Sitar is one of the best known instruments of the Indian classical music.  With its 20 strings it is a self-sufficient instrument, especially considering its unique construction.  Technique of playing allows one to play at the same time the melody, rhythm and other elements.  The 13 resonating strings add resonances and colors.  They are tuned into a needed music scale, they can be tuned in a certain structure of melody so that a player can just pluck them in one direction to produce a melody.

Another part of the sitar is the frets that bridge over the resonating strings (which the player does not touch when playing).  Unlike on the guitar, the sitar frets offer about one half of their length for pulling the strings (meend).  By pulling the strings a player can descend from a higher tone to the desired one, or the other way around.  This technique, along with echoes of the resonating strings, creates the typical sound of the sitar.

During the centuries of its history the sitar has changed only very little; therefore, its today's appearance provides an illustration what it looked like in the distant past.

For more information about sitar and Indian music visit these pages:

Asavari, school of Indian music and dance; it contains useful information such as the list of ragas and rhythms.

Chandra & David's Homepage, offers an extensive dictionary of expressions related to Indian music.

Silver Bush, rich pages where one can find diverse information about Indian instruments and how to purchase them.