Arts Details Page

Sitar

Probably the most popular string instrument from India is the sitar. String instruments have gained popularity because strings are considered to be the best accompaniment to singing, a prime element of Indian music. A main body of the sitar is made of wood, however, the main gourd (toomba) is made of pumpkin. The pumpkin acts as a resonator or a sound box. It consists of seven main strings and 11 sympathetic strings. The frets in a sitar are curved; a brilliant innovation which helps the artist to play different scales and vary the pitch while playing the instrument by pulling the strings on the sides. Its pitch range is three or more octaves. The origin of sitar actually goes back to Iran. It used to be called "setar" which means three strings. However, the modern sitar as we know it was developed in India in the 18th century.