Sitar Lesson 1 by Ashwin Batish Learn to play the sitar with these online sitar sitar tutorials. written and published published by sitar master Ashwin Batish. This first article covers covers sitar buying tips. Updated 8/20/2003 8/20/2003
Sitar Buying Tips So you have your mind set to learning Indian music on this exotic, dreamy, hypnotic, and most beautifully ornate orna te instrument...... the sitar! .... bravo! you've yo u've made a good choice! Next Nex t to the tabla, the sitar is probably one the most familiar instrument that people in the world talk about when it comes to the music of India. It is played in the North Indian classical tradition although today It has managed to find a nice niche in Indian film and folk music. It is primarily a solo instrument but it is often seen played in classical duet setting called jugalbandi. Before you get too excited and jump head over heals over this ..... You first have to own one. So I'm going to deal with that aspect and make you aware of the pitfalls before you lay down your y our hard earned cash. cash . Just remember that "looks can be b e deceiving" so tread carefully. Here are some of the pitfalls you should be aware of when trying to buy a sitar. Owning a sitar is a life's dream of many a student and I have seen quite a few. They usually come up to me on the first day, eyes sparkling, enthusiasm pouring, a wicked smile on their faces... "I just picked this sitar sita r up yesterday from the flea fl ea market.... man, I've wanted to own one of these th ese for the last 20 years!.... And now I have it" You can almost sense the joy and satisfaction this new ownership has brought for this lucky sitar player to be. As the instrument is handed to me, there is a moment of silence and as much as I hate to do it, I invariably find myself giving them the bad news. I want you to avoid this sort of gut wrenching so let me show you what to look for in purchasing a sitar.It is very rare that an instrument picked up in the flea market will be in perfect condition. Even ones that are new from reputable stores will generally need a lot of work before they can be ready for play. Playing a sitar is not just taking a few notes out. I'm talking about having that baby fine tuned so it does not hinder your learning ability.
Problems to watchout for when Buying your Sitar Cracks Anyone? 1. This is one of the most important checks you can do before you buy a sitar. Some cracks are very hard to locate. The obvious ones are on the gourd. These too are very hard to detect sometimes. Always look under bright lights. Preferably daylight. Usually, if you squeeze gently on the sitar's gourd with both your hands any movements due to a crack on the gourd will quickly show up. If there is a crack in the gourd, and the price is cheap enough, it might be OK to buy it. Gourds are fixable. I'll tackle that in the following lessons. But buy it knowing what you're getting into. If you send out for this work expect to pay between $150 - $250 to fix it to specification. That includes the final stain and varnish to make the gourd look like new again. 2. But here's something to really watch out for - cracks around the holes that house the sitar pegs. These crack are usually found on the seven main sitar pegs. The obvious test for these is if the peg slips while tuning. It will not hold tension. If you try to push the peg in as you tighten it, the crack becomes visible. This my friends frie nds is the worst case scenario. sce nario. Avoid this sitar. It's too to o much of a headache to fix. 1
3. The sitar peg itself might be cracked. This happens a lot. The peg looks good from the outside. It is locked in and even holds the string in place. But if you were to pull it out of its hole, It's broken in two! This usually happens when someone new to the sitar and with strength to spare twists the peg really hard into its hole and by doing so regularly during each tuning sessions, literally shatters the peg shaft. This happens if the peg is not seated properly at its points of contact. The tip ti p of the peg makes a strong contact, co ntact, but the top half of the shaft has a weak grip hence creating a shearing force when the peg is twisted resulting in the shaft shattering. Look for this on all seven pegs for the top seven playing strings. Any one of them could be broken. If the seller allows it, remove each peg from its hole and visually check it. This might cause the whole sitar to go out of tune ... and some sellers will not appreciate this. :-( 4. Another possible crack that can occur is where the sitar face joins the fretboard. This section is about where the last fret of the sitar is located (close to the bridge). This is a very serious problem. This fracture usually happens if the sitar tips and falls. Usually the sitar is leaning against a table or chair etc. and it slips. These are very difficult to verify. As the sitar will still work. But if you were to remove all the tension from the sitar strings, the joint where the fretboard and the face of the sitar come together will visibly move when pressure is applied appli ed to both parts.
Sitar Lesson #2 Sitar buying tips and repair of your Sitar or Tanpura gourd by Ashwin Batish
In the last lesson I talked about what to look for when buying a sitar. There are a few more points I'd like to cover on that subject. But first I'd like to thank everyone that email, called, wrote to me about how much you are enjoying RagaNet and these lessons. I also had some special requests to write on specific topics. One such email was from a person who had an unfortunate mishap. The gourd on his sitar broke during shipment from India. Knowing there are many others in the same predicament, I have decided de cided to do a little writeup writ eup on how to go about fixing broken gourds. So here goes.....
What is a gourd? Gourd is of the pumpkin family. In India they are grown especially for musical instruments such as the sitar, tanpura, veena, ektara etc. They are light and form a natural resonance chamber. They can be cultured to grow gro w symetrically although perfection in roundness round ness is rare but possible. possib le. Interestingly, I've heard that when the gourd gets to a certain size, the growers will dig a round hole in the ground and the gourd will be put inside the dirt hole and it then grows to the size and shape of the dirt hole. As the gourd matures it is dried out and the seeds are removed. The inside is cleaned and it is ready for use. The outside shell now is quite hard. Some instruments as the veena use the whole gourd whereas the sitar, tanpura, ektara will be designed around a chopped half section (see illustration above). A gourd can look deceptively sturdy. A majority of them sustain damage during shipment. Sometimes I think that alone can keep the sitar industry from going bankrupt. Other mishaps happen due to improper storage. Some people will damage it when trying to stand the sitar up 2
vertically on its gourd and walking away from it to have a cup of chai and a person walking by will accidently knock it down. Many a time I have seen instruments roll off the stage and fall to the floor. I had an instance where one of my students used to carry his sitar to lessons in a bus. Once he accidently knocked a hole in the gourd while trying to get out of the bus. The moral of this story? ..... have a carrying case for your instrument! Here are some questions to ask yourself when embarking on a gourd repair •
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What is the extent of the damage? - A different approach is needed for minor as opposed to major surgery. Do you have all the pieces? If so collect them in a plastic ziplock bag. Do you see any visual damage at the point where the strings are tied? Does the gourd have termites? Indian termites are very very small. But they carry a big bite. I have seen some gourds that have small holes all over. This can, over time, result in a gourd fracture or a sudden hole in the gourd when it receives any kind of a hit. This one is a tough repair. Usually the termites have also moved into the wood and even into your books! If you find this sort of damage, fumigate everything in sight! Make note of the color of the gourd. Is it a stain or a natural clear varnish? If it is stained (usually brown or black) you need to match this with a good quality stain from your lumber yard.
Tools you will need • •
Epoxy glue
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A sharp utility knife
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A flat wood spatula (about 1/2" wide)
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Wood stain Natural bristle brush about 3/4" wide / or a soft lint free piece of cloth and some cotton Fine (00 grade) and medium grade sandpaper - a good supply Steel wool (fine grade) An assortment of clamps for gluing the pieces together A good quality Wood filler about 1/8 quart Medium rough metal file small wooden wedges about 1/32 or 1/16 of an inch thick and about 1/4"wide
The Repair begins! The first thing to remember is that a gourd has a soft interior but a hard outer shell. I have found that a slow drying epoxy glue works best. It dries hard as a rock and that is important. So let's take a few samples of cracked gourds and explain how to repair them.
1. Hairline cracks If they are almost invisible, leave them alone. The sitar will probably sound fine. The damage is hardly noticable. Just don't bang it again in the same spot. Get a case and you'll enjoy the sitar for many years to come.
2. Visible cracks between 2" - 6" These types of cracks can be easily seen. Or, by applying a little pushing force with both hands around the gourd, the crack pops open. Sometimes these cracks create a tonal buzz while playing. This needs to be taken care off. 3
Proceedure: If when you apply force with both hands, the crack opens up enough, stick a small wooden wedge to keep it open. Then mix the epoxy and shove it into the crack with the spatula. Make sure it enters the crack. The best test of this is when you are done pushing the epoxy into the crack, remove the wedge and you will immediately see some of the epoxy ooze back out of the crack. This is a good sign. Take a rag and clean the excess epoxy. Now let this dry for 24 hours. After it is completely dry observe the area. There should be no movement in the crack. It's fixed! If you have cleaned the excess epoxy well, it is probably not even necessary to do any sanding etc. If the finish looks good then go ahead and enjoy your sitar!
3. Cracks longer than 6" Procedure: This is where the fun begins. These cracks may have tributaries. They sometimes look like lightening; like a tree branching into multiple cracks. The best way to handle this is two fold: First fix the cracks that can be wedged open - as given in the previous example - then, after the main crack has dried. Now fix the branching cracks. These should look almost like hairline cracks. To fix these use your utility knife and scratch right on top of the crack surface. Yes, you are trying to increase its width. The reason for this is that by increasing the width, you are infact creating room for the epoxy. I usually scratch out a groove about a 32th of an inch. Blow off any dust or dirt and fill this groove with epoxy. Clean the excess epoxy and let it dry for 24 hours. The next day you'll notice the the place you had scratched and filled with epoxy will probably have a little sunken area where the epoxy shrank after drying. Use some wood filler to cover this and sand the area smooth. Stain and varnish.
4. Small holes in the gourd (1/4" to 1/2" round) These are very easily fixed by substituting a wood plug that you can either make using a piece of 1/8" paneling or any type of easily carvable wood. Just use your utility knife to scratch the surface of the gourd around the hole such that it is chamfered inwards. Do the same to the wood plug but in this case chamfer it outwards. A little grinding to make the fit perfect and then glue it into place. Let it dry and then sand it until it blends with the gourds contour. Stain and varnish.
5. Large holes in the gourd (1" to 3" round) These are a bit tricky. Since it is very hard to access the gourd from the inside you have to create a way to put a wire mesh behind the surface of the gourd. Here's how..... You're going to need a rigid wire mesh screen. Screen density should not be about 1/64th of an inch. You'll also need some bondo.. yes it's the same fiberglass stuff you use to repair your car! Use your utility knife to chamfer all around the hole just like in the previous example. This is to ensure that the fiberglass material will sit over the gourd like a cap while also giving it a stronger surface contact. Now cut the screen mesh about an inch larger than the hole. Tie a piece of thread to the center of this mesh and coax it into the hole. Don't drop the thread into the gourd! Now apply a generous (and I mean thick!) coating of the epoxy to the inside surface of the gourd 4
around the hole. I usually wear a surgical glove and use my index finger to do this. Pull the mesh up by the thread until it sinks into the epoxy. You can even tie the thread on some thing above. Leave this be for 24 hours. The next day you should find the mesh nice and tight and ready for the filling job. Now you need to mix the bondo according to instructions. Use the applicator and apply an even coating to cover the hole. After it dries, sand it slightly and apply another coat. You should observe the contour of the gourd and design the coverage accordingly. File the excess and use the fine sandpaper to bring it to a smooth finish. Stain and varnish.
6. Shattered Sitar Gourds Shattered sitar gourds are like a jigsaw puzzle. These are the most time consuming to repair. You will have to use a combination of the techniques given above. The most important thing to remember is that you need to collect all the pieces. Take stock of all the gourd pieces and do a mock up if possible. Many pieces will fit perfectly without any trouble. Use epoxy and a few clamps and join these before you do anything else. Soon you'll find that out of the many pieces you now only have to glue together a few. It is important to remember to take it slow. But the tools are the same as described above. You will probably end up with a few holes because the pieces shattered into dust. These holes can be fixed as shown above. After everything is clumpled together use wood filler and sand everything smooth. Stain and varnish.
Sitar Lesson #3 Sitar size selection, sitar tuning t ones, fret moving tips
by As hw in Bat ish
Is it the right one baby? Sitar that is! An important issue facing you when you start playing the sitar is the condition of your sitar. To start with, it has to be the right size for you. Sitars come in various sizes. By size I mean not the overall length of the sitar but the size of the gourd and the width of the fretboard. If you are looking for sheer acoustic volume, you need to have a sitar which has a large gourd. But this might not be practical. If you are a small person you'll have a terrible time trying to hold it in the playing position. The opposite is also true for a large person. In this case, if the gourd is too small, I've seen people leaning excessively to keep the sitar stable. This bends their backs un-naturally and eventually they have a back ache.
Nothing to fret about? The width and curve of the sitar's fretboard is also important, depending on your hand size, if this is not a good fit you'll have a hard time playing fast and doing meend (producing notes by pulling the string). Also, your hands will get un necessarily tired trying to hold the sitar and grapple with the note production process.
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The next thing you need to check is the condition of the frets. Look for frets that feel loose. They'll usually wobble excessively when you hold them between your thumb and index fingers and try to move them. There should be some movement but if they feel wobbly then it is possible that the thread tying them has stretched or is unravelled. Many times the sitar wallas (makers) will tie the sitar frets while the varnish is wet. I have no idea why they don't wait. But the end result is that the thread digs into the varnish and dries hard. This is a major problem because, and I know you'll have to do this, by the very nature of requirement of playing ragas on this instrument you will have to move these fret to get the right notes. Having these tying threads imbedded in the varnish means you'll have to pry them loose and then move them. This prying process might result in the thread becoming unraveled or even breaking. If it's any consolation, even my sitar had this problem. I eventually removed all the frets, sanded the embedded marks in the varnish and revarnished the sitar. But this was a lot of work! And don't attempt this yourself unless you are good at this sort of thing. The only recourse is to re-tie the fret. If you have already brought a sitar If you are experiencing this problem then call our Institute. We have some of the original tying threads available in rolls. As a replacement, you can also use fishing line to tie the frets. It does not look exotic, it lacks friction so it slips during the tying process, it is difficult to install, but it cheap and it works. The next thing you need to do is invest in a good quality tone generator. For many years I was using a mouth blown pitch pipe. That's the cheap way out. If you are tuning to the key of C then get that one. But tuning the sitar for a beginner is a bear. So you might have a bit of a struggle. If you can dish out the funds, get a guitar tuner from a music store in your area. These days there is a lot of variety. What you need is a tone reader and a generator. Many of the newer, less expensive, tuners are only readers. They make the task of tuning visual. Y ou see a little led light that tells you when your instrument has the true note.Click here to view the tuner I recommend. We have these available in our store incase you wish to order one. My personal feeling is that we are working with an audio medium so while the reader is a nice tool for an accomplished musician, the new student will find this can be very difficult. It will also not cultivate your ears to read and react to the necessary tuning proceedures. So buy the tuner with a tone generator. Hear the Sa note and then try tuning it on the sitar. But to save you some money, I've devised a bunch of midi files taht you can use for tuning your sitar. Now aren't you happy you've joined the Internet? Here's how you go about tuning your sitar......... One thing to remember is that the tuner is set to the Western Equal Temperament tuning. There is a work around to this. In Indian music the concern is to play harmonically pure intervals. Some refer to this as just intonation. I personally use harmonics to set my strings. This process can be intimidating especially to the untrained ear. But believe me, your sitar will sound celestial if you tune it the way I'm going to show you. If you have a tone genertor that allows for alternate tunings then pick the "J ust Intonation," setting. For everyone with only an equal temperament module, I'll show you a way to correct the intonation in another lesson. For now, go ahead and tune to the notes your tone module produces. It'll atleast give you a good head start. If you intend to play your sitar with other Western instruments, you might actually have to tune it to play equal 6
temperament. Otherwise there will be a distinctive intonation compatibility problem when you start playing together.
Tuning Tones Tune your first wire to the fourth note, Ma (F). Now the first fret is Ma tivar (f#), the second is Pa (G) and so on. Madhyam- Ma (F)
Next tune your 2nd wire to Sa. Here is a tone to help you do that. Shadaja - Sa (C)
Now tune your third wire to Pa (5th). Here is a tone for this. Remember this note is in the lower octave called the Mandar Saptak. Mandar Saptak Pancham- Pa (G)
Now tune your 4th wire to Sa. This is the same note as in #2 above. The two strings should be the same gauge in most sitars. But in some sitars this string is of a thicker gauge. It is used for slow meditative improvisations. The problem with having this string is that in faster movements it flops around and is distractive. Sitar with this string sometimes has a little metal latch installed on the last fret (the one closest to the bridge) so one can tuck the string onto the latch when the faster movements are anticipated. If you have this thicker gauge string installed then tune it to the lower octave Sa also called "Ati Mandar Shadaja - Sa (C)". Here is a tone for that Ati Mandar Shadaja - Sa (C)
The fifth string is also tuned to Pancham (5th note) but it is an octave higher then #3. Here is that note Pancham- Pa (G)
The sixth string, is tuned to the tonic, Shadaja, but is an octave higher than #2. It is also called the "Taar Shadaja". Here is that note Taar Shadaja - Sa (C)
The seventh string, is also tuned to the tonic, Shadaja, but is two octaves higher than #6. This is also called the "Ati Tar Shadaja". Here is that note Ati Taar Shadaja - Sa (C)
So now you should have all your top string in tune. But before you go any further check all of them again. As you tune your sitar, it is quite possible that the changing tension will detune some of the strings. So you might have to do this a few times before the strings settle in. A new set is most succeptable to this problem. 7
Sitar Lesson 4 Sitar Tuning by Ashwin Batish
Here is a standard chart to tune your sitar by. This sitar has the usual 7 main strings and 13 sympathetic strings. Many of you will probably have one with 11 strings. In that case just tune your sympathetic strings to the first 11 strings shown. I prefer this tuning, although I have another sitar loaded with the low bass Sa string that gives me that extra bass veena range on the sitar. I like to dabble on this especially in classical performances and recordings. It is a great space for doing alaaps with the slow deep meditative expressiveness. To make this tuning compitible with Ravi Shankarji's sitar, you simply need to change the number 4 string to our #4 bass bronze string cat# BRSIT4BS and tune it to low Sa, 2 octaves below middle C (or 1 octave below the #2 Sa string). The problem I have with this tuning in my regular approach to the sitar is that if I leave this string open it rattles like crazy and drives me crazy along with it. The traditional solution is to creat a small wire hook and attach it to a fret and then hook this sitar string under it when you are done playing on it. This gets the string out of the way. But now the problem is you have to tune this new hooked string to a note that fits the raga. So a tonic, 3rd, 4th, 5th 6th, are all possible contenders but a point to remember is that therewill be two notes on either side of the hook. So they have to be in good intonation on both sides of the hook as it might resonate sympathetically when you are playing the sitar. A set of bad notes will resonate especially when you pull meends. The other irritant is that although the hook will pull the string down somewhat and move it out of the way, it usually still gets struck while doing chikari and I personally like my chikari sound to include bronze Sa wire tone. After all this, if you decide to have the bass sa string in your sitar, and you make a hook etc, you will do well to practice your chikari with great patience and precission so your accuracy keeps this string mostly out of the fast chikari playing. New sitar students would also do well to stay away from the bass string until they have some experience under their belt. The meend work requires good understanding of the raga ornamentations and structure. It is really important that you have tuning beads on the first five main strings. The chikari strings number 6 and 7 don't need them. You can use any plastic bead or if you want to get fancy use the decorative swan tuners. These are available from the Institute. Call or email for more details. The thing to remember is to have different types of tuning beads on each string so that you can recognize the string being tuned by the touch of your fingers. When playing in a concert situation, you want to be able to tune your sitar without putting it down on the floor. It is visually disturbing and is not as accurate as tuning the sitar in the playing position. Tuning beads help do this in an elegant and accurate way. Many sitars when sold new have these beads on only a couple of strings. So invest in a few extra. You'll be glad you did :-)
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In the last lesson, I left off at tuning the top 7 string of the sitar. Now let's look at the sympathetic string tuning. We call these "tarab" strings. They are tuned to the raga you are playing. As mentioned above, the total number of tarab string on a sitar can vary from eleven (most common) to thirteen. I have two sitars and one has the 11, the other has 13 (shown above). My observation has been that the sitars made in Banaras, Miraj, Bombay, and Delhi area have 11 tarab strings and the ones coming from Bengal, especially Calcutta, have thirteen. My favorite way to tune these in the Bilaval raga is as follows:
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For Bhoopali raga given in the earlier lesson I like to tune my tarab strings like this
As you can see, there can be many variations to this. The important thing to remember is that your strings should be in perfect intonation. This ensures a reverberant resonance when you play on the top strings. To many of you tarab string tuning might seem like a useless task. It seems like all your time gets sucked up on tuning! For a while, when I started to grapple with tarab tuning (I was about 14 years old then :-) I felt it was such a waste of time. Ofcourse I could never get them right! Somebody's playing a sick joke on me.... I thought. So I can imagine that many of you are probably frustated with getting these strings in tune. Keeping them in tune can seem like an endless chore. Well relax! This is natural. As a matter of fact, to make sure you practice playing your sitar more than you spend time tuning it, the traditional way is to have a sitar student buy a sitar without sympathetic strings. Some teacher might even recommend removing or muting them in the initial stages of your study. This then keeps the students mind on practice and gradually, as you start getting used to the instrument and gain practice with the upper strings, you can start delving into the sympathetic tuning. Having said that, let me just say that the sympathetic bridge should be properly set and its "Jawari" (tone) should be carefully adjusted for optimum resonance. This can be an involved and tricky proceedure so consult a Jawari expert if you have access to one. Good Jawariwalas are hard to come by. I remember my father hiring one, in Bombay, to come and work on the Jawari of his "Vichitra Veena". That guy was at our house for almost 5 hours! We fed him dinner gave him umteen cups of chai. When he left the bone on dads' bridge was all bumpy and about half the thickness and the Veena sounded horrible.... and this guy came recommended! Dad was furious. After that day he has never let anyone come near the Jawari of any of his stringed instruments. He basically learned to work on them himself. Being his trusted sidekick, I was often given the task of filing the bridge flat. Through use, the strings will cut into the bone and you have to grind this out. I was happy to oblige. This also gave me some insights about how to optimize the Jawari for resonance. I will deal with this in another article. But let me just say that I have gone through a few bridges in my time. Sitar, Veena, Tanpura, Dilruba.... I learned to set all of these. The basic principle is the same.
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But chances are that you have an instrument that will not need Jawari work immediately. Especially if you got the sitar new. Both your main and the sympathetic bridges should be in good playing condition.
Ashwin Batish Now here's a little plug for our
SITAR VIDEO TUTORS! Learn to play the sitar at home! Ashwin Batish teaches sitar by video. Two videos are now ready. Each is about an hour long. The first is titled "Introduction to Sitar" the second is titled "Begining Sitar Exercises." More tutor videos are on the way.
Sitar Lesson #5 Sitar Adjustments, Sitar Tuning issues, Tuning the Sitar using Harmonics, Correcting the sitar's action by Ashwin Batish
In this lesson I would like to address an email I received on sitar adjustment. This is a difficult adjustment to make and should be handled with great care as changing anything without being sure will result in catastrophic results. I invite more such emails.
The question At 11:56 PM 8/6/96, you wrote: I recently stumbled upon Raganet, and have found your articles on the sitar quite informative. I have been using a book by Ravi Shankar which includes a sitar tutor, but i think my sitar might need some adjustment. I think perhaps the nut, the ivory piece between the main tuning pegs and the fingerboard, might be adjusted too high. In order to get accurate intonation I was required to move the frets toward the nut, and the first fret appears visually to be too close to the nut. 11
How high above the first fret should the strings, and especially the melody string, be? I would appreciate your suggestion. Sincerely, Jim Robertson
The answer Hello Jim, I'm glad you are enjoying our RagaNet articles on the sitar!
Taargahan - the "nut" Note: For the sake of some of our readers, a "nut" is the part of a guitar, before the begining of playing frets. Upon this rest all the strings. In a sitar it is called a "taargahan". There are two of these. Through one are drilled 5 holes, at the appropriate points, and the sitar strings rest on the other. They are made of a flat (about 3/16th thick) bone piece. Light groves are cut into the top of the second one to ensure the strings lock down. Five of the main strings rest on this. In many sitars, the sitar makers will forget to cut these groves. This can effect the seperation between strings and many times if you try to pull the string for meend, it slides on the nut, creating a scratchy noise and loosing intonation. Also, if the grove is not deep enough, taking a 4 or 5 note meend will make the string snap out of its groove and in many cases give you an unexpected jolt. Now back to answering this gentleman's query....... If you had to move your sitar fret so drastically then there is a definite problem, and this has effected your fret placements. This is a common problem associated with the overall intonation and is easily fixed. But you do need to have a good ear. If you're unsure of whether you can hear the proper notes a note reader (e.g. an electronic tuner ) will come in handy. The unfortunate problem here is that the Western tuners are in equal temperament so they won't be true to the pitch of natural harmonics. But, they will get you close to the correct notes. So go ahead and use it as a starting point. Latter I will show you how to fine tune the frets.
What is your problem? The sitar intonation problems can happen in a variety of ways. It's good to look into all the possible reasons before you start making permanent changes to any aspect of the instrument. The proper setting of the frets is critical. Many instruments shipped from the maker unfortunately do not heed the harmonic accuracy of the frets. They tend to slap the instrument together and if it sounds decent they'll sell it and concentrate on making the next one. This ofcourse is not true for all the makers. If you pay them handsomely you'll get the perfect instrument. But the real life scenerio is that for every 10 sitars, one might suffice. I've seen $1500 sitars being sold in the States that totally are misaligned! Some of my students wonder why, in comparison to my sitar, their's sounds so horrible. And I somehow find myself voluteering to correct these mistakes :-( Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that you need to be your own best critic and repair man. That is the goal of my initial articles on the sitar. So let me start by recommending these steps.
The Tuner First, the electronic tuner with a tone generator. They can be a bit expensive (around $130.00). If you don't have one then you can look at, I think Sitar Lesson #3. I give the midi tones via my web site. The main tone I want you to use is Sa (The western C). It is arbitrary which key you tune your 12
sitar to. If you like to tune to the key of C# then by all means tune to that note. The frets are basicly set to a relative harmonic ratios in relationship to the Sa drone note. I hope you understand this point. If not let me know.
Frets of Importance 2nd, physically locate your 7th fret (Sa) your 11th fret (Ma) and your 17th fret (Sa, an octave higher) and your 20th fret (Ma, an octave higher from the 11th). These are the ones we'll adjust first.
Ma Harmonic 3rd, and this is critical, place the index finger of your left hand lightly on the 1st string, Ma (F), at roughly the mid-point of the string's length. Now with your right strike the string with a downward stroke of your mizrab. If your left finger is in the correct spot you'll hear a harmonic overtone which will resonate an octave higher than the main pitch. THis harmonic will be produced even with your finger touching the string. This is a very special place on any string. This is where it is split in a ratio of natural resonance. You have probably seen guitar players producing these harmonics or atleast heard them. They sound very beautiful and have a resonant, sustaining, and a soft tonal quality. Here our purpose is to use this natural overtone to locate your center fret, the middle note, called Madhyam or Ma for short. This 11th fret should be the same pitch as this overtone.
Ma Fret Adjustment using Ma Harmonic Now press the string down on this 11th fret and strike it. Produce the overtone to see if indeed the notes produced match. If they don't, move the fret to match. Do this a few times until the Ma overtone and the Ma fret produce the same pitch. That's it! But wait...... A possible problem to note here is if the fret placement has changed excessively. If you look at the back of your sitar you'll note that there are marks on the varnish that were placed when the tying thread dug into the varnish at some point during the making of the sitar. This is actually a flaw in the design of most sitars. But, in this case, I will show you how you can benefit by this. Locate the thread lines behind the 11th fret. Make a note of where you've moved your fret while setting it according to the harmonic method I'm describing. Ideally, the Ma fret should lie right on the old string marks. This is where the maker intended it to be. If they are not, here's what you should do. If the fret is excessively off from the ideal placement (note that I say excessively.... meaning a little difference is immaterial. But if it is bad enough so that the fret thread placements clash with the sympathetic peg holes, then we need to do this adjustment) you might have to either increase the length of the string from (nut to bridge) or decrease this length. To do this you have to move the main bridge forward or backward. Now stop right here. You have to make a very important decision here and if you're unsure, email me.
Fret-to-String Adjustment Check this before you do anything else..... 13
Look at the main string. Is it sitting too high above the frets? Do you have to make an excessive effort in pressing the string to produce the notes? Especially on the higher notes? If you feel like the string is acting like a knife on you playing fingers, you might need to adjust the action of your strings before you attempt to move the bridge. In a sitar the strings are much more slinkier than a guitar so the action is much higher than the guitar. But like any fretted instrument, the optimum fret-to-string distance is the point where none of the frets buzz. For instance if the action is kept too low, the playing will result in the strings buzzing on the fret in front. So the optimum height will be such that the string clears just enough to avoid this. And this should be true for all the frets. Finding this can be a difficult task. Ideally it should be left to the sitar wallas as they have the resources to handle correcting mistakes. So be very careful in this adjustment. Basicly you can either lower the bridge by filing the extra wood or raise the frets. The nut side should be lowered or raised to the optimum also. Filing the bridge excessively can be corrected by shims. IF you have a sitar that is buzzing at the frets then this is your answer. Once the action is corrected, do the harmonics and adjust the Ma fret as shown above. Now you are set to proceed to the next level.
The other Main Frets •
•
•
The 7th fret (Sa) should be tuned in a similar manner. With your index finger about 1/3rd of the way up from the Taargahan side (the nut discussed above), strike the strike and produce the Sa overtone. Move the fret until they match. The 17th Fret: With your index finger about 2/3rds of the way up from the Taargahan side or 1/3rd of the way from the main bridge side, produce a Sa overtone an octave above the one at the 7th fret. Move the fret until this is matched. Now adjust the 20th fret with its overtone. This is Ma but an octave higher from the 11th fret and should be roughly the mid-point between the 11th and the main bridge.
You have now set the four main frets of your instrument to the optimum positions! This should be a proud moment. This problem has plagued many a sitarist. Many students have been doomed to play mis-adjusted sitars because they have been unaware of this setting. So give yourself a pat on the back and let's journey to the next level of adjustment, setting the other frets.
Sitar Lesson #6 - String Gauges by Ashwin Batish
A couple of emails have requested I handle the issue of sitar string gauges. This is a crucial issue so I'll deal with this here. There is a general concensus as to what the right gauges for a sitar are. But this can change according to how a sitarist sees his particular application. Like guitar strings, there are string sets that can be slinky, light, medium or hard gauge. It might also be a combination of all of these. What I'd like to cover here is the gauge of strings I use in my personal sitar. Realizing that this might vary from what is being sold out there, I'll let you decide what's best for your needs. But I've used this combination for over 15 years and have found them to be exceptionally reliable and very satifactory with my playing style. 14
The main playing string (Ma) is often the one that should be ordered according with each individual in mind. In the case of my students, I tend to look at who's playing the sitar, their age, their strengths and weaknesses. Physical size and strength are a definite concern in picking the right gauge. For a a child of 10 - 14 years I would recommend a slinkier selection which is easier on their fingers. If you don't watch out, the child can loose interest in the instrument as it can be a cruel experience on the fingers if the gauges are too hard. Women should also look into installing softer strings on their sitars unless they show that their strength in pulling the meends (slides) is adequate. The tradeoff between the slinkier and the harder gauges is the volume you'll attain with the sitar. Slinkier strings tend to resonate less than the harder variety. But the harder ones will tend to cut your fingers quicker unless you have calauses built up. There are two issues to keep in mind when you go string shopping. •
What key you'll be tuning the sitar to For a solo sitarist the sitar tends to be tuned to one key and the player hardly deviates from this. This is probably the case with most classical sitarists. But even though the general tuning is in the same key, there is often a need to change the strings within the key. For instance in raga Marava, since the 5th note Pancham is not used the drone of the strings that are usually tuned to Pa has to be tuned to maybe a 3rd (Sa) above Pa, or Dha above Pa, or as some sitarists do, latch it to a clip so that those strings are put out of commission. But if the strings are tuned higher, they should be of a gauge that can take such a range. When I was 15 my father started me off in the key of C sharp. the main string was gauge #1. As I got better and my calauses started building up (which is in about 6 months) he changed this to a #2 gauge. I was happy with this for a few years. One day he switched it to a three gauge. This I really enjoyed. I must have been about 20 years old and I was tearing it up ont the three gauge. The tension felt great. My calauses were quite thick by then. At about age 23, I decided to switch to a #4 gauge main string, and on top of that, I started to tune my sitar to a D! The instrument sounded really loud. But my fingers felt this jump in the gauge. I stubbornly kept to this for many years to come. Today, I'm back to #3 gauge and I tune my sitar to C! There's a story to this and I will share it with you someday. But I like C. My other sitar is on C#. But I, as a classical and an accompaniment musician, find a need to have a capability to play within a range of B flat to D. So the strings I use will give you this range comfortably.
•
The age and strength factor is next in importance. If you hurt, there goes your sitar practice! So watch out for this. It's better to get a little less accoustic volume and retain your interest in practice than to be stubborn and play the sitar with the harder gauges. Sometimes, if the action of the strings is unreasonably high, a slinkier string will still give you a decent practice whereas a thicker gauge string will be impossible to handle. I have been there. My own sitar has gone through some extensive reworking so that today the action is perfect. I have written about this issue in a previous lesson so I won't repeat it here. Enough said. Let me show you these gauges and metal compositions for the strings I prefer.
The strings I use are as follows: (a high quality tone generater is recommended. We are presently selling the Seiko brand tuner and find it to be probably the best one you can use for this purpose) 15
#1 St eel
Ma
. 012
Gauge #3 / chi l dr en under 15 use #2 gauge
#2 Br onze Sa
. 013
Gauge #4
#3 Br onze Pa
. 020
Gauge #8
#4 Br onz e
Sa
. 013
Gauge #4 ( Same as #2)
#5 St eel
Pa
. 011
Gauge #2
#6 St eel
Sa
. 009
Gauge #0 / or #1
#7 St eel
Sa
. 009
Gauge #0 / or #1
Tar ab St r i ngs ar e al l gauge #0
Sitar Lesson 7 by Ashwin Batish
Stringing a Sitar I have created a couple of new instructional videos that walk you through some of this process. Video #1 is titled "Changing Your Sitar Strings" and Video #2 is titled "Tweaking Your Sitar" they are the first two in a 3 part series on Maintaining your sitar's peak performance.
I got stung again! It's February 5, 1998. I am tweaking one of my brand new sitars, getting it ready for sale. Without any warning ..... Ouch, that hurts! I try to tune my sitar and suddenly I get a terrible sting from a wire that has been left dangling from either the tuning peg or while I'm trying to fine tune with a bead behind the main bridge. It's like a sharp needle, it pokes you and it is a horrible feeling ..... I will implore you all to sit down today with your instruments and a sharp pair of wire cutters and cut off some of these needle points. If you have come to avoid this sting then take pity on the possibility of a friend, or a child making the same mistake and yelling out in pain. The worst side of this is that if a steel string is rusted it can be poisoness. How many times have I experienced this? Enough times so that I am a bit ticked off. I will implore all the manufacturers and dealers of sitars to please do a good job of stringing the instruments! I have strung the sitar more times than any of you can imagine. Since I was 12, I have taken care of all my father's string instruments. That included learning (sometimes the hard way) about putting strings on an instrument and tweaking it. I have had my share of bad jobs (quite a few as a matter of fact). But the thing I have learned from this is that all you need is a little patience and a wire cutter. It just takes a few minutes and you have a well manicured sitar. This is why I cannot understand how many instrument delears can sell their instruments and not put any effort into tweaking the instruments to feel and sound their best. The payback is enormous in terms of goodwill and satisfaction. Don't, give us a bad or a sloppy job of re-stringing any stringed instrument. Here are some of the things you need to keep in mind when re-stringing your sitar. • • • •
mark the position of your bridge prior to cutting off the strings Replace one string at a time Make good tight anchor loops at one end of the string Have a wire cutter handy 16
• • •
Always put the end of the string twice in the tuning peg. Remove the excess slack form each string after installation Tune your sitar
I will teach you to make the best loops for your instrument. It takes a little patience and a little practice to get the perfect loops. But the rewards are many. Amongst them are no "ouches" and your sitar will stay in tune.
Mark the position of the main and the sympathetic bridges Many newbies will forget to do this. The result, your frets don't sound in tune anymore! Don't trust the old marks your bridge might have made when the instrument maker first set the bridge. This is usually wrong. And I just can't figure out why this is so. You'd think that someone capable of making such a fine instrument would align the bridge and frets to the proper intonation prior to shipping??? Oh well.....
Replace one string at a time I remember when I replaced the spark plugs in my car for the very first time..... In my enthusiasm I took out all the wires and the plugs without marking them. When I put in the new ones I forgot whick ignition wire goes where.... the result .... a car that wouldn't start! I had to pay a mechanic more money than I saved to fix the problem! Expect this chaos if you do what I did when changing sitar strings. Pegs can get mixed up and you'll find that they don't fit in the holes as well as they did. The proper way is to replace one string at a time or, if you want to remove all of them, mark them well.
Make good tight anchor loops at one end of the string Looping is no secret. But you have to have some practice. Coupled wth this is the fact that you might seem a bit clumsy at first but as you get more at home with handling strings this job gets easier. Remember strings, especially steel ones, are fine and slippery. In the sense that as you twist them to make a loop, the end section can, without warning, slip and end up in your hand or finger. So be very careful. An easy way to aviod this mishap is to take a larger string section to loop. Here are some diagrams explaining the looping for anchoring the string.
Have a wire cutter handy Go buy a really good wire cutter. I have tried working with the cheapest and believe me it's not worth the hassle of saving a few dollars. A finely crafted cutter is sharp from the tip to the end. But don't trust a brand. Hold the cutter up to the light. There should be no gaps between the cutting blades. A quality wire cutter will also last much longer. Also find one that cuts the string flush. Some of the cutters have a beveled edge and hence will leave a bit of wire protuding. This can result in minor puncture wounds to you.
Sitar Lesson 8 Traditional and alternative sitar holding and sitting positions by Ashwin Batish 17
Hold your sitar right! There have been a lot of questions put to me regarding how to hold the sitar. Many of you are familiar with the half lotus sitting position. This is the position portrayed in the image to the left. This is the traditional position and probably used 99 percent of the time. So with this acceptibility level why bother. Just try your best and follow it and you are there. Striving for the half-lotus position is your best bet . But, ever since I have been in the West I have noticed the Western student struggle. A part of me tells me to leave it at at that. After all that's the only way to get atuned to the posture, and, improvements can be made over the years .... yes you heard that right "over the years!" In Indian music terms we think of the learning process over time unlike the TV ad I recently saw that promised to teach the guitar in 10 easy lessons :) But then there is the part of me that has coached many students to break this traditional posture for one that is easier on the limbs especially if the student is handycapped. To be out of proper position means you are not going to play much sitar and eventually you will abandon it. To me that is very sad. So, I will suggest some newer approaches that I have had success with. I hope some of you will find these beneficail and hence provide you with another chance at playing this beautiful instrument Therefore, I would like to share with you some alternate holding positions for anyone finding the traditional half-lotus position is totally impossible. Choose the one that most suits you.
The relaxed half-lotus This is when instead of placing your sitar gourd on your left foot you drop the gourd so that it rests on the floor instead. You need to have a carpet underneath or carry a pillow so that the gourd does not get scratched.
The sideways position This a common way recommended for women since a half-lotus position is frowned upon in India as it shows off too much. It is similar to how women were taught to ride side-saddle on a horse. You simply sit with both your legs crossed over to one side and lean with your right hand over the main gourd.
The squating lap position Instead of the half-lotus position squat with both legs crossed. Now place the sitar over your right lap and place your right hand over the gourd to stabalize it. The problem with this position is that the sitar fretboard becomes a bit too high. This is probably best for tall people.
The standing position This is best if you cannot sit at all. In this position you simply stand like a flamenco guitar player and place your right leg over a chair or a stool. Then place the gourd over the right leg and your right hand over the gourd to stabalize the sitar. Actually, I use this position whenever I play with a rock band and there is no where to sit. Well sometimes you have to play in tight spaces!!
The Table position You simply place the main gourd on the table and stabalize the sitar with your right hand. Just make sure you have some sort of cushion for the gourd to rest on 18
The Chair position You simply sit on the chair. Have a small 6 inch stool to place your right leg on. Then place the sitar gourd on the right leg and stabalize the sitar with your right arm over the gourd.
The lying down position .... just kidding :) but hey I'm going to try this ....It just might work! It is very natural for us to be ambitious and want to grasp knowledge and skills as quickly as possible so we may enjoy the fruits of our interests ASAP. This is probably the strongest part of the human programming gene. It is a good thing but remember not all skills and knowledge come instantly. There are steps to follow and blocks to build on, and, some skills are honed by practice and a lot of repetition. This is probably the biggest secret for learing music. As the famous saying goes...... "to be great, it takes 99% perspiration and 1 % genious!" That means practice! This practice applies to your siting position and your hand positions and your playing etc. Many of you are familiar with yoga. This will help you sustain the position longer.
Sitar Lesson Nine by Ashwin Batish
Proper Hand Position and Sitar Holding Technique
This article is still being written. This red notice is to request all readers to submit any punctual, spelling or any other errors in the writing. AB Start your Sitar Engines Before you get carried away, in deep meditation, to the most celestial of places promising nirvana, yes, there are a few more chores to work on. You must be getting tired of the rhetoric. My kids, a 6 year old and a 3 year old have the same attitude when I ask them to brush their teeth. "Oh no, it's the same old junky brushing again!" After all you have a lambrogini and you are being told to drive in the 25 mph zone. Well, sitar playing requires a lot of prep work. It might seem like a lot of drudgry and I agree but if you don't get it right now you will never have the fluidity a lot of your favorite sitar players emnate. Let's look at some of the basics and see where you are at: 1. You have a sitar with a quality set of strings of the right gauge for your playing. 2. You have it tuned well. 3. You know how to hold it right Next, you need to make sure your hands are placed properly. It is critical that both your hands be placed properly on your sitar else you'll have tired hands and fingers and your tone will be un predictable. Initially, it might seem awkward but with practice it'll start to make sense and you'll learn to believe in it. Whatever holding position you are are going to use, here are a few things you should keep in mind. 19
1. make sure the sitar is atleast 10 - 12 inches away from your chest. Many students will hug the sitar so close to their chest that it is almost impossible to maneuver over the fret board. 2. Don't make the mistake of looking over the fretboard as you play the sitar. There is a natural tendency to look at your fingers as they run over the various frets while you try playing your sitar. Avoid this behavior. It'll not only give you a sore neck but will totally destroy your hand positions. No folks, this is not a guitar! Ideally, one should do so much practice that their eyes don't have to do the playing. One should be able to look away from the instrument and still keep playing without errors. Yes, that takes a bit of practice but the music starts to sound more from the soul than a technical routine. But, there is a way to look at what you're doing in the event you need to have a handle on visualizing the next sitar lic and here's how this works. Hold the sitar away from you as mentioned above, now look at the back of the sitar. Do you see those fret tying threads? Well, there you have a visual! right behind these threads are your sitar frets! So forget about looking at the front of the sitar fretboard. You can look at the fret tying threads at the back of your sitar's fretboard and know which fret you're playing. Isn't that cool secret? OK, now you can stop making those frequent trips to the chriopracter to straighten your neck! 3. Now, as you are looking at the back of your sitar, at the various fret tying threads, count the threads from the top of your sitar until you reach the 7th fret. Place your index finger on this fret and visually you should see your thumb resting on the back of the fret board right behind the fret thread. You index finger should be resting, pressing down on the string, right behind the fret. Remember this well. It should not be "ON" the fret or somewhere in the "MIDDLE" of the 6th and 7th fret. The reason for this is that if your finger is "ON" the fret the tone will sound dull and muted. If it is in the middle of the 6th and 7th fret, the tone will not be stable. It'll rise in pitch as you press down on the string. This is a common problem with begining students. It is hard to get accuracy and play exactly at the right place behind each fret. The normal tendency is to play a little further behind the fret and this pressure on the string tends to deflect the string pitch. The result is a horrible up and down deflection that can make a listener want to run to the nearest heavey metal shop and cleance their ears on Metalica! Well maybe that is too drastic. :) But if you play right behind the fret, where if you were to go any further towards the fret the tone would start to dull, then that's the right place to be. This can be a bit of a challenge
from: http://www.raganet.com/RagaNet/Issues/9/sitar9.html
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