Sitar Construction, Parts, Tuning and Maintenance
This domain tests whether you can name every part of the sitar, say what each string set does, and tune and maintain the instrument without damaging it.
Body and fittings
The resonator is the tumba (gourd); some instruments carry a second, smaller tumba near the neck for resonance. The neck is the dand, its joint with the gourd the gulu, and the soundboard the tabli. Frets (parda) are tied with thread and moved for tuning; the nut is the ati; pegs are khunti, and the small beads that fine-tune sympathetic strings are langot. The curved bridge is the jawari, and the wire plectrum worn on the index finger is the mizrab.
What the strings do
- Baaj: main playing strings, usually six or seven, tuned to Sa with Pa or Ma to suit the raga.
- Jod string: a supplementary playing string used in jod and jhala patterns.
- Chikari: three or four drone strings, normally Sa and Pa, struck for rhythmic sparkle.
- Tarab: eleven to thirteen sympathetic strings tuned to the notes of the raga, never chromatically.
Tuning and care
Tune tarab last, after the main strings and chikari, checking each against the raga's scale. Keep the instrument away from damp and direct heat, loosen strings before travel, wipe the tabli after playing, and have the jawari dressed by a professional when buzzing appears. Replace a mizrab once its tip loses shape - a worn mizrab is the commonest cause of a thin, clicking tone.
Worked example
You tune a sitar for Yaman, then switch to Bhairav, which uses komal Re and komal Dha. Main strings and chikari stay, but the tarab must be retuned, because sympathetic strings set to shuddha Re and Dha will clash with the komal notes of Bhairav. Reasoning: tarab follow the raga's scale, not a fixed twelve-note layout.
Traps
- Claiming tarab are tuned to all twelve notes.
- Confusing langot (tuning bead) with khunti (peg).
- Treating jawari as the sympathetic-string bridge only.