Sitar

Many people hear the music of the sitar, and hunger to learn more about this unusual instrument. Over the past 50 years, the sitar has featured prominently in many different types of music--it can be heard played by Indian artists like Ravi Shankar, and British pop stars like George Harrison brought it to Western audiences back in the ‘60s. But few truly understand the mysteries of the sitar--or how difficult it can be to master. Many accomplished guitarists have thought that their previous skills would help them in learning to play the sitar. They were wrong.

But what exactly is a sitar? If you are new to the world of Indian classical music, the following description may be helpful. The sitar is a traditional North Indian classical musical instrument. It has a dried gourd for a body, and a neck of tun (Indian mahogany) or teak wood. Ravi Shankar-type sitars have a top gourd that acts as a second resonating chamber at the top of the neck.

The lush sounds of the sitar come from two sets of strings. There are typically six or seven playable strings, with up to 13 sympathetic strings beneath curved, movable frets. It can take more than a decade to learn to play the sitar with a high degree of accuracy. As the player's left hand slides over melody strings, the right uses a mizrab, or pick, to pluck it. Another technique, known as Meend, involves pulling the string down over the curved frets, creating the signature "singing" sound.

Traditionally, would-be sitar players were apprenticed to master musicians in order to learn their craft. But if you can't find a teacher, we at Sitars Etc. have a variety of books on the sitar to help. We are the premier online supplier of authentic, quality sitars, made for us from the finest craftspeople in India. Browse our selection--you are sure to be dazzled by the depth of our offerings.