The Instruments

The Sitar
The sitar is considered to have a 700 year history. It is believed to have evolved from a three-stringed Persian instrument called sehtar, and to have undergone a long and gradual transformation into a solo instrument. At some point it acquired elements adapted from an older Indian instrument called the rudra veena, or been. A roughly contemporary form of the sitar has been apparent only since the late nineteenth-century.

The modern sitar is constructed from a large hollowed gourd resonator, topped with a soundboard of teakwood or tun wood (a type of mahogany), and joined to a wide hollowed neck, also of teak or tun. Often a second gourd resonator is attached at the upper end of the neck. Tuning pegs are located at the upper end, and all along the side of the neck. There are twenty metal frets tied on the neck with string or braided nylon cord. They must be moveable to accommodate the alternate placements required for the many specialized scales in use.

Though there are some variations, the typical sitar has twenty strings made from steel, phosphor bronze, and/or brass. They are strung in two courses, with 7 main playing strings above, crossing the main bridge, and thirteen resonating strings placed below, crossing a smaller bridge. Again with some variations, the first four strings are used for playing melody. The other three top strings, called chikari, are for rhythmic accompaniment and drone. The thirteen resonating strings are tuned to the raga scale in use, and vibrate in sympathetic response to melody notes played on the strings above. This vibration gives the sitar a characteristic shimmering sound that is rich in overtones. The modern sitar can have up to a four-octave range. The strings are plucked by a wire plectrum called mizrab worn on the index finger. In the hands of a skilled player, the sitar is capable of producing a highly expressive, and highly ornamented, melody line rich in microtonal nuance. Graceful glides and microtones, characteristic of the music, are created by a sidewise pulling of the melody strings. In this way whole musical phrases may be released from one mizrab stroke on any single fret.

Seated on the floor or ground, the (right-handed) player balances the instrument, at a roughly 45 degree angle, between the right thigh and forearm, and sole of the left foot.

The Surbahar
Coming soon... click here in the meantime...

The Kanjira
The kanjira is a small tambourine, usually between 7-10 inches in diameter, capable of a wide range of sounds and expression. Traditionally, it has a rounded jackfruit wood frame, with Bengali monitor lizard skin (now an endangered species in India) stretched over one side. A small, single slit is cut into the frame, where a few coins or metal discs are placed onto a crossbar. These coins or discs then jingle with every stroke played on the instrument.

It produces a full, rich bass tone that sounds surprisingly large, considering the small size of the instrument. This is accomplished by wetting the inside of the head with a few drops of water to make the skin loose. All strokes on the kanjira are played with one hand, while the other hand holds the drum and squeezes the skin near the rim to control the pitch.

The kanjira is most common in Carnatic music (the classical music of South India), where it functions as a secondary accompaniment to the mrdangam. Recently, it has enjoyed an increase in popularity with many other styles of music, such as jazz and fusion.

Shawn plays a Ganesh Kumar signature model, made by Cooperman. It is tuneable, with a synthetic head. Although it sounds similar to a traditional kanjira, it has a character all it's own, and the monitor lizards seem to like it too!

The Ghatam
The ghatam is a clay pot (ghatam translates to "pot" from Sanskrit) which is played with the fingers, thumbs, heels and palms of the hands. It looks like an ordinary clay pot, but is made specially for playing. Depending on the where it is made and who it is made by, it might contain copper, brass or iron fillings, along with various other materials, only known by the maker. Each ghatam is made to a specific pitch, and the performer chooses the instrument according to the key of the music being performed.

The ghatam, like the kanjira, seems quite simple at first glance. However, it is able to produce a full range of tones and textures through a variety of techniques.

The ghatam is also most common in Carnatic music, and acts as secondary accompaniment to the mrdangam. But like the kanjira, this sophisticated and versatile instrument has become much more prominent world-wide in jazz and fusion in recent years.