Instruments of India

            Sitar
    -The sitar is the most popular of all the instruments in india. It has been around for about 700 years. Made from a seasoned gourd and teakwood the sitar has twenty metal frets with six or seven playing strings and nineteen sympathetic strings below.  A plectrum is worn of the finger to play the sitar.
    -The heritage of the sitar goes back to ancient Veena.  In the 13th century the instrument was made more flexible, also the order of the strings were reversed and the frets were made to be moveable.
Hear a sitar here.

           Sarangi
    -The sarangi is played with a bow and has four main strings. It can have up to forty resonant strings. Usually you find the sarangi being used to accompany a singer, but it is sometimes used as a solo instrument.

              Tanpura
    -The tanpura is a four or five stringed instrument that gives essential drone background to all indian music.

            Esraj
    -The esraj is one the major instruments of north india. It is played with a bow and has many strings.
             Tabla
    -The tabla is a drum played to accompany North indian music and dance. The overall term of tabla is two drums. A musician would use the base of their palm as well as their fingers to produce variations in sounds. The right hand drum is tuned to the root and the left-hand drum acts as the base.