Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
Strings that resonate
Sitar
Type String
Made of Teak wood, Camel bone or Antelope horn.
Mainstream Classical, light music and films.
Exponents Pt.Ravi Shankar, Pt. Debu Chaudhuri, Shujaat Khan, Maseet Khan, Raza Khan…
The sitar is one of the best known representatives of the classical music of North India. A stringed instrument, it epitomises the holistic approach to beauty that characterises Indian art. Attractive both in appearance and sound, the sitar has a lon
g neck made of teak wood that is attached to a gourd resonator. Metal frets run along the length of the neck to mark the position of the notes. The sitar has approximately 17 to 18 strings. Of these, three or four are used for melody, three or four for drone, and the rest are sympathetic strings, running under the frets to provide added vibration.
The strings pass over one of the two bridges, which are made of camel bone or antelope horn and are located near the centre of the gourd. The large bridge is higher, for the playing and drone strings to pass over. The sympathetic strings pass under this and over the smaller bridge. Pegs along the sides of the neck are used for tuning the strings, and fine tuning is done using the beads at the base of the instrument.
The player wears a plectrum (mizrab) on the right index finger, which is used to strum the strings near the bridge. The fingers of the left hand — mostly the index and middle finger — travel up and down the neck of the instrument, pressing the playing strings at the required place to bring out the notes of the melody.
The masters
The sitar owes its unique rich sound to the number of sympathetic strings that resonate with the playing strings, as well as to its hollow neck and gourd resonator. Today it is both a classical concert instrument and used as an accompaniment to light music and film tracks.
The 19th Century musician Maseet Khan is credited with having composed numerous musical pieces known as gat for the sitar, which had a decisive influence on its playing and presentation. These slow compositions are named Maseetkhani gats after their creator. Also in the 19th Century, Raza Khan created faster-paced compositions that came to be known as Razakhani gats and continue to be an important part of the repertoire of stringed instrument players. The playing technique of the sitar has been refined over the centuries. In the 20th Century, Ustad Vilayat Khan developed the gayaki ang, or vocal style of sitar playing. He is considered one of the greatest exponents of the instrument.
The doyen Pandit Ravi Shankar has carved an indelible name for himself and the sitar the world over. Pandit Debu Chaudhuri and the late Nikhil Banerjee are also great names in the field. Partho Das, Shujaat Khan and Prateek Chaudhuri are among feted players today.
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Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
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