July 23, 2010
The Music of the Sitar
For avid listeners of Sitar Music the sonorous and melodic tones of the sitar offer an enriching music from which to relieve the cares of the day. The timbres and tones of the instrument inherently bring about a state of meditation, relaxation and peace that is unrivaled by most instruments in the world . It is a popular and unique style of Indian Classical Music, with characteristics and specialties that are different from any other instrument in its category.
The Sitar can be enjoyed by all that hear its sound , but when you understand a few things about the musical instrument at that point you can appreciate the music on a whole new level . When you comprehend the amount of training the sitarya must undertake, and the dexterity it requires, and understanding of the theories regarding the ragas, then the music becomes a glorious expression of blissfulness in such a way that lifts up the one who hears the songinto a meditative trance.
With over 17 strings, 7 of which are above the frets and 11 of which run underneath the frets and most of them being different lengths creates a dizzying amount of choices in the sitarists repetoire , even tuning the sitar takes a considerable amount of time . It is not unusual to break a string while tuning and then restringing comes into consideration. After that the player must tune the sitar to the pitches of the Raga to be played so he or she can tune the strings to the notes of that particular raga. When all this is done, he must then be able to communicate with his tabla player, his tanpura player, and any other musicians that are on stage with him at the time. It appears almost as telepathy between the players, and it dazzles and awes the audience. This glorious variety of music is heard by all , appreciated by more, and almost never really understood .
Filed under Blog by Editor
