| |
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
SITAR
I can't recall any time when I have ever seen a real, authentic "sitar." That's one of the ancient Hindustani musical instruments which has had a modest renewal of popularity in modern music. It deserves some added attention, I feel.
I certainly must have walked past one of them somewhere in a display but I'm often thinking of other things in museums and I may have looked at one without actually seeing it. I have heard it, however...on recordings and tapes. I have witnessed it being played by skilled musician-gymnasts on television and on films. It is an instrument which demands much of the persons who deigns to make it express itself well.
The sitar has sixteen strings in its most popular version which contrasts readily in the American mind where four was enough for ukuleles, banjos, and six for guitars - plus double-sets for mandolin-like 12-stringers. The Sitar has from 16 to 20 strings normally, some more and some less depending on the local area's preference. Notice that the sitar has two bridges; long made of ivory, later of camel bone or horn. The larger bridge is for the playing strings and drones. The Secondary Bridge runs under the man one and is for sympathetic strings running beneath the main playing strings above. The bridge is wider and as a string vibrates its length changes slightly as it touches the bridge edge and the result is a distinctive sound or tone. To maintain that "jawari" tone one must polish the bridge as needed. Many players ,including Ravi Shank arm, hire professionals to keep their instruments in tune, In a general sense the instrument is tune to C# or D, and the drone strings are tuned to the equivalent of an open major or minor chord in Western music theory. The sympathetic strings are usually tuned for each song played at the discretion of the player or composer who often states a preference. Don' t forget to tune your main playing strings as well. That's done by turning wooden pegs at the of the hollow neck, then "fine tune" each of them by sliding a bead fitted around each of them.
Learning to play is also a time consuming process. Expect a years-long apprenticeship if you plan enrolling in school anytime soon. You have to learn the basic mechanics of construction of the instrument and by learning to provide background chords of proper size and shape upon which to apply your melody. Then, you slide your index finger of your left hand up and down a single melody string which you then pluck with the finger of other hand.
There, you are! You have sound your first note! You are on the way to becoming the the nation's leading player of the sitar.
But remember this: no one ever said it would be easy!
Andrew McCaskey amccsr@adelphia.net 9-20-06 [c-492wds]
|
|
