Sitar Past- Sitar Future & everything in between
So, what is a sitar? A plucked stringed instrument from India is referred to as a sitar. It is famous for playing a significant part in Hindustani classical music. Extensive improvisation, intricate melodies, and intricate rhythmic patterns are all hallmarks of Hindustani music. One of the solo instruments used most frequently in Hindustani music is the sitar. The sitar is a stringed instrument similar to the guitar. But compared to an acoustic guitar, the sitar’s sound is far more complex because of variations in how it is built.
The sitar is believed to have developed as a fusion of the Persian instrument called ‘sehtar’ and the Indian veena ‘Divine instrument’, a stringed instrument that had been used since at least 1500 BCE. Throughout the mughal era of rule, the sitar was still often used as a court instrument. It is frequently heard as a solo instrument, accompanied by the tabla drums and the tambura, a stringed instrument that plays repeated sounds known as drones.
The sitar became a well-liked instrument in the West mainly because of Ravi Shankar. George Harrison, the guitarist for The Beatles, is a notable example who used the instrument in songs like “Norwegian Wood” (1965) and “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966). The Rolling Stones also employed the sitar on their song “Paint It, Black” (1966).
Other artists innovated by using the guitar to play sitar sounds. Some used a modified electric sitar for easier performance but ensured the primary tone color was preserved.
Without a doubt, the humble beginnings of the sitar from the Indian subcontinent have seen it evolve beyond measure.
The sitar is arguably one of the most important instruments to have successfully fused together Eastern and Western sound. Still predominantly used even today, it remains one of the most popular Indian instruments for musicians and artists across the globe.