Sitar is one of the most melodic and melancholic string instruments, originated from South-Asian countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. It was invented in medieval India and gradually flourished in the world music industry in the span of the 16th to 18th century. The word ‘Sitar’ is derived from the Persian word ‘Shetaar’ which implies ‘three strings’. It eventually evolved to four strings and seven strings later.
Physical description
Sitar belongs to the lute family that is typically 4 feet long in length. It has pear-shaped bottom along with a long tail that consists of 20 curved frets which are moveable. The body is made of wood and the strings are metal which creates that fine-tune and resonance. There are usually five melodic strings, 1-2 drone strings, and thirteen sympathetic strings that help to tune in. Usually, the strings are known as Chikari strings, Kharaj (bass) strings, and Jod and baaj strings. All the strings can be adjusted according to the artist’s individual style and preference.
Classical Gharanas
In Indian Classical music, there are dedicated systems along with organizations or families who practice particular musical styles which are carried forward with a legacy of lineage or apprenticeship. These Systems are known as gharanas. Such as,-
- Imdadkhani Gharana
- Beenkar Gharana
- Jaipur Gharana
- Senia Gharana
- Bishnupur Gharana
- Lucknow-Shahjahaanpur Gharana
Influence in World Music
While Sitar was widely used in Indian classical and traditional music, two emerging schools helped to spread the tune from southern Asia to all over the world. Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan schools are the two modern schools of the industry that introduced modern improvisations. Western popular music started to fuse sitar in its music while mastering the instrument. The Beatles came to India and lead guitarist George Harrison learned Sitar From Ravi Shankar. In 1965, The Beatles gained much attention with its sitar-rock representations like ‘Norwegian Wood’. The buzz is followed by ‘Within You Without You’ and ‘Love YouTo’ in 1967. Similarly, Rolling Stone’s guitarist Brian Jones played Sitar for the track ‘Pain It Black’. In the same year, Dave Mason also utilized sitar in the tracks ‘Hole In My Shoe’ and ‘Paper Sun’. From Led Zeppelin to The Doors, every band tried to improvise sitar and even imitate raga through guitar in their tracks (‘The End’ by The Doors).
As the music industry is constantly changing the sitar fusions took a whole new level with different sub-genres like sitar-metal, sitar-rock, and indie sitar music. Looking from the aspect of the 21st century, there are many sitar players worldwide who are making exquisite experimentation with sitar. Anoushka Shankar, the talented daughter of Pandit Ravi Shankar; is of the pioneers among them. Sitar has proved its importance in the classical music and modern music industry as well and it is going to stay that way.