SITAR

SITAR in North India

Material: Wood, tunwood, metal, gourd, chikari

A premier plucked lute of North Indian classical music. It can be divided into two parts, a gourd resonator covered with a thin wooden plank and a long neck cum fingerboard with a rectangular peg box at the top. Made of high quality ‘Toon’ wood, the finger board is attached with the gourd. There are five main playing strings and two Chikari strings of steel and brass, of different gauge, tied to a string holder with ivory teeth fixed at the extreme end of the gourd. The other end of the strings are tied to the tuning pegs at the opposite end. Nineteen metallic ecliptic frets are tied on the fingerboard, with the help of silk thread. Frets are movable and can be adjusted according to the requirement. The main bridge mounted on the sound board called ‘Tabli’, upon which main playing strings rest the secondary bridge or upper nuts is just below the peg box. Thirteen sympathetic steel strings run over a small bridge under the main bridge. Decorated with delicate wooden carving over the gourd. Played in a sitting position. The main strings and Chikari are plucked by wearing a wire plectrum in the fore finger of the right hand. The tips of the left hand fingers are used to stop or pull the strings for producing melody. Used in classical concerts all over North India as a solo instrument.