Sitar

Sitar, stringed musical instrument of the lute family, used widely in classical music of northern India (see Musical Instruments: Plucked and Bowed Lutes). Indian musicians use the sitar to play classical Indian compositions called ragas. The sitar is a versatile instrument with a fine, silvery sound. It can express the slow, lyrical development of a raga and is also suited to brilliant virtuoso playing. See also Indian Music.

Sitars became familiar in the West from the 1960s on through concerts and recordings by virtuoso Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar. In addition, the rock group the Beatles experimented with sitar music during the 1960s, and one member of the group, George Harrison, studied with Shankar in India.

The sitar has a pear-shaped body and a long neck. The main strings, usually seven in number, are plucked with a pick. Four or five strings are plucked to play the melody, while two or three others, called drone strings, emphasize the beat. Additional strings within the neck vibrate when the main strings are played. These resonating strings add body and texture to the sitar’s sound. Curved, movable frets of brass or silver fit across the instrument’s neck. The sitarist positions the frets according to the requirements of the raga being played. There are tuning pegs along the sides of the neck.

The sitar is related to the ancient vina, the other major stringed instrument of India, but it is somewhat smaller than the vina. A sitar typically measures 1.2 m (4 ft) in length. Most sitars are made of teak. The sitar’s sound box was originally made from a gourd but today is typically of wood.

The sitar is believed to have been introduced to India from Persia during the Mughal period, which began in the early 1500s (see Mughal Empire). Some scholars, however, have credited its invention to Amir Khosrow, a distinguished poet and musician at the court of Muslim rulers in Delhi during the 13th century (see Delhi Sultanate).