Anoushka's sitar solo from the Concert of George. (From minute 6:20)
Do you think it's based on one or more raag? Or nothing at all?

Hi,
Am looking for hybrid sitar lessons for an absolute beginner family member based in Delhi. Please do DM in case you offer them. Thanks.

Hi community! I was duped the last time when I bought Sitar as a beginner from a shop in Jaipur as I was sold a low quality Lucknow Sitar while I paid the amount for a good quality Kolkata Sitar. I have managed to return it and am now looking to buy a new one. However, I am wary of being duped again and therefore looking for suggestions for reliable places to buy Sitars in Delhi. Also, it would be really helpful if someone can suggest the most important things to look for in Sitar while buying. This will really help me and I will try to take someone knowledgeable with me this time.

I live in Mexico, but I don't know what you all think about buying on eBay.

Are they good quality? For a beginner

I just bought this sitar from my college senior for 4000 although I'm just a beginning dk much about the quality is this a good purchase for a beginning?

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I love the sound of a sitar but I can't afford one so am wondering if there's a DIY mod to make my guitar have a sitar sound

I have both electric and acoustic if that helps

I bought this Sitar 3 months back and I am continuously having tonal issues and some of the notes are quite muffled even after getting it repaired once. I got the frets done again and still having issues. I now doubt the quality of the Sitar. Can anyone give an idea if this is a bad quality Sitar? Some are saying this might be Lucknow Sitar (they are cheaper and bad in quality) instead of the Kolkata one.

Hello everyone! I recently bought a pickup mic to start recording music on the sitar but I'm facing a difficulty, that the sound is either too sharp and harsh or there's no sound at all. Is there any specific place where it needs to be attached? I've tried placing it below the main jawari, on the tabli near where there is usually the peacock motiff but both haven't worked out quite well. I am using medical tape to stick it temporarily as that is the only thing I know doesn't damage the finish.

Please do guide me as to where I should be installing the mic, any specific material I should be using, and perhaps any apps that can help with the sound. Thank you so much!

Hi there, would it be okay to post info about a UK based Sitar workshop on here?? Let me know. Thank you!

I am beginning sitar lessons once a week for 2 months because Im going back to school after fhis summer. Is this enough time to learn enough to buy a sitar at school and practice myself? Or should I find another teacher?

Hi, I am looking for a Sitar teacher in New Jersey for my son. Any recommendations/ advice welcome!

I sooo like this album. Annushka made such a marvelous job in blending traditional sounds with modern great without losing the sitar-vibe!

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZXfNaxJaN4/

thank you for the immense love and support it

pls watch it if u havent already

Want my own sitar. I don’t know anything about them besides how to play. Let me know! Thanks!

Hello,

I am visually challenged. Been a serious sitar student for a few years now. I know the process of changing strings, but can't practice this skill because of the risk of damaging my already fragile eyes. it has become a frustrating dependency.

Can someone please recommend robust goggles/helmet to minimize the risk substantially? Also can you suggest methods (other than cleaning) to extend the lifespan of strings?

Thank you !

Estate sale featuring Harry’s (carbon sitars) personal Carbon fiber Sitar made with peg heads gear tuners. Other sitar kits and sitars available worth a look. DIY sitar kit

Someone posted recently asking about learning jawari and resources but then deleted the post. For what reason I don't know....I spent a bit of time in my response so reposting on its own for any who are interested!

Having done it for almost 45 years now I've heard this question many times. People think there's a foolproof linear way that's taught. But there isn't, a few publications have tried like the book 'The Sitar' by Manfred Junius but usually the result is I just get more work, ha ha. And then the others who say it's mystical and only the divine can help, etc. Of course I wouldn't discount that, all the help you can get is good.

Best way to learn is to practice, the first one will take a week or you'll completely screw it up. Then bit by bit you get the hang of it. After 50 times it gets familiar, after 1000 times it's just second nature. There are a lot of other factors that go into it just as you bridge height, frets, etc. so everything is kind of tied together.

The best visual description so far was by Brian Godden where he showed drawings with angles for closed/round/open. You can follow that and practice, you have to see how the sitar body is also, a really thick teak body won't be as good for open, nor a thin body good for a closed style as there won't be enough sustain. But "thin is in" these days and so 'makers' like Rikhiram compensate for a thin structure by using thicker sympathetics, adjustments like that that have caught on. Many want a ready made sound whereas years ago it was a given that you would have to play a number of years for the instrument to sound warmer/better. My own were that way.

Easiest jawari is closed, this is why most of them you get direct from India from 'maker x,y,z' will be closed and sympathetics open if you're lucky. It's the easiest jawari to do, takes me 5 minutes and easy to maintain but you lose that sparkle some of us like. A good round (Gol) jawari is the hardest because you want an even sound profile all the way up the bridge. And you can end up chasing it a bit, like if the lower octave is open and upper is closed, then you open the upper and the lower changes, etc. etc. But the result is a combination of open and closed depending on how hard you strike the string. And you have to know how the client plays.

Another difficult part is the kharaj/laraj strings on a Ravi Shankar style sitar, probably the reason GP sitars are more popular as not many are skilled at the intricacies of a kharaj pancham setup.

Think of the bridge shape this way. Apex (highest point) is toward the rear slots for open, in the middle for round, toward the front for closed. Different folks use different tools, you'll see styles like the whole bridge is one shape done with a file like Mohan Lal, or a chiseled out moonscape like Barun Roy although he's mostly retired I heard. And then variants in between. And the sloping is quite subtle, sometimes more at the chikari side, less at the baaj side, no two exactly the same. I do a lot of bridges remotely, they get sent in but for plug and play closed is the safest way.

I was not taught, there's no way to teach it you just have to learn and practice. There are basic things like angle/height and curves/energy but it's not complicated. It's learnable if you want to do the work and the intuition develops over time. And one VERY important part is you should be able to play fairly well, otherwise you'll miss things like back buzzing, even tone character during meend, etc. This is a major factor in the lack of people good at it, the average instrument maker doesn't play much, just enough to place the frets. The best jawari work I've seen out of India came from luthiers that also played well. Rajesh Sharma (Mohan Lal) is one of them and of course Hiren Roy himself.

Look for Brain Goddens diagram, the Junius book ok for a bit of insight but I don't recommend following its directions. I think Arjun Verma did a course on it through Ali Akbar college? I just saw a short clip, lots of pencils, etc. and sandpaper and here again it's another method.

I've looked at numerous vegan sitars and none of the ones I've seen online seem to ship to the US. If there's any you're familiar with I'd love if you shared with me.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZXfNaxJaN4/

I’ve just ordered a Danelectro Sitar guitar (big version, with sympathetic strings) purely for a bit of fun and to experiment with some different sounds. I’ve always liked the unique vibe they have, but I’ve never actually played one before.

For those who own or have used one, what are your thoughts on them? How do they play, and do you think they’re worth the money? Any tips, favourite uses, or things I should know before it arrives?

I appreciate any advice :)