The Enchanting Melodies Of Sitar

Know The Story Behind Sitar

The word Sitar has its origin in the Persian language, where ‘si’ means three and ‘tar’ means strings. Some scholars believe that Sitar evolved from one or more musical instruments of the Tanbur family. They believed that the Muslims bought the Tanbur instrument with them during their rule in northern India in 1192. There is also a theory which states that it was invented by the great scholar and inventor of Sufi music Amir Khusrau. But researcher Alastair Dick claims that no historical evidence can be found of its Muslim origin. During the 1900s, the instrument took its modern shape and size. Indian scholars have to say that it evolved from the Veena, a lock-necked lute instrument. The reason behind it is the gourd at the top of the instrument, which is also noticed in Veena.

Instrument Details And Playing Techniques

There are different types of Sitar found according to their use - student or beginner models, semi-pro styles, pro-models, master models, etc. Prices are often determined by the manufacturer's name and not by the materials used. Sitars are mostly made of teak wood, and the bridges are made of deer horns or camel bone. These days synthetic materials are also used, but of course, they won’t guarantee high quality. The strings of the instrument are used to set the mood of the raga before playing; the frets are movable, which allows fine-tuning. It is placed on the player’s lap strategically. The musician uses his hands to play it. ‘meend’ is a unique technique used to pull the main string by which a sitarist can achieve seven semitones from the range of microtonal notes.

Own A Good Sitar

There is no one who does not like the music made from playing the Sitar. It has tempted many music lovers for years, and some of them ended up learning it. For learning Sitar, one needs to buy an instrument from Sitar shop UK and start taking lessons from their guru. A guru can guide a person to reach their goal and take out the best in them. Gurusoundz is the best place to try your luck when searching for a Sitar.