Sitar
The word sitar derives from the Persian term tar, meaning string. Persians named their lutes by combining this root with numbers indicating string counts. A two-stringed instrument became known as dutār. A three-stringed version was called setār. The four-stringed variant carried the name čar-tar. Five strings resulted in panč-tār. Modern scholarship identifies Khusrau Khan, an 18th-century figure of the Mughal Empire, as the true inventor of the sitar. Historians once credited Amir Khusrow, a Sufi poet who lived between 1253 and 1325. No records from that era use the name sitar. An ambiguous statement in Captain N. Augustus Willard's 19th-century work linked the poet to a later individual named Khusrau Khan. The earliest written mention of the instrument dates to 1739 AD. Dargah Quli Khan wrote about it in the text Muraqqa-i-Dehli during the reign of Muhammad Shah Rangila. Oral and textual evidence suggests Khusrau Khan developed the sitar from the small Persian three-stringed setār. In the late Mughal Empire, the instrument began taking its modern shape. The neck grew wider while the bowl shifted from glued wood lathes to gourd construction. Metal frets appeared alongside bone nuts on the neck.
A standard sitar holds anywhere from 18 to 21 strings total. Six or seven of these run over curved raised frets and are played directly by the musician. The remaining strings function as sympathetic resonators known as tarb or tarafdaar. These sympathetic strings pass underneath the main frets and vibrate in response to the played notes. Frets called thaat remain movable to allow fine tuning adjustments. Played strings extend to tuning pegs located near the head of the instrument. Sympathetic strings vary in length and engage with smaller tuning pegs running down the neck. Two distinct bridges define the instrument's structure. The large bridge badaa goraa handles playing and drone strings. The small bridge chota goraa manages the sympathetic strings. String vibration creates a distinctive tone because one edge moves along the rounded bridge surface. This interaction promotes overtone creation through a process musicians call jawari. Instrument makers often adjust this specific shaping for optimal sound. Teak wood or tun wood form the neck and faceplate tabli. Calabash gourds serve as resonating chambers. Bridges may be crafted from deer horn, ebony, camel bone, or synthetic materials. Modern styles include fully decorated instrumental versions associated with Ravi Shankar. Another approach features the gayaki style linked to Vilayat Khan. Some instruments carry 13 sympathetic strings while others differ based on player preference. Older teak sourced from colonial villas remains a guarded trade secret among builders.
Players balance the sitar between their left foot and right knee. Hands move freely without supporting any weight of the instrument itself. A metallic pick called mizraab plucks the strings directly. The thumb anchors on top of the fretboard just above the main gourd. Most players use only index and middle fingers for fingering though some occasionally employ the third finger. A specialized technique known as meend involves pulling the melody string down over curved frets. This action allows the sitarist to achieve a seven-semitone range of notes. Vilayat Khan developed this method into a vocal-style imitation called gayaki ang. Players can also bow the instrument to produce a raspier sound similar to the sarangi. Special techniques like Kan, Krintan, Murki, and Zamzama add charisma to performances. Mizrab Bol-s function similarly to Misrabani in rhythmic execution. Tuning depends entirely on the specific school or tradition of the artist. The main playing string usually sits a perfect fourth above the tonic note. The second string tunes to the tonic itself. Musicians refer to the tonic as śađja or sa rather than vād. Drones often tune to pañcam, the perfect fifth. Each raga requires re-tuning by the player. Strings adjust via pegs while beads threaded below the bridge allow fine tuning adjustments.
A gharana represents a social system linking musicians through lineage or apprenticeship. Notable schools include the Imdadkhani gharana. The Maihar gharana forms another significant branch. The Bishnupur gharana completes the major traditional lineages. These groups preserve performance styles across generations. Sympathetic string placement varies significantly between different gharanas. Student models differ from semi-pro and pro versions. Master models command high collectible prices based on the builder's reputation. Rikhi Ram from Delhi produced some of the most sought-after instruments. Hiren Roy of Kolkata created equally prized sitars depending on which master crafted them. Nikhil Banerjee fixed an extra small bridge at the top of his fingerboard for sustain. Prices depend heavily on the manufacturer's name rather than appearance alone. Some builders guard their sources of old seasoned wood as trade secrets. Teak used in colonial villas serves as whole trunk columns for special constructions. Tuning systems vary by teaching school and intended piece. No default tuning exists for all players. Most tunings shift according to specific raga requirements. The Kharaj Pancham style used by Ravi Shankar places playable strings in a specific configuration.
Ravi Shankar began introducing Indian classical music to Western culture in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His tabla partner Alla Rakha accompanied him during these efforts. George Harrison played the instrument on Beatles tracks recorded between 1965 and 1967. Songs included Norwegian Wood, Love You To, and Within You Without You. Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones used a sitar on Paint It Black in 1966. Dave Mason performed it on Traffic hits Paper Sun and Hole in My Shoe that same year. Shankar described this period as the great sitar explosion. He told KRLA Beat in July 1967 that young people had started listening because Harrison became his disciple. Jimmy Page owned a sitar before Harrison acquired one after touring with Yardbirds in the late sixties. Robbie Krieger's guitar part on The Doors' track The End featured melodic qualities suggesting a sitar or veena. Electric sitars emerged as solid-body instruments quite different from traditional acoustic versions. The Kinks' 1965 single See My Friends used a low-tuned drone guitar mistaken for a sitar. The Byrds incorporated Indian elements into Eight Miles High and Why using only Western instrumentation. Psychedelic bands drew on ragas and drones while employing new recording techniques.
The Electric Prunes advertised Vox Wah wah pedals claiming they made electric guitars sound like sitars. Donovan's 1966 album Sunshine Superman featured Shawn Phillips playing sitar. Phillips also appeared on Mellow Yellow produced in 1967. Pakistan International Airlines began featuring sitar music in-flight starting in the late 1970s to evoke nostalgia among diaspora communities. Steve Howe of Yes played a Danelectro sitar guitar on Close to the Edge and Relayer tracks. Deepak Khazanchi performed sitar and tanpura on It Can Happen from Yes' 90125 album released in 1983. Paul Young included an electric sitar played by John Turnbull in his 1985 cover of Everytime You Go Away. Metallica and other rock bands have continued using the instrument on various tracks since the mid-20th century. Modern variations integrate the sitar into progressive rock and pop genres. Synthetic materials now commonly replace traditional bridge components. Prices for certain instruments remain high due to manufacturer reputation rather than visual appearance alone. Builders continue seeking old teak from colonial villas for special constructions. The tradition persists through both acoustic and electric adaptations.
Common questions
Who invented the sitar and when was it first documented?
Modern scholarship identifies Khusrau Khan, an 18th-century figure of the Mughal Empire, as the true inventor of the sitar. The earliest written mention of the instrument dates to 1739 AD in Dargah Quli Khan's text Muraqqa-i-Dehli during the reign of Muhammad Shah Rangila.
How many strings does a standard sitar have and what do they do?
A standard sitar holds anywhere from 18 to 21 strings total with six or seven played directly by the musician. The remaining strings function as sympathetic resonators known as tarb or tarafdaar that vibrate in response to the played notes underneath the main frets.
What materials are used to build a traditional sitar neck and body?
Teak wood or tun wood form the neck and faceplate tabli while calabash gourds serve as resonating chambers for the instrument. Bridges may be crafted from deer horn, ebony, camel bone, or synthetic materials depending on the builder's preference.
Which famous musicians introduced the sitar to Western audiences in the 1960s?
Ravi Shankar began introducing Indian classical music to Western culture in the late 1950s and early 1960s with his tabla partner Alla Rakha. George Harrison played the instrument on Beatles tracks recorded between 1965 and 1967 including Norwegian Wood and Love You To.
What is the difference between gayaki ang and meend techniques on the sitar?
Meend involves pulling the melody string down over curved frets to achieve a seven-semitone range of notes. Vilayat Khan developed this method into a vocal-style imitation called gayaki ang which mimics human singing.