Sitarists and Their Music

July 29th, 2010

For avid listeners of Sitar Music the enchanting and melodic  tones of the sitar offers a relaxing music from which to lose  the stresses  of the day. The tones and timbres  of the musical instrument  inherently cause a state of tranquility , calmness  and meditation that is unrivaled by most musical instruments on Earth . It is a unique and popular  style of Indian Classical Music, with characteristics and specialties which are not the same as any other musical instrument in its genre.

The Sitar can be  enjoyed by all   who listen to its sound , but  when you realize  a couple things regarding the musical instrument at that point you can revel in the music on a whole new  level . When you  comprehend the amount of schooling the sitarya must go through , and the dexterity  it requires, and understanding of the principles about  the ragas, then the music becomes a glorious realization of humanity in such a way that elevates  the one who hears the songinto a blissful  state.

With over 16 strings, 7 of which are above the frets and 13 of which run underneath the frets and many  of them being different  lengths creates a dizzying amount of  variety in the sitarists repetoire , even tuning the sitar takes a considerable amount of  energy. It is not unusual to break a string while tuning and then restringing comes into consideration. After that the player must understand  the notes  of the Raga to be played so he or she can tune the strings to the notes of that particular raga. When all this is done, he must then be able to communicate with his tabla player, his tanpura player, and any other musicians that are on stage with him at the time. It appears almost as telepathy between the players, and it dazzles and awes the audience. This heavenly  style  of music is enjoyed by all , reveled in by more, and rarely   really understood .

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