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Sitar
A Presentation by
Sarah Thompson
What Are You Made Of?
 Indian Squash is dried and used for the
resonant gourds
 The neck is made from Mahogany or Teak
 The tuning pegs are made from Indian
Rosewood
 Frets are made from silk
 Scrimshawed bone is used for its aesthetics
Where Are You From?
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The Sitar evolved from the Tanbur, which is the Sumerian
term for “long necked Lute” and has been present in
Mesopotamia since the Akkadian era, or the 3rd millennium
BCE
The sitar is often said to have been developed in the
thirteenth century CE by Amir Khusrau from a member of
the veena family of Indian musical instruments called the
tritantri veena and to have been named by him after the
Persian setar
Finding A Purpose In Life
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Music and dancing were a part of daily celebration and
temple rites-music was played for marriages and births
in the royal families. Music was also used to back up the
recitation of poetry
Goddess Inanna
Music in Sumer was a utilitarian art. It was played at
occasions but probably not played simply for enjoyment
Currently used in popular music as well as classical
Hindustani Music
Bringing You Up To Scale
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Sitar is played in an Indian music scale
The 7 notes of the scale are shadja, rishabh, gandhar,
madhyam, pancham, dhaivat and nishad, usually
shortened to Sa, Ri (Carnatic) or Re (Hindustani), Ga,
Ma, Pa, Dha, and Ni and written S, R, G, M, P, D, N.
Collectively these notes are known as the sargam
Sargam is the Indian equivalent to Solfege
Carnatic style=Southern, and Hindustani=Northern
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Played in C major scale and tuned to ¼ below C
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Played in Octaves or 1/3rds
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Rāga (Sanskrit, lit. "colour" or "mood"; or rāgam in
Carnatic music) refers to melodic modes used in Indian
classical music. It is a series of five or more musical
notes upon which a melody is made. In the Indian
musical tradition, rāgas are associated with different
times of the day, or with seasons. Indian classical music
is always set in a rāga.
On A Whole Other Level
• Each shuddha swara (i.e., Sa, Re/Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa,
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Dha/Da, and Ni) is traditionally held to have originated in
the sound of a different animal, and some have
additional meanings of their own
Each swara is associated with one of the seven chakras
of the body. Just as the swaras ascend through the
saptak, so they are mapped onto the chakras in the
body in ascending order
Ragas, therefore, have more or less of an effect on a
given chakra depending on the notes they contain
Show Me What You Got!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=erLZ-zW9Ti4 :
George Harrison’s lesson with Ravi Shankar
www.youtube.com/watch?v=84lNSHVm9nE : Sitar
and Tablas
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkcRZSdc8us:
Norwegian Wood
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