Sarangi

The sarangi is the most important bowed string instrument of India's Hindustani classical music tradition. Of all Indian instruments, it is said to get closest to the sound of the human voice.

Related Topics:
India - Hindustani classical music

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Carved from a single block of wood, the sarangi has a box-like shape, usually around two feet long and around half a foot wide. It has no fingerboard and usually three or four gut strings, which are bowed with a horsehair bow and "stopped" not with the finger-tips but with the nails, cuticles and surrounding flesh. It also has a large number of metal sympathetic strings.

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Famously difficult to play, the sarangi has traditionally been used primarily for accompanying singers, but in recent times it has become recognised as a solo instrument. Celebrated sarangi performers include Sultan Khan, Sabri Khan, and Ram Narayan.

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The sarangi is also a traditional stringed musical instrument of Nepal, commonly played by the downtrodden Gaine ethnic group.

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