Sitar Facts
Sitar Facts
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| Interesting Sitar Facts: |
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| The name 'sitar' is derived from the Persian words 'seh' and 'tar; which mean 'three strings' when translated to English. |
| Sitars today can have as many as 21 strings. It is played by plucking. The pic used to play the sitar is called the mezrab. |
| A sitar has raised and curved frets. Six to seven strings play over the frets whilc the remainder of the strings are called 'sympathetic' strings and resonate to produce sound when the strings running over the frets are played. |
| There are different sitar groups (gharanas) including the Kharaj-pancham (seven strings), Gandhaar-pancham (six strings), Bishnupur (seven strings), and others. |
| The sitar became popular in modern music for a period in the 1960s when it was used in music by The Rolling Stones, The Doors, and The Beatles. |
| One of the most famous sitar players Ravi Shankar was a follower of the Maihar gharana which used seven playable strings. |
| The large bridge of the sitar is for the main strings and the small bridge is for the sympathetic strings. |
| The sitar is constructed of wood (for the faceplate and the neck), a gourd (for the resonating chamber or chambers, as some sitars have two resonating chambers), camel bone, ebony or deer horn (for the bridges), and some sitars today are manufactured from synthetic materials to make them cheaper and faster to produce. |
| The most popular sitars are the gayaki style sitars and the instrumental style sitars (also known as the Ravi Shankar style - fully decorated). |
| Sitar styles can vary as well with different models including student, beginner, semi-professional, professional, and master. |
| It is not always the materials used or appearance of the sitar that determines the price of the instrument in terms of collectibles. It can also be determined by who made the instrument. |
| Some of the most valuable sitars today are collectible and made by masters including Rikhi Ram from Delhi and Hiren Roy from Kolkata. |
| George Harrison, a member of the iconic group The Beatles, learned to play the sitar from Ravi Shankar. He then used the instrument in several of The Beatles songs including 'Love You Too', 'Norwegian Wood', and 'Within You Without You'. |
| Brain Jones, one of the original members of The Rolling Stones, played the sitar in the song 'Paint it Black'. |
| Modern music continues to experiment with the sitar and its unique sound in music being produced today. |
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