Sitar invention (w/ sound clip)

 

http://rapidshare.de/files/16278896/sitarguitar.jpg.html

(Click above for photo).

Here is an idea I am coming up for a sitar-guitar. .

The resonator be the same as the guitar, but the neck, the frets, and the bridge be exactly the same as the sitar. The tuning pegs and the chikari posts should be the same as the guitar (i.e. machine pegs and stronger post). This way, the sitar's sound and technique wouldn't be compromised, yet it wouldn't be difficult mainting this, as there is no gourd to cause problems. The photo above is me using MS Paint to show a perspective diagram.

Here is a clip of me playing meends on a guitar with the perspective idea of a guitar-sitar. This is Raga Madhyamad Sarang.

http://rapidshare.de/files/16278842/sitar_sample.mp3.html

Edited by kishore_bhakta - 18 years ago

👏

Amazing Bhakta da. But will it have 6 strings only.

The image is just me w/ MS paint cutting and pasting.

I do plan to have four main strings, 3 chikaris, and thirteen tarabs (sympathetic strings).

 

That's what I was thinking.  On the image I had seen 6 strings and got a little confused.  Heard your piece few times.  Sounds brilliant Bhakta da. 

👏

Do you mean the tumba (the gourd)?

The tumba will resemble the behind of an oud or Tukish saaz.

The sound of the hybrid will have a sitar bridge, so there will be buzz but not much. (of course, if you are skilled w/ jawari sanding, then you can change it to whatever you want).

wow i wish u all the best with ur quest Bhaktaji, i am sure it will turn out tobe awesome! 😃
when u do make one, do try to post some music u composed on it, i would love to hear it 😊

KB ji

it was wonderful...wish it was longer(the audio piece)....

my best wishes for your invention...

Thank you!

That piece was from something I recorded few months ago. It was an eight minute track on Raga Madhyamad Sarang. I only took a thirty second clip for a good sample. It's in lo-quality, so I didn't want to u/l the whole thing.

I'll record something later on and I'll post it using the sitar-guitar.

Thanks!

Not yet. But there has been one significant progress.

There is a new harmonium called the samvadini. The samvadini (literally means "harmony descendant") has the same look of the harmonium, but it is not equally tempered. It is tune to the pure intervals, instead of the equally tempered chromatic used in Western music. IIRC, a tuning mechanism wasn't invented yet.

On the top of the samvadini, (where you usally see the top board where the manufacturer's name is engraved in wood), there is a swarmandal which acts like sympathetic strings. Whenver you play a certain note, that string will ring out.

I am wondering if a more ornament-friendly harmonium will exist. But Ud. Alla Rakkha was pleased at this adaptation of the harmonium. He feel that is one step of the many steps needed to make this suit to the true needs of Indian music.

If there were 22 keys representing the twelve, srutis, you'd still have a problem. You would have to 'guess' which sruti of Dha (for example) you will needed to hit.

Meends would sound too rough on this. If you have studied calculus, here is a calculus example:

Meend is a curve. Using harmonium keys for meends make it look like steps! The more keys you add, the more the series of steps look like a curve. As the number of steps approaches infinity (the concept of limit and integral for arc length apply here), then you closer and closer to the mould of the curve. The meend, in reality, touches every microtone from the start note to the finish note. Adding more keys to the harmonium to make better ornaments may sound like a great idea, but actually play each microtone to do meends will just sound.... bad.