual inventor may have
been Lucknow-based sitar player, Ustad Ghulam Mohammed Khan.
Sarod
Sarod and Other Instruments
Sarod
is a lute-type stringed instrument, which is used mostly in Hindustani
classical music. Like the sitar, this is also one of the most popular
musical instruments to accompany North Indian music. Unlike the sitar,
however, the sarod has a deep, heavy and meditative sound. This is a
fretless instrument and hence, can produce beautiful glides and slides,
called meend (glissandi) - these form the very basis of Indian music.
History
The name sarod, in Persian, roughly translates as "beautiful sound". It is
believed that the sarod came from the Afghan rubab, a similar instrument.
Also this instrument is commonly referred to as the bass rubab, its tonal
range is much greater than that of the rubab.
Though the actual origins of the sarod cannot be confirmed, it is said to
have been invented by Mohammad Hashmi Khan Bangash, a musician and horse
trader; also an ancestor of sarod maestro, Amjad Ali Khan. Khan Bangash came
to india with the Afghan rubab in the mid-18th Century. He then became the
court musician of the Maharaja of Rewa. Some of his descendants; especially
Ghulam Ali Khan Bangash; is said to have changed the rubab to emerge as the
sarod in its present form.
The sarod then received its finishing touches in the 20th Century from
Allauddin Khan, who was sitarist Ravi Shankar's Guru.
Construction
A sarod may be any of the following types:
A traditional sarod has 17-25 strings, with 4 or 5 being the main playing
strings. One or two are drone strings and 2 are chikaris. The rest are
sympathetic strings. These type of instruments are made of teak wood and the
soundboard, made of goat skin, is stretched across the resonator. Amjad Ali
Khan and his school play on this type of sarod, with minor changes being
made in the model. The fingerboard, which is traditionally made of chrome or
nickel, is today substituted with stainless steel as well. Some of these
sarods also have a secondary resonator.
Another type of sarod is larger and longer than the traditional one. The
fingerboard, though, is identical to the original and the instrument has 25
strings in all. Of these, 4 are main playing strings, 4 are jod (harmonic)
strings, 2 chikaris and 15 are sympathetic strings.
Method of Playing
The absence of frets and the tension of the strings make this instrument
very difficult to play and master. There are 2 ways one can play the sarod.
The first technique involves using the tip of the fingernails to play on the
strings. The other employs a combination of the nail and fingertip to
control the movement of the strings against the fingerboard. Fingering
technique largely depends on the preference of the musician and is not
really dictated by any gharana (school) as such.
Notable Artists
Some of the most noteworthy sarodiyas include Allauddin Khan, Ali Akbar
Khan, Aashish Khan, Abanindra Maitra, Amjad Ali Khan, Bahadur Khan, Rajeev
Taranath, Buddhadev Das Gupta, Hafiz Ali Khan, Sakhawat Hussain, Sharan Rani
Backliwal, Radhika Mohan Maitra and Vasant Rai.
Footnote
Look forward to our next section, where we will bring you information on
some of the most ancient bowed, reed and percussive instruments of India.